Priest who argued for freedom of belief over gender identity reaches settlement with school

A PRIEST who preached a sermon arguing for freedom of belief over gender identity has secured a legal agreement with the school that dismissed him six years ago.

The Revd Dr Bernard Randall was the chaplain of Trent College, Long Eaton, in Derbyshire. In 2019, the campaign group Educate & Celebrate, with a mission to “smash heteronormativity” and “queer the education system”, visited the school.

Dr Randall told students that they did not have to accept “LGBT stuff” and dismissed Educate & Celebrate as “Marxist, revolutionary and atheist”. He also upheld traditional church teaching on sex and marriage.

The school — where fees are £40,000 a year — referred him to Prevent, the national anti-extremism programme, but no evidence of “counter-terrorism risk or risk of radicalisation” was found. He was made redundant during the pandemic in 2020 and lost his case for unfair dismissal in 2023. That tribunal decision was thrown out last year due to the “appearance of bias” in the panel, with a new hearing to be convened.

Following that ruling, a confidential legal settlement was reached between the college and Dr Randall.

Educate & Celebrate closed in 2024. Dr Randall was denied a licence or “safe to receive” status by the diocese of Derby after his departure from the school. As part of the legal settlement, he is no longer deemed to be a safeguarding risk and can now return to public ministry.

“Seven years have been taken from me for doing my duty as a C of E chaplain in a school with a C of E ethos,” Dr Randall said. “I encouraged pupils to think, to debate, and to love their neighbours whatever they believed. No minister, teacher, or chaplain should be punished for upholding Christian teaching in a Christian setting.”

A spokesperson for the diocese of Derby said: “The diocese is happy to continue supporting Dr Randall’s potential return to ministry as he decides whether and where to apply for a role.

“Over the past few months, through our ongoing contact with him, he has been signposted to current vacancies in the diocese of Derby, Pathways, the Church of England’s recruitment portal, and to the Church’s Clergy Transitions Service, which has confirmed that they are also available to provide further assistance.”