In R (Leger) v Secretary of State for Education [2025] EWHC 665 (Admin), Ms Gladwys Leger was a teacher at Bishop Justus Church of England School [5]. She is “a born-again ‘conservative’ Roman Catholic” who believes that biological sex is immutable and should not be tampered with and that sexual relationships should only exist within a marriage between a man and a woman [8]. She brought a claim arising from her dismissal from the school.

The background

During a religious studies class segment described as “Human Rights”, which included a PowerPoint presentation on LGBTQ+ topics and protected characteristics, Ms Leger explained her Christian beliefs to the class and why LGBTQ+ ideology was contrary to them [11]. One of the children (‘Pupil A’) told her parents about it, and her mother e-mailed the school, complaining that Ms Leger’s comments were “very distressing” to her daughter “who strongly believes people should be who they are” and who was “exploring who she is – as many children are at this age”. Pupil A later referred to her own sexuality in her oral evidence to the Professional Conduct Panel hearing [12]. Ms Leger was suspended in March 2022 and dismissed in May 2022 [13]; further, the school referred the matter to the Teaching Regulation Agency, and in 2023, Ms Leger appeared before a Professional Conduct Panel [‘PCP’], sitting in public [14-15]. The allegations and the conclusions of the PCP on each of them were as follows: Continue reading →