Rev Dr Bernard Randall has been fully cleared after a seven-year battle following his dismissal as chaplain at Trent College, Derbyshire, over a controversial 2018 sermon on gender identity.
An independent safeguarding review found no evidence of harm resulting from his sermon. Additionally, a separate legal settlement with the school has brought the prolonged dispute to a close.
The conflict began when the Christian chaplain raised concerns about a gender identity curriculum introduced by Trent College, which was supported by the group Educate and Celebrate. Randall questioned the suitability of the material, which was implemented across all year groups despite his objections.
In June 2019, Randall delivered a sermon titled “Competing Ideologies” that reflected Church of England doctrine. This sermon triggered an immediate backlash.
The school reported Randall to the government’s Prevent counter-extremism programme without informing him, accusing him of “religious extremism.” Although he was cleared by both Prevent and local safeguarding officers, Randall was dismissed for alleged gross misconduct.
After a restricted return to his role and eventual redundancy, he was blacklisted by the Diocese of Derby as a safeguarding risk, despite no complaints being made against him.
Randall filed misconduct complaints against Bishop Libby Lane, whose handling of the case was later described as “highly unsatisfactory” by Church tribunals. Meanwhile, the employment tribunal that initially ruled against Randall was found to have concealed bias after one panel member’s anti-Christian social media posts were revealed.
His appeal in 2025 resulted in the ruling that the original tribunal decision was unsafe, leading to a fresh trial and a £20,000 cost order against Trent College.
The group Educate and Celebrate, central to the controversy, later collapsed amid scandal, including the imprisonment of a patron for serious child sex offences. Despite Randall being cleared by the Teaching Regulation Agency and Disclosure and Barring Service, he was not reinstated by the Church at that time.
An independent safeguarding review commissioned by the Diocese of London concluded there was no substantiated harm from Randall’s sermons and recommended closing his safeguarding file.
Randall has completed mandatory safeguarding training and is now eligible to minister again, although the Diocese of Derby has yet to facilitate his full return.
“Seven years have been taken from me for doing my duty as a CofE chaplain in a school with a CofE ethos,” Randall said. “No minister, teacher or chaplain should be punished for upholding Christian teaching in a Christian setting.”
Christian Legal Centre CEO Andrea Williams described the case as “one of the most extraordinary and disturbing” they have supported. She called for the Church of England to acknowledge Randall’s wrongful treatment and to ensure such incidents do not happen again.
Originally published by UKNIP.
