Defiance of teacher fired in storm over trans pupil

A PRIMARY school teacher who was sacked after refusing to call an eight-year-old transgender pupil by a boy’s name has vowed to fight on against ‘injustice’ in classrooms.

A High Court judge yesterday refused her permission for a judicial review over safeguarding concerns around the ‘danger’ of ‘trans-affirming policies’, which she claims puts children ‘at serious risk’.

The woman, known as ‘ Hannah’ to avoid identifying the child, claimed the result is ‘not the end’. She is appealing against her sacking; if this fails, a full employment tribunal will commence. Hannah was told last September that she had a transgender child in her class. The

‘Went against Christian beliefs’

teacher, from the East Midlands, refused to call the pupil by a boy’s name, saying it ‘ went against her Christian beliefs’.

She was suspended and later dismissed for gross misconduct, claiming that it could damage the young student, known as Child X, to unquestioningly encourage the belief that they were ‘in the wrong body’.

But Judge Honorable Mrs Justice Farbey said the application ‘failed to take into consideration the private life of Child X’, who is ‘young and vulnerable’.

Richard O’Dair, representing the teacher, told the court his client was acting in the ‘ best interests’ of Child X. However, the court heard the teacher ‘obsessively’ accessed Child X’s personal information, stoking fears she would ‘out’ the pupil.

Hannah has been reported to the Teaching Regulation Agency and could be barred from classrooms for life.