Teacher fails to prove trans whistleblowing led to dismissal

An employment tribunal (ET) has dismissed a teacher’s claim that she lost her job after blowing the whistle during a feud over the handling of a child who wished to change gender.

Employment Judge Peter McTigue said in a decision published 23 May 2025 that Nottinghamshire County Council in central England did not unfairly dismiss the teacher after she raised safeguarding concerns amid the school’s requirement that she address the child by their chosen gender.

McTigue J said the teacher’s misconduct was the reason she lost her job in 2022. He noted that she had repeatedly used the school’s Child Protection Online Monitoring System (CPOMS) to access the child’s data without authorisation.

The teacher ‘provided no guarantee’ to the disciplinary panel ‘that she would not use CPOMS in an unauthorised manner if she were allowed to return to work in the future’, the 82-page ruling says.

The ET anonymised the teacher, the child and the school indefinitely to avoid the child’s biological sex becoming public.

The teacher initially raised concerns over the school’s policy of ‘affirmative care’ for the child, aged eight or nine at the time, who wanted to transition from female to male. The worker said she was concerned about potential harm to the child, adding that the requirement to refer to the child with male pronouns went against her Christian beliefs.

‘The internet is awash with the tragic testimonies of detransitioners, especially girls, who regret the irreversible treatments that they underwent’, she told the school.

The dispute led to the suspension and subsequent reinstatement of the teacher. She eventually asked the High Court to review the school’s handling of the child in the belief that the affirmative care was making matters worse.

The school suspended the teacher again after learning of her actions on CPOMS. It eventually sacked her for gross misconduct and reporting the matter to the Information Commissioner’s Office.

McTigue J has now rejected the teacher’s complaints over her treatment. He ruled that the school did not penalise her at any point for her whistleblowing.

The tribunal also said the school did not discriminate against the teacher based on her religion, ruling that her suspension was not a detriment.

‘During the entire period of suspension the [teacher] was paid her full salary and treated with courtesy and respect’, the decision says.

Teachers are now ‘being bullied not to question trans-affirming policies’, the dismissed teacher said in a statement. ‘I could not participate in causing harm to [the child]. The tragic stories of “detransitioners”, clear expert scientific evidence and the recent Supreme Court ruling back and vindicate me.’

The teacher is planning to appeal against the dismissal of her claims and the reporting restrictions on the matter.

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