‘Extremist’ chaplain fights on

Church of England chaplain Bernard Randall (see photo) is appealing an Employment Tribunal (ET) ruling rejecting his claims of unfair dismissal against a CofE school after giving a sermon on accepted Anglican teachings. He is also taking legal action against the diocese which, he claimed, offered him no support – ‘not even a whisper’.

Dr Randall was employed by Trent College in Nottingham, an independent Anglican school. In May 2019, he gave two sermons to children about ‘competing ideologies’ which led to his summary dismissal. He was reinstated subject to conditions; then made redundant in 2020 after complaints following another sermon.

Underpinning the school’s education, according to its objects, are the Protestant and Evangelical principles of the CofE. (In her ruling, the employment judge appeared to ignore those core objects as an irrelevancy.)