Chaplain settles unfair dismissal case after LGBT sermon controversy

Rev Bernard Randall spent seven years out of ministry. It began in June 2019 when he delivered a sermon at Trent College, a fee-paying boarding school in Long Eaton, Derbyshire, in which he told pupils aged eleven to seventeen that they did not have to accept what he called "LGBT stuff." The sermon had been prompted by a question from a sixth-form student: why, the pupil asked, were they being told to accept all this in a Christian school? Randall included that question in his sermon and added his own statement: "You do not have to accept the ideas of LGBT activists." Within two months, he was dismissed from his role as chaplain.

The school's concern centered on Randall's opposition to an LGBT inclusivity program it was implementing, one designed by the charity Educate and Celebrate. At an employment tribunal, Randall argued that elements of the program were ideologically driven—he used words like Marxist, revolutionary, and atheist to describe what he saw. He objected to specific terminology: "sex assigned at birth" and "cisgender" struck him as loaded language that went beyond neutral inclusivity into what he called identity politics. Christian Concern, an advocacy group supporting Randall's case, said his sermon reflected Church of England teaching on marriage. But the sermon triggered complaints from pupils, parents, and staff members, some of whom said it left them in tears. Randall was removed from his chaplaincy post and reported to Prevent, the government's counter-terrorism watchdog.

Randall appealed his dismissal and won—the original decision was overturned. But the school then offered him a new arrangement: seven hours per week during term time only. He refused the reduced role and was made redundant. In February 2023, an employment tribunal heard his unfair dismissal claim. The judge found that Trent College's redundancy process had been genuine and reasonable, and that the Prevent referral was justified on safeguarding grounds. Randall lost. The school had also referred him to the Teaching Regulation Authority and the Disclosure and Barring Service. The TRA declined to pursue a case; the DBS found no case to answer.

But in March 2025, Judge James Tayler of the Employment Appeal Tribunal ruled that the original judgment was unsafe. The case would be reheard. Trent College, facing the prospect of a new tribunal, reached a confidential settlement with Randall. The school was ordered to pay approximately £20,000 in costs. An independent investigator, reviewing the safeguarding allegations, concluded they were unsubstantiated. The investigator found no evidence that harm had been caused by the sermons and identified no ongoing safeguarding concerns. Randall completed mandatory safeguarding training and became eligible to preach again in Church of England churches.

When asked by the BBC about his experience, Randall said seven years had been taken from him and that his faith and loyalty to the Church had been tested severely. He expressed no anger, though he acknowledged that forgiveness was difficult work. "I've been out of ministry for over seven years," he said. He thanked his legal team and those who had supported him through what he called an ordeal. Trent College declined to comment further on the matter. The case closes with Randall restored to eligibility for ministry, but with a decade of his professional life interrupted—the years of dismissal, appeal, redundancy, tribunal, and settlement now behind him.