A teacher who said he was forced to leave two schools after calling a transgender pupil a girl and then Muhammad a ‘false prophet’ will appear at a professional conduct hearing.
Joshua Sutcliffe, who taught maths at Cherwell School in Oxford and then at a Catholic school in Islington, has a hearing scheduled for January 9.
In 2017 Mr Sutcliffe was suspended by, and then left, Cherwell School after he praised a group of students by saying ‘well done girls’ to a group that included a pupil who identified as a boy.
He later took legal action against the school for constructive dismissal and discrimination.
In 2019 the Christian preacher said he had to leave a school in London, which he had been at for over a year, after posting a video in which he called Muhammad a ‘false prophet’.
The hearing, which is due to last until January 13, is in relation to Mr Sutcliffe’s time in Oxford.
Mr Sutcliffe said: ‘Teaching mathematics has always been a great joy of mine. The potential for me to be prevented from teaching for holding and expressing my Christian beliefs is wrong and I believe I am being discriminated against in ways other religions and philosophical beliefs would not be.
‘As a society we must be free to critique other religions and beliefs, including Islam, without fear of losing our livelihoods.
‘I have been hounded out of two jobs for expressing my beliefs in the workplace and in my personal time. Dissatisfied with that, the TRA are now seeking to force me out of the profession indefinitely.
‘However, I would rather lose my profession than be silenced.
‘I was determined to comply with the school’s policies so long as I was not unlawfully coerced to act contrary to my conscience.
‘My teaching record is exemplary. I believe this case is not about my ability to teach but about me being a Christian and believing in the gospel and the Lordship of Jesus Christ.’
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