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.
Joshua Sutcliffe, who taught maths at a school in Oxford, faces a misconduct trial on January 9 after he ‘accidentally’ misgendered a transgender pupil
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.’
In 2017 Mr Sutcliffe was suspended by Cherwell School (pictured) after he said ‘well done girls’ to a group of pupils, including one who identified as a boy
While teaching in Oxford, Mr Sutcliffe said, ‘well done girls’, to a group of pupils when he spotted them working hard.
He apologised when corrected by the pupil about their gender, but six weeks later he was suspended from teaching after the pupil’s mother lodged a complaint.
At the time he said he had no official instructions about how to address the student, but along with other staff decided to use the pupil’s chosen first name.
However, he has admitted that, as a Christian, he avoided using male pronouns such as ‘he’ and ‘him’.
He believed this was consistent with the school’s code of conduct and equality policies to show respect and tolerance, and he said he had encountered no problems with this.
Following an investigation, he was summoned to a formal disciplinary hearing to face misconduct charges for ‘misgendering’.
He then took the school to an employment tribunal, claiming he had been victimised for his Christian beliefs – though both parties settled out of court.
After leaving the school in Oxfordshire, he started working in London in September 2018.
Mr Sutcliffe said he had to leave the second school because of views he shared on his YouTube channel.
A parent is said to have reported one of his videos to the school, Mr Sutcliffe told Premier Christianity: ‘I had to leave that post as well, because of the pressure that was put on me from the school.’
On his channel, which has hundreds of uploads and over 500 subscribers, he posted a video called: ‘What does the Bible say about false prophets?’.
In the video he said: ‘I know this is controversial and I know that people might be offended by what I’m saying but I do it in love and because I want to speak the truth.
‘I believe Muhammad is a false prophet. I would suggest that Muslims have a false understanding of God because they’ve been led by a false prophet.
On his YouTube channel, Mr Sutcliffe posted a video called: ‘What does the Bible say about false prophets?’
‘Jesus is the only true prophet because he is God in the flesh, he is the voice of God, he brings true revelation and understanding because he is God.’
In another video posted later in the year, Mr Sutcliffe said he lost his first job due to the ‘LGBT mafia’ and the second job to the ‘Islamic mafia’.
He said: ‘Both camps used bully tactics and intimidation and they’re getting people sacked all around the country.
‘This is very dear to my heart, I love education, I love teaching and I really enjoy teaching maths.
‘The sad thing for me is that I’m not allowed to be me, I do my job excellently, I teach maths very well and I understand the curriculum.
‘The problem is that we’ve got the LGBT mafia which got me kicked out of one school and the Islamic mafia who got me kicked out of another.
‘Teachers are scared stiff of these bullies.’
Cherwell School has been contacted for a comment.