After a seven-year, high-profile battle, Rev. Dr Bernard Randall has secured a legal settlement with Trent College and succeeded in overturning the Church of England’s (CofE) safeguarding blacklisting of him for preaching a sermon on freedom of belief and gender identity.
Supported by the Christian Legal Centre on multiple fronts, Bernard had challenged the way he was treated by both the school where he worked and his Church of England diocese.
His employment case against the school had been set for a retrial after the courts accepted that the original judgment was “unsafe” due to possible bias on the panel that made the ruling. Trent College had been ordered to pay Bernard £20,000 in costs. Following that ruling, a confidential legal settlement was reached between the college and Dr Randall.
However, it was the way the Church of England treated him that beggared belief. He was blacklisted by his church denomination over baseless safeguarding concerns.
Had he preached in a CofE place of worship, he could have faced disciplinary action.
Now, Bernard has finally been given the all clear. He is now free to preach in church again and work in an education setting after he and his legal team successfully challenged the ban imposed on him.
Sermon in chapel was orthodox Christian teaching
The sanction followed a sermon he delivered as chaplain of the Derbyshire college in 2019 in a CofE school, in a CofE chapel, precisely the kind of setting where pupils might reasonably expect to hear orthodox Christian teaching.
The sermon encouraged debate and was pastoral and rooted in Anglican belief. It came after the school had invited in the external campaign group Educate and Celebrate, which openly stated its aim to “smash heteronormativity” and to embed Queer Theory throughout the culture of the school.
Yet for delivering that sermon, Dr Randall was treated like a criminal: forced out of the college, reported to Prevent without his knowledge, and blacklisted by the Diocese of Derby as a safeguarding risk.
Despite the sermon reflecting CofE doctrine on marriage and human identity, diocesan officers concluded that the expression of Dr Randall’s biblical beliefs posed a risk, even stating that biblical teaching on marriage, and “the Church itself”, were a “risk-factor”.
As a result, the Bishop of Derby, Libby Lane, refused to allow Dr Randall to officiate in church services unless he submitted to an independent safeguarding assessment by a psychologist whose work included assessing serious offenders.
Dr Randall refused, saying such an assessment would have amounted to a tacit admission that he had done something wrong.
After a hugely drawn out, flawed and, as a senior lawyer for the CofE described it, ‘egregious’ process, that safeguarding position has now been overturned in substance.
Following an independent review, an independent investigator found:
“After full consideration and review of the available information I cannot establish, on the balance of probabilities, that harm was caused by the delivery of the sermons. This allegation is therefore unsubstantiated.”
Furthermore, it was concluded that: “My recommendation to the [Safeguarding Case Management Group] in this matter involving Dr Randall is that the investigation finds the concern or allegation was unsubstantiated and there are no ongoing safeguarding concerns.”
Dr Randall has completed all mandatory safeguarding training and is now eligible for Permission to Officiate. But the Bishop of Derby has done nothing to help him return to ministry.
‘Seven years taken from me’
Dr Randall said: “Seven years have been taken from me for doing my duty as a CofE chaplain in a school with a CofE ethos. I encouraged pupils to think, to debate, and to love their neighbours whatever they believed. No minister, teacher or chaplain should be punished for upholding Christian teaching in a Christian setting.
“I am relieved that this legal ordeal has finally reached a settlement, but nothing can restore the years that have been taken from me. I was reported to Prevent, treated as a safeguarding risk, and shut out of ministry for preaching a sermon rooted in CofE doctrine.
“My case has revealed the extent of the corruption within the Church, our schools and in the judiciary, and should deeply concern us all.
“It has been an extraordinary journey, and one I never would have dreamed I would have had to bear. My faith and loyalty to the Church has been tested to the extreme. I have experienced many dark hours, but I have come through it and now want to get on with my life and get back to what I have always loved and been passionate about doing: serving Jesus and his Church.
“I want to thank my legal team and everyone who has stood with and supported me, and especially the many people who have prayed for me throughout this ordeal.
“It is time for the Church and our institutions to recognise what has happened to me and to ensure it never happens again.”
‘A huge scandal’
Andrea Williams, chief executive of the Christian Legal Centre, said:
“Bernard Randall has endured one of the most extraordinary and disturbing cases we have ever supported. It has always been and still is a huge scandal. Secular bodies repeatedly vindicated him, but the Church of England, the institution that should have supported him the most, repeatedly failed him.
“What he has been through would have finished a weaker man, but Bernard has stood and stood again and again for his beliefs and the pursuit of justice.
“Bernard Randall cares deeply and passionately about the Church of England. Many would have understandably walked away from it after how he was treated. Bernard has not and this courage has been immense.
“Bernard now deserves a future in the Church he has served so faithfully. Few clergy are better placed to understand the urgent need for reform, both in how the Church of England upholds and applies its own teaching in schools and places of worship, and in how its safeguarding processes are used and must not be abused.
“The settlement with Trent College is also a significant moment and an admission that Bernard was deeply wronged, revealing how a school can so badly lose its way once it bows the knee to transgender ideology.
“Bernard’s case exposes how easily safeguarding process, equality policies and extreme transgender ideology can be misused to silence Christian beliefs. Schools, churches and public bodies must learn from this case and protect, rather than punish, lawful Christian expression.
“We call on the Archbishop of Canterbury, Sarah Mullally, urgently to meet with Bernard.”
Appeal succeeds
In February 2024, Dr Randall’s Employment Appeal Tribunal hearing, challenging how he was treated by the school, was postponed pending the outcome of the landmark Kristie Higgs case, which was also supported by the Christian Legal Centre.
On 12 February 2025, the Court of Appeal handed down a landmark ruling in the Higgs case, providing important precedent for cases involving Christian freedom in the workplace.
Dr Randall’s appeal then finally began on 4 March 2025 on thirteen grounds, including: alleged bias by the original tribunal panel, improper treatment of the theological nature of his sermon, misapplication of human rights protections, procedural unfairness, failure to consider the safeguarding blacklist and Prevent referral, and failure to recognise that his sermon reflected CofE doctrine.
Judge James Tayler subsequently ruled that the original Employment Tribunal judgment was “unsafe” and ordered an urgent retrial. Trent College was ordered to pay £20,000 in costs.
Following that ruling, a confidential legal settlement was reached between the College and Dr Randall.
In the meantime, however, as a result of the tribunal ruling, Dr Randall was reported by Trent College to the Teaching Regulation Agency and the Disclosure and Barring Service, who both concluded that Dr Randall had no case to answer.
Further vindications followed, with Educate and Celebrate plagued by scandal to the point that it was quietly closed by the Charity Commission.
One of its patrons, Stephen Ireland, has since been jailed for 24 years for a series of sex offences against children, including the rape of a 12-year-old boy.
Despite all of these vindications, the CofE continued to refuse to reinstate Dr Randall.
Safeguarding conclusion
Dr Randall’s safeguarding blacklisting has also now been overturned in substance.
Following the recommendation for a review, an ‘independent’ safeguarding review was conducted.
From the beginning, however, this process was highly flawed as it should have recommenced from the beginning, but instead began from the premise that there was already a safeguarding concern.
The review has found no safeguarding concerns about Dr Randall with no allegations upheld. He has completed all mandatory safeguarding training and is eligible for Permission to Officiate if the Bishop of Derby chooses to grant it.
Despite no concerns being upheld, and successive failures to follow statutory procedures by the safeguarding teams, the independent investigator concluded:
“His belief that his actions were 100% correct and that he did not see or recognise the potential outcome of this case, shows a failure to fully understand what safeguarding both means and strives to achieve.
“Dr Randall will be required to undertake Safeguarding Training prior to any PtO is granted and this may assist him in his understanding and awareness.”
Dr Randall’s legal team believe that such a statement means that the CofE’s process continues to punish him for maintaining that he did nothing wrong by preaching a sermon rooted in Church of England doctrine, and he could be put through the same process again if he were to preach a similar sermon in line with the Church’s own teaching.
There has been no apology for the remarkable fact that the Church took nearly seven years to reach its conclusion, in sharp contrast to the secular LADO, who took just one day to determine that it was not a safeguarding matter. The Church of England’s bishops declared in 2021 that Dr Randall’s sermon contained “nothing … outside the doctrine and teaching of the Church of England”, making the contrast in treatment even more extraordinary.
The independent investigator also said: “It is a matter for the Designated Safeguarding Lead for the Diocese of Derby as to what they feel is an appropriate role for Dr Randall to be considered for. He may choose to apply for a licence, for Permission to Officiate (PtO) or may apply for another role within a school or another educational facility.”
It now remains to be seen how the Derby Diocese and Bishop of Derby will actively help and support Dr Randall back into full-time ministry within the CofE.