Joshua Sutcliffe

Joshua Sutcliffe, a maths teacher, was disciplined after allegedly ‘misgendering’ a pupil who self-identified as a boy, and for critiquing Islam on his personal YouTube channel.

Joshua Sutcliffe is a maths teacher with an exemplary record, being popular with senior management, parents and pupils alike. But in 2017, Joshua made headlines after being dismissed for allegedly ‘misgendering’ a pupil at his school. His dismissal was believed to be the first time that a teacher had been banned from teaching for refusing to use preferred pronouns.

In 2019, Joshua was forced to resign from another school, over views he posted and talked about on his personal YouTube channel, critiquing Islam.

In May 2023, the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) gave Joshua an indefinite ban from the teaching profession, ruling that he was guilty of unprofessional conduct.

In January 2024, it was announced that Joshua’s lawyers had appealed the TRA ruling, and were pursuing a Judicial Review of the decision to ban him.

Andrea Williams, chief executive of the Christian Legal Centre, said: “The TRA is targeting an exceptional teacher because his Christian beliefs do not fall in line with the prevailing secular orthodoxy which cannot tolerate any dissent. For loving Jesus, speaking truth in his personal time and responding to questions from students on the Christian faith, he is being hounded out of the teaching profession.

“With critical shortages of teachers in the profession, why are the TRA so determined to force a high-performing teacher out for their Christian beliefs?”

Key links

• Read more about Joshua’s appeal of the ban on him from teaching
• Read more about the ban imposed on Joshua
• Read more about the draft guidance for gender questioning children in schools