Teacher Sacked for Christian Beliefs Appeals Tribunal Decision

Country: United Kingdom

Date of incident: January 14, 2025


Ben Dybowski, a teaching assistant in Wales, was sacked after expressing his Christian views during a school seminar on diversity. Although the Education Workforce Council found no wrongdoing, an employment tribunal rejected his claim of harassment. He is now appealing the decision, raising concerns about the treatment of Christian teachers in Europe.

As reported by OIDAC Europe, Ben Dybowski was sacked as a teaching assistant at The Bishop of Llandaff Church in Wales School near Cardiff, accused of 'hate speech' after sharing his Christian beliefs at a seminar. 

During the seminar on 'Diversity and Inclusion', Mr Dybowski asked the speaker if his Christian beliefs could be considered discriminatory. To make his point, he gave three examples: the view that marriage is a union between a man and a woman (although he acknowledged that the state has provided other options); the view that human life begins at conception and should be protected from that point; and thirdly, that he is critical of some aspects of Islam. According to the assistant teacher, the main purpose of his question was to open up a discussion and highlight potential problems.

The following day, the headteacher told Mr Dybowski that he could not express his views either at school or in his private life (e.g. on social media), as this could undermine the reputation of the (nominally Christian) school. The assistant teacher then informed his supervisor that he was actively involved in pro-life campaigns, meaning that he would engage with others on social media about pro-life issues. Immediately after the meeting, the head teacher sacked the assistant teacher and later reported him to the Education Workforce Council (EWC).

The EWC conducted its investigation and found in August 2024 that there was 'no case to answer'. The regulator recognised that Mr Dybowski had only shared his views in a safe space with other school staff and that debate should be encouraged in schools. The school's lawyers offered him a settlement of £10,000, subject to a non-disclosure agreement. This offer was rejected because Mr Dybowski wanted a public admission of discrimination. In the absence of a settlement, the teacher took his case for discrimination to an employment tribunal.

On 23 October, the Wales Employment Tribunal found that “the claimant’s claim of harassment related to religious and protected beliefs is not well founded and is dismissed”.  This month, Mr Dybowski announced that he would appeal the tribunal's decision. Across Europe, several teachers and school staff are being sacked because of their traditional Christian values.

Source: cidac.co.uk, X (Ben Dybowski)

Image: X (Ben Dybowski)