A Christian school worker who was sacked because of her beliefs has won the right for her appeal against her dismissal to be heard by senior judges.
Kristie Higgs, 47, was dismissed for gross misconduct by Farmor’s School in Fairford, Gloucestershire, in 2019 after sharing Facebook posts criticising plans to teach LGBT+ relationships in primary schools.
Mrs Higgs, supported by the Christian Legal Centre, took the school to an employment tribunal, arguing she had been unlawfully discriminated against because of her Christian beliefs.
In its ruling in 2020, the tribunal concluded her religion is a “protected characteristic” as defined by the Equality Act but the school lawfully dismissed her.
Mrs Higgs’ appeal to the Employment Appeal Tribunal in London was successful, and the case was remitted back to an employment tribunal. Her lawyers appealed the decision to order a fresh employment tribunal hearing and have now won the right to have her case heard by Court of Appeal judges later this year.
Mrs Higgs said: “This has always been about my Christian beliefs and me being discriminated against for expressing them in my own time.”
Andrea Williams, chief executive of the Christian Legal Centre welcomed the news as ‘a huge moment.’