A teacher who claimed sex discrimination after complaining the only reason for his transfer was to supervise boys' changing rooms has been awarded £6500 compensation.

PE teacher Ian Linklater was transferred after two schools merged but operated on two campuses. The head teacher swapped his and a female teacher's places of work to ensure "good order, decency and chaperonage" in male and female sports changing rooms.

Mr Linklater, who also ran sports coaching classes, complained his move amounted to sex discrimination and took his case against Inverclyde Council to an employment tribunal.

Glasgow employment tribunal judge Mr Roderick Mackenzie ruled the move was discriminatory and recommended that Inverclyde Council should consider offering head teachers training on sex discrimination.

The tribunal heard Mr Linklater was based at Greenock High School until it merged with Wellington Academy to form Inverclyde Academy in 2007. The new school operated from the two campuses.

Mr Linklater was told in an email from head teacher Catherine Sorenson in June 2007 to transfer to the PE department at the former Wellington Academy campus. He was given no explanation.

He objected on the grounds the reason for his transfer was because he was a male and it therefore amounted to sex discrimination.

The head teacher decided to place a female teacher at the Greenock High School site as there were no females to supervise the changing rooms. As there were no males at the former Wellington Academy site, Mr Linklater was moved there.

He resisted the move but eventually went to work at the former Wellington Academy campus until it closed in December 2007, apart from a period of absence due to stress/anxiety.

His grievance was rejected by Mrs Sorenson, who said the reasons for his transfer were twofold: to ensure good order, decency and chaperonage in the changing rooms and to provide a sports coaching class in both campuses.

Mr Linklater appealed against the grievance decision, unsuccessfully. He said he became short-tempered, anxious, tense and worried and lost weight because of the strain of the grievance procedure and his transfer.

He told the tribunal: "All I wanted was an apology for being moved because I was a male. The supervision I conducted could have been done by anyone. I felt I was being moved because I was a man. Had I been female I would not have been moved."

The tribunal ruled Mr Linklater was treated less favourably because a female teacher at the Greenock High School site required to teach a sports coaching course at the Wellington Academy site would not have been transferred.

Mr Linklater, of Skelmorlie, was awarded £6500 compensation.