Damning report on child sex abuse finds west country schools failed to properly investigate allegations
The report, formed after an inquiry into abuse at residential schools, says Clifton College prioritised its reputation over student safety & Hillside First School failed to act on multiple allegations
Last updated 1st Mar 2022
A report, published today (March 1) by the Independent Inquiry into Child Sex Abuse (IICSA) says several residential schools across the UK including Clifton College in Bristol and Hillside First School in Weston Super Mare, failed to adequately protect their pupils from abuse.
The inquiry began in September 2019 following multiple recent cases of abuse across the country.
Since 2008 two former teachers at Clifton have been convicted for abuse, while a former teacher at Hillside First School in Weston, now renamed as Worle Village Primary, was jailed in 2011 for 36 offences including attempted rape.
The report concludes that in all three instances, concerns raised at the time by fellow staff members, parents or others were not properly investigated.
In one of the cases from Clifton College it is even concluded that then headmaster provided misleading information to Avon and Somerset Police.
The first case from Clifton dates back to the early 1990s, when former Clifton teacher Stephen Johnston regularly invited boys to his flat.
The inquiry found other staff had raised concerns at the time but in response to one particular formal complaint, the then headteacher responded that "what happens in a private house which is not part of the School is nothing to do with me as Headmaster."
Mr Johnston was later found guilty of buggery and indecent assault of a pupil over a three-year period.
In the second incident Jonathan Thomson-Glover, a housemaster at Clifton at the time, was found to have been using hidden cameras to secretly film boys both at the school and at his holiday home in Cornwall, over a 16 year period.
He was arrested in 2014 after the National Crime Agency discovered he had shared indecent images of children online and 330 video tapes containing 2,500 hours of footage were later found during searches of his property.
Following his arrest, allegations then emerged that Thomson-Glover had abused two former pupils of another school where he taught before Clifton.
With regard to both cases, the response of the school is heavily criticised in the report.
It notes for example, that in 2007 when the then headteacher of Clifton was made aware of Mr Johnston's impending criminal trial, he employed a public relations firm to manage any risks of reputational damage to the school, but did not review safeguarding practices to ensure current pupils were properly protected.
It also concludes that the same head teacher was "not open and transparent with police and the local authority", regarding concerns that were raised about Mr Thomson-Glover before his arrest.
"...he failed to disclose that Thomson-Glover had taken groups of boys away to his holiday home every summer for many years," it reads.
he also, "repeatedly denied during strategy meetings that there had been any complaints or concerns about Thomson-Glover prior to his arrest."
It was later concluded that "on the balance of probabilities", he headteacher had knowingly provided inaccurate and misleading information.
Hillside First School in Weston, now renamed as Worle Village Primary, also comes in for significant criticism.
Former teacher Nigel Leat was jailed indefinitely in 2011 after admitting 36 sexual offences against female pupils, the youngest of whom was just six years old.
A subsequent serious case review found inappropriate or unprofessional conduct by Leat had been raised on more than 30 occasions, but very few were officially recorded and none were followed up.
The inquiry found Leat was known to have "favourite" pupils and at least 10 members of staff gave evidence to the police following his arrest that it was common knowledge.
“Since I joined the school it seemed to always be known and common knowledge that Nigel had favourite pupils," one said during their police interview.
"It was something that was often commented on by staff and even the dinner ladies.
"It did cause me some concern but as it was going on already when I joined the school I felt that it was just common knowledge and accepted.”
Several incidents are recorded by the inquiry, including one in the 2003/04 school year when a fellow teacher found between 15 and 20 photos of Leat, some of which showed him in close physical contact with a pupil.
The following year a pupil told her mum that Leat had taken a photo of her and her friend, while in the 2007/08 school year five different people raised concerns about his relationship with one particular pupil.
In the first two incidents no formal record was made, while in the third Leat was merely given a verbal warning by the headteacher.
Leat was eventually arrested when in December 2010 a mother contacted the police to say her daughter had complained about him touching her "private parts".
During a search of his house officers found memory sticks containing 30,500 indecent images, 454 video clips that he had filmed himself and another 740 that he had downloaded off the internet.
The then headteacher was dismissed for gross misconduct in November 2011.
Chair to the Inquiry, Professor Alexis Jay said schools "play a central role" in the lives of almost nine and a half million children across England and Wales.
"They should be places of learning where children are nurtured by trusted teachers and are able to flourish in a safe environment," she said.
"This is in contrast to the many shocking instances of child sexual abuse detailed in this report.
"They represent the opposite of everything that a school should be."
Professor Jay blamed "poor leadership" for frequently leaving staff unaware of how to deal with concerns.
"In some cases, it was clear that protecting the reputation of the school was prioritised over the protection of children from sexual abuse - this is a recurring theme in very many of our reports," she said.
“Day and residential schools play a key role in keeping children safe from harm, but despite 20 years of enhanced focus on safeguarding they are not as safe for children as they should be.
"This must change.
"The seven recommendations in this report must be implemented to vitally improve the current systems of child protection in schools.”
Recommendations
Recommendations suggested by the inquiry for how to improve safeguarding in schools include:
- Requiring all residential special schools to be inspected against the quality standards used to regulate children’s homes in England and care homes in Wales
- Reintroducing a duty on boarding schools and residential special schools to inform the relevant inspectorate of allegations of child sexual abuse and other serious incidents, with professional or regulatory consequences for breach of this duty; if the recommendation above is implemented, residential special schools will automatically be subject to this duty
- Clarifying in statutory guidance that the local authority designated officer can be contacted for informal advice as well as when a concern or allegation needs to be referred
- Setting nationally accredited standards and levels of safeguarding training in schools
The school's reponses
We have contacted both Clifton College and North Somerset Council, who run Worle Village Primary, for comment on the report's findings.
In a letter written by Clifton College to current and former pupils and published on the school's website, the school says it is "acutely aware" that today's report will be "a painful landmark" for victims.
"In our evidence to the Inquiry and again today, we apologise unreservedly for what happened at Clifton College in the past," it reads.
"We acknowledge the failures that occurred and are truly sorry for how these impacted upon the lives of children who were placed in our care.
"The testimony of victims to the Inquiry was shocking to hear and we know that nothing can negate their experiences or those of their families, but we are committed to supporting those affected.
"Anyone wishing for support in this regard can contact wesupport@cliftoncollege.com as a starting point for further assistance."
North Somerset Council have also apologised.
"We are deeply sorry for the horrific abuse of children perpetrated by Nigel Leat at Hillside First School," their statement reads.
"The abuse has caused significant damage to Leat’s victims and their families, and we recognise the immense personal courage and dignity that they have each shown in coming forward and participating in the Inquiry.
"We have fully co-operated with the Inquiry at every stage and will fully consider, reflect on and learn from the report's conclusions and recommendations."
The council says the safeguarding of children remains an "absolute priority".
"Our continuous focus must be on the establishment of healthy and open safeguarding cultures within schools, with all staff feeling fully empowered to raise any concerns," the statement continues.
"This culture was sadly lacking at Hillside First School at the time."
If you want to read the report, you can do so in full here.