Child sexual abuse: Call to force residential schools to report allegations

Some staff at boarding schools overlooked abuse because they focused more on the school’s reputation than the children’s interests, a study says.

The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse recommended that England and Wales reintroduce a duty to inform school inspectors of allegations of abuse.

It investigated cases like Chetham’s School of Music, where several staff members had abused children for decades.

Boarding schools are “the ideal environment for care,” she warned.

After examining the response to abuse at elite music schools, residential special schools, private boarding schools, and government schools, it concluded that boarders may be more vulnerable because they are emotionally isolated and dependent on the adult staff.

But the research found that poor leadership often resulted in employees not knowing how to respond to concerns about sexual abuse or being too afraid of the consequences to speak up.

Research chair Prof Alexis Jay said that “in some cases it was clear that protecting the school’s reputation took precedence over protecting children from sexual abuse,” citing this as a recurring theme of the research.

The report of the inquiry recommended that governments in England and Wales reintroduce the obligation to inform school inspectors of allegations of child abuse or other serious incidents – with regulators ensuring consequences for staff who fail to do so.

Despite improvements in protection over the past 20 years, the report found that children in schools continue to face sexual abuse and harassment, with testimony on the Everyone’s Invited website suggesting such incidents between children are “endemic”.

At the specialized music schools, the report found that “the power and influence of often revered and influential music teachers made some students even more vulnerable to sexual abuse at their hands.”

It noted similar concerns at other schools with “popular and universally respected staff”, where their reputations were seen as more important than allegations made by potential victims.

At Chetham in Manchester, an investigation has revealed the extent of the abuse after former student Frances Andrade took her own life in 2013.

She had presented evidence of her grooming and abuse at the trial of Michael Brewer, the former music director and “a powerful figure” at the school.

Brewer admitted there was a “cover-up” at the school in 1994 of another sexual relationship with a student. As she was over 16, this was not a criminal offense at the time.

A police investigation eventually uncovered 37 suspects at the school, many of whom had died and could not be prosecuted.

Another man was convicted of sex offenses and one was shot dead by US police who were executing an extradition request related to 77 abuse allegations.

Another was acquitted but later convicted of molesting a former student by a civil court, which found the school had “facilitated” the attacks.

Chetham said in a statement that “our school can never apologize enough” for the abuse and failure to respond, saying “changes across the country must follow this report.”

The inquiry also examined deficiencies at Stony Dean School in Buckinghamshire, a special school that used to have residential facilities.

In 2002, after Head of School Malcolm Stride was convicted of sex offenses at a previous school, a student also made allegations against his successor, Anthony Bulley.

A “completely flawed” investigation meant Bulley returned to the school to continue his abuse for another two years.

After a serious review of the case in 2009, Buckinghamshire County Council acknowledged that it did not acknowledge its mistakes and did not apologize.

But 12 years later, the inquest found she still hadn’t apologized to the first victim to report Bulley.

The inquiry also recommended setting national standards for protection training in schools and making the highest level of training compulsory for school leaders, school owners and protection leaders staff and governing body.

If you are affected by any of the issues in this report, please visit for support organization details BBC Action Line.