Child Safeguarding
The school has been at the centre of three major child safeguarding problems, including a child sexual abuse scandal:
- In February 2009, teaching assisstant Robert Healy was jailed for seven years after he admitted grooming and sleeping with two girls aged 15 and 16. He admitted having sex three times with the younger girl between October and December 2007 and seven times with the older girl between February and April 2008.
- In March 2012, it emerged that a retired priest was allowed to remain chair of the school governors for more than a year after historic sex abuse allegations came to light, and despite having being suspended by the Church of England. Canon Gordon Rideout, 73, has been charged with committing 38 offences over an 11-year period between 1962 and 1973. He stood as a governor until November 2011. He is due to stand trial at Lewes Crown Court on 19 October 2012.
In May 2012 the school issued a new Safeguarding Policy, having previously been unwilling to make a copy available to the National Association for People Abused in Childhood charity.
Read more about this topic: Bishop Bell School
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—Lawrence Kutner (20th century)