Stanbridge Earls School - Controversy

Controversy

The school is currently under threat of closure by the Department for Education (DfE) following a tribunal which had raised safety concerns after examining the way Stanbridge Earls had dealt with historic claims that a 15-year old girl pupil had been allegedly raped twice by other pupils and a 12-year old girl pupil had been sexually assaulted. The Special Educational Needs (SEN) and Disability Tribunal found the school to be “unsystematic, unprofessional, ad hoc and completely inadequate” when it came to protecting the youngsters. Ofsted’s inspection report, published in February, said the school had failed to identify how it cared for the needs of individual students and did not make individual risk assessments "even in cases where the risk of harm that a child poses to others or themselves is known to be high". It also said that some members of staff had started working at the school before they had undergone a Criminal Records Bureau check. This was in-spite of the school only recently receiving a glowing Ofsted report at the previous visit: "The leadership and management of Stanbridge was outstanding, the outcomes for residential pupils was outstanding and the overall effectiveness of the teaching staff was also outstanding." However Hampshire Constabulary said it thoroughly investigated the two sexual assault allegations before passing a file to Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) which decided not to prosecute. The girl's parents appealed against the decision but it was upheld following two reviews. Lawyers acting for the families of the two girls say they have also identified up to 16 further possible victims. A CPS spokesman said in a statement there was "insufficient evidence" to provide a realistic prospect of conviction for rape. A male pupil said to have been involved returned to the school following a decision by the Crown Prosecution Service not to prosecute him and the parents of the girl pupil were asked to remove her.

Ofsted has since visited and the school has produced an action plan, but the Department for Education has rejected the plan and "set out the immediate action" to be taken by the school. A DfE spokesman said there would be a "final inspection" in May 2013. He added: "If rapid progress is not made the Department will consider removing the school from the register of independent schools ." As a result of the inspection, a School Governor (Claire Marsden) and the Chairman of the Governors (Tony Knight) have resigned.

On 18 April it was announced that the headmaster Peter Trythall, whose conduct was said to "border on contempt", had resigned his position. The statement read " acknowledge the difficulties he has faced during these last few months and respect his decision which he has taken in the best interests of the school. It was further announced, on 22 April, that Houseparent Francis Callender has “decided to leave” the school at the end of the term, according to a statement from the new chairman of the board of Governors. Mrs Callender was one of a number of people named as a witness for the school during the damning tribunal earlier in the year. On 11 May it was announced that an interim Headmistress, Maggie McMurray, had been appointed to start immediately and the Nursing and Midwifery Council confirmed that school nurse Melanie Bavington was under investigation.

A group of 30 parents of children at the school formed a support group to support the school, and said that they and the school "kept a dignified stance, resisting the temptation to rebut allegations via the media and to allow the Police, Ofsted and Hampshire County Council to do their work."

A follow-up inspection took place over three days in late May and Ofsted has reported that "As a consequence of continuing weaknesses with leadership and governance, children remain unsafe at this residential special school" and that "urgent improvements called for by Ofsted have not been made due to a lack of 'clear and incisive' leadership."

Operation Flamborough, an internal Hampshire police inquiry, has been launched into whether police involved in previous investigations into the sex abuse claims at the school in 2011 should be disciplined. Hampshire police said they want to find out whether any "criminal offences" have been committed against the known victims or other children attending the £39,000-a-year school.

In an unrelated incident in 2004, a 16-year old male pupil was found dead in his dormitory after hanging himself by his school-tie after a teacher had discovered him, with a group of other pupils, drinking alcohol in the grounds. He had feared that he was to be expelled. The Central Hampshire Coroner Graham Short recorded an open verdict.