The Commission has opened a statutory inquiry into a school which failed to protect a disabled girl from sexual abuse, and has been threatened with closure by the Department for Education.

In January an education tribunal found that Stanbridge Earls School in Romsey, Hampshire, which is a boarding school for pupils with special needs aged 11 to 19, had failed to protect a 15-year-old girl from being raped by fellow pupils. An Ofsted report identified management and leadership failings when it came to the charity’s safeguarding systems.

The Department for Education has since rejected the school’s action plan for addressing the failings, and will visit the school in May.  If progress has not been made, it will consider removing the school from the register of independent schools – which would result in its closure.

The Commission’s investigation will look at the overall governance and management of the charity to determine if the trustees have fulfilled, or are able to fulfil, their legal duties – in particular to implement an action plan the DfE is happy with. And it will look at the potential consequences if the DfE decides to remove the school from the register of independent schools. It will also consider if any remedial action needs to be taken by the Commission.  

Last month Hampshire Police began a review of the case to establish if further investigations are required. At the time police passed the case to the Crown Prosecution Service which decided there was insufficient evidence to prosecute – a decision that was upheld after two reviews.

Stanbridge Earls School said in a statement: “The Trustees of Stanbridge Earls School Trust welcome the opportunity to explain to the Charity Commission how they fulfil their duties. They will outline, too, the considerable amount of work currently underway to meet the requirements of Ofsted and the DfE.”

The Commission will publish the findings of its inquiry on its website. Stanbridge School Trust was registered with the Charity Commission in 1964 and its most recent accounts show an income of £5.5m.

 

Want access to all civilsociety.co.uk content? Subscribers gain access to all expert advice, analysis, surveys, special reports and the full archive of content from as little as £43.20 per year. Find out more...