Investigations by BBC reporters into historical allegations of child abuse – held in files at the UK’s National Archives – have uncovered the way a number of schools dealt with allegations of abuse.
Danesford was another school for younger boys, including many vulnerable children. The first allegation of sexual abuse came from a mother who had heard that another boy had been “the subject of minor interference” by a member of staff. “She had expressed the hope that her son would not undergo the same treatment,” the file says.
The complaint was investigated, and a master questioned. It emerged that the man had previously been warned about spending too much time alone with individual boys. “There was however no reason to believe that [name redacted] had any homosexual inclinations and the warning was intended to protect the staff member from possible allegations by boys exploiting the publicity value of such charges,” the file says. It’s a typical comment of the time, when complaints from children themselves were often considered suspect.
In this case, the boy was interviewed, and claimed he’d been repeatedly indecently assaulted by the master. The master was suspended and interviewed by police.
“After first denying the allegations he broke down and confessed to offences against boys over a period of three years but mostly in the last few weeks,” the file says.
The man became extremely agitated and the police “feared for his safety”. The headmaster stepped in, offering him a room in his own house. The next day, he was driven to his parents’ house. The file says he was sentenced to nine months in prison.
Six years later the Home Office were again contacted. A boy claimed that a master had “interfered” with him in the early hours of the morning. The school did not intend to call the police, believing that this was not a sexual assault. The Home Office agreed it was a minor matter – and “in the absence of any corroborative evidence it seemed unlikely the police would be able to prosecute”.
“We are appalled by those who have abused the trust of the very children they should have been protecting,” says a spokesperson for Action for Children. “The voices of children must always be heard – keeping them safe is our highest priority and we have robust procedures in place to do so.”
The current inquiry
These files – and others that may now be uncovered – will surely be essential background reading for the new inquiry. The files reveal the attitudes of the time, particularly among government officials, responsible for the inspection of approved schools and orphanages – people who from today’s perspective could have acted far more decisively to help vulnerable children.
“Child sexual abuse is a vile and abhorrent crime, no matter where and when it has been committed,” says a spokesperson for the Home Office. “We are continuing to see appalling cases that show serious failings by public bodies and important institutions. That is why the government is establishing an independent panel of experts to consider whether these organisations have taken seriously their duty of care to protect children from sexual abuse.”
Why there was such an apparently casual approach to the rape of these children over decades is hard to understand. As early as the late 1940s, some officials and police recognised the problem, and tried to act. In the most striking case, a senior civil servant wanted the then director of public prosecutions to confront the governors of one school that had covered up abuse.
However, most of the files show how many in power saw abuse as an inevitable – though unpleasant – feature of the system. And as Ian McCallum pointed out, there is virtually no concern expressed for the victims.
See also Cheshire/Merseyside children homes convictions
Danesford School – A NCH Approved School
