Serious safeguarding weaknesses at a religious charitable trust exposed children to appalling sexual abuse over decades, the Charity Commission said today.
The regulator opened an inquiry into the Ampleforth Abbey Trust in November 2016 following allegations of sexual abuse and the inquiry was later extended to the St Laurence Education Trust.
SLET runs Ampleforth College, a Catholic independent school in York, while the AAT manages the work of Ampleforth Abbey.
In 2016, allegations were made against monks of the abbey and staff and it was also reported that individuals had been convicted of historic sexual offences against pupils at the college.
After discussions between the regulator and the AAT board, nine further allegations were discovered by the board in 2014, 2015 and 2016.
The majority of these offences were reportedly committed or alleged to have been committed against pupils by staff and monks in place at the time.
In 2018, the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse found there had been a “culture of acceptance of abusive behaviour” at the college.
Later that year, the school published a safeguarding charter in which it pledged to reverse its “historical culture of secrecy”.
The Charity Commission’s inquiry looked into the administration, governance and management of both the AAT and SLET by their respective trustees.
“The commission’s examination of recent safeguarding at AAT has concluded that there were serious weaknesses in the charity’s approach to, and management of, safeguarding which exposed children on the Ampleforth site to unnecessary risk,” the regulator said.
“These serious failures and the public exposure of these issues in 2016 damaged public trust and confidence and caused reputational damage to AAT, which the commission concludes constituted mismanagement by the trustees in place at that time.”
Emma Moody, of Womble Bond Dickinson LLP, was appointed as interim manager of AAT and SLET from March 2018 until May 2020.
Moody found the AAT had a lack of knowledge about what it meant to be a charity trustee and what good governance looked like.
“The interim manager found that the AAT trustees did not always work as strategically as they should, particularly in relation to safeguarding, and there was a tendency for the trustees to consider safeguarding reactively,” the regulator said.
In its report, the regulator found SLET “repeatedly failed to meet independent school standards” and this, along with the “slow pace at which cultural change and improvements were made”, exposed beneficiaries to risks of harm and the college to reputational harm.
The Wayfarer Scheme involved the AAT offering hospitality and shelter, including overnight accommodation, to guests visiting the abbey.
In one incident at the AAT, in February 2018, North Yorkshire Police discovered a registered sex offender staying overnight at the abbey.
“During the inquiry, the commission recognised the charities’ implementation of structured governance reviews and the recruitment of experienced safeguarding personnel as positive steps towards improving safeguarding culture,” the regulator said.
The SLET has received a good Ofsted inspection and readmittance to the Headmaster’s and Headmistresses’ Conference, an association of headteachers from private and public schools.
The AAT has passed an audit by the Catholic Safeguarding Standards Agency since the inquiry.
Amy Spiller, head of investigations at the Charity Commission, said: “The inquiry found several weaknesses and failures in the approach to and handling of safeguarding matters across both charities which exposed pupils to risk of harm.
“We expect safeguarding to be a priority for all charities, and the lack of oversight demonstrated mismanagement in the administration of these charities.
“We recognise the progress made by both charities during the inquiry, including recent compliance with regulatory standards, but the findings of our inquiry underscored the importance of maintaining high safeguarding standards and rebuilding public trust.”
A spokesperson for the Ampleforth Abbey Trust said: “The Abbot of Ampleforth Abbey would like to take this opportunity to offer sincere and heartfelt apology to anyone who suffered abuse while in the care of our schools, parishes, or other ministries.
“Throughout this inquiry, the trustees have co-operated with the commission and have worked hard, with the help and guidance of many professionals, to learn from past mistakes and to ensure that a positive and professional safeguarding culture is embedded in all of the Abbey’s works.”
A spokesperson for the St Laurence Education Trust said: “SLET is grateful for the support that the commission has given in helping us identify and address failings in the safeguarding regime for Ampleforth College.
“We share the commission’s objective that our beneficiaries should be safe at all times.
“We have worked very hard to put a regime and culture in place that delivers outstanding safeguarding and pastoral care and will continue to do so.
“We welcome the recent conclusions of Ofsted which recognise this and look forward to a continued positive relationship with the commission.”
– This article was updated on 12 July 2024 to correct references to the roles performed by the two charities investigated by the Charity Commission