Whitehall inquiry into elite school sex scandal
Police chiefs, ministers and watchdogs to investigate handling of ‘rape culture’ claims
BRITAIN’S elite schools are at the centre of a major Whitehall investigation involving police chiefs, government officials and Ofsted over their handling of the emerging “rape culture” scandal among pupils.
Officials from the Home Office and Department for Education are leading a cross-Government response with senior officers, who have been urged to take claims seriously.
Inspectors from Ofsted and the Independent Schools Inspectorate are ready to launch immediate surprise investigations if safeguarding concerns are raised at particular schools, Whitehall sources said.
Last night a senior officer said thousands of pupils past and present had come forward as a result of a website “shining a light on peer-on-peer abuse within educational settings”.
Officers are trawling accounts on everyonesinvited.uk after the National Police Chiefs Council and government officials met the website’s organiser.
Robert Halfon, chairman of the Commons education select committee, criticised senior school staff for being more worried about “woke” issues than the “welfare of students”. Writing in today’s Sunday Telegraph, he called for an independent inquiry and demanded an education minister make a statement in
Parliament after the Easter recess. Revised government advice on sexual violence and harassment between children in schools and colleges is being compiled and will be in force from September, The Telegraph can disclose.
Ministers are expected to meet with officials in the coming weeks to discuss the next steps.
The source added: “We take all allegations and concerns about sexual abuse or violence extremely seriously and are working with multi agency safeguarding partners to ensure the safety of all children in all schools, including independent schools. Where schools do not meet strict safeguarding standards, we will always take action.
“If it becomes clear there are current failings in any school’s safeguarding practice, we will immediately ask Ofsted or the Independent Schools Inspectorate to conduct an inspection.
“If a school is found not to be meeting the required standard, we will make sure it either improves or closes.”
The Metropolitan Police launched an investigation on Friday night after reading dozens of distressing reports on the website from girls detailing harassment, abuse and assault by male pupils.
Scotland Yard said officers had been establishing if any potential victims in London could be encouraged to report crimes, with several coming forward. A link is now available on the website to report crimes directly to Scotland Yard.
Chief Constable Simon Bailey, the NPCC’s lead for Child Abuse and Investigation, said last night: “Thousands of children and young people have come forward to report allegations of sexual offences within schools” as a result of Everyone’s Invited’s work.
He added: “If victims wish to report sexual abuse to the police, they can be confident they will be believed, treated with compassion and respect before a thorough investigation is undertaken.”
An Ofsted spokesman vowed to conduct “surprise” inspections of schools where “safeguarding issues” arose.
Last night Soma Sara, a former private school pupil and sexual abuse survivor who set up the website, asked to meet ministers. Many of the country’s top independent institutions have been named on the website and its Instagram page, which has 32,000 followers.
Interest has grown exponentially amid the conversation about female safety prompted by the death of Sarah Everard this month.
The Everyone’s Invited team is now in discussions with police and other bodies over the shocking accounts of harassment, abuse, assault and everyday misogyny at state and private schools. However, last night fears were expressed that the scandal could lead to all boys being “demonised” for the behaviour of a small minority.
Ms Sara said: “We have had meetings with people who deal directly with survivors. We are currently working with various experts because we believe that serious change is essential.”
Writing in The Telegraph, Mr Halfon said he feared “a Lord of the Flies culture had engulfed respected private education institutions and spread to some state schools”.
He said: “Countless stories have emerged of female pupils being objectified, harassed and sexually assaulted. Websites set up by these students have highlighted a ‘rape culture’.
“Moreover, it appears senior school staff have been at best unable or at worst unwilling to deal with what has gone on. It seems safeguarding in some of these schools has become more of a tick box exercise or a form of wokery, rather than genuinely looking after the welfare of students.”
Questioning the role of parents, he wrote: “Why is it that some boys, from mostly privileged homes, are arriving at these famous private schools not seeing girls as equal, or fellow pupils to be treated with dignity, as should be expected? We won’t solve the grim experiences too many females students have by ignoring them.
“Whether they go to independent or state schools, it is incumbent upon the Government, education bodies and schools to safeguard these children and not damage their life chances to climb the education ladder of opportunity.”