Pupil suspended as sex claims investigated at private school to stars
A TOP private school whose A-list alumni include Orlando Bloom, Helena Bonham Carter and Brooklyn Beckham has called in police to investigate a claim of sexual misconduct against a male pupil.
The Mail on Sunday can reveal female students made a number of allegations to staff at the £22,000a-year Fine Arts College in Hampstead, North London, this month.
It is understood a male pupil has been suspended pending an investigation by the police and school authorities, which the school yesterday confirmed was ongoing.
Parents of the 200 pupils, who are aged between 13 and 19, have been informed and a number of female students are understood to have been spoken to by officers.
The allegations come as investigations continue at three other London fee-paying schools – Latymer Upper, Highgate and Dulwich College – after claims of rape and sexual assault.
A source at the Fine Arts College said: ‘It’s been quite a shock for the students and is very much the talk of the school, but everyone, including the parents, have been impressed with how swiftly the staff have acted.’
The Fine Arts College boasts a long list of showbusiness celebrities among its former pupils, most recently Brooklyn Beckham, 21, the eldest child of David and Victoria Beckham, who studied photography there. His peers include Rafferty Law, the son of actors Jude Law and Sadie Frost, and Anais Gallagher, daughter of Oasis guitarist Noel Gallagher and ex-wife Meg Mathews.
Hollywood star Bloom attended the college in 1993 to study A-levels in drama, photography and sculpture. Keith Allen’s actor son, Alfie Allen, was also a pupil.
Specialising in creative subjects such as arts and the media, the school was founded in 1978 by artists Nicholas Cochrane and Candida Cave, who is now Principal.
Last night, a spokesman for the Arts College said: ‘The college takes reports of unacceptable behaviour extremely seriously and we have been guided by our safeguarding policy relating to such allegations, involving external agencies as appropriate.’