‘Sack scandal head or face closure’– Minister
ATOP private school has been told to sack its head or face being closed down after the Welsh Government and schools inspectorate Estyn stepped in over pupil safeguarding.
The stark warning from Education Minister Kirsty Williams to Ruthin School in Denbighshire comes after it emerged the school’s headteacher had sent messages to schoolgirls calling them “cute”, “naughty” and saying they “look like a model”.
The concerns about headteacher Toby Belfield led to an unannounced inspection by schools inspections body Estyn, which found the school doesn’t meet regulations to ensure the welfare, health and safety of pupils.
Estyn’s report echoes a similar report from the Care Inspectorate Wales, released last week, which found pupils
are “at risk of harm”.
In a statement yesterday, Welsh Government education minister Ms Williams made it clear that the school’s independent governing body must act immediately.
She has no power to sack Mr Belfield, but said that if the school did not take the necessary steps to meet their legal safeguarding responsibilities, she had the power to stop the school offering full-time education.
She said: “The Welsh Government has no powers to direct an independent school to dismiss a member of staff. That is the responsibility of the proprietor of the school or where there is a Board of Trustees or Council of Management.
“However, I expect every independent school to act in the best interests of pupils and to ensure that they meet their legal safeguarding responsibilities.
“In the event that an independent school does not act to safeguard and promote the welfare of children who are pupils at the school in a way that Welsh Government and other bodies think is appropriate, the ultimate sanction would be to remove the school from the register of independent schools. This would mean the school could no longer offer full-time education. In considering such action, any minister would have to reflect carefully on the significant and far-reaching consequences for the school, staff, pupils and community.”
Last week, the Western Mail reported on hundreds of screenshots of messages that Mr Belfield sent three different youngsters on social media sites and WhatsApp between 2017 and May last year.
In them, he boasts about his seniority and says “flirting is fine”, sends love hearts and emojis, and comments on the size of TV star Rachel Riley’s breasts.
In one, he said he likes women “small and petite” and asks one student if she has an eating disorder because she is a “thin girl”, before going on to tell her she looks good.
Mr Belfield also discussed one pupil’s virginity, suggested another may be a lesbian and calls for controls on pregnancy – saying women who cannot properly look after a baby should be deported, sterilised or even shot.
He also bragged about being in the media for his controversial rules and methods, which have hit the headlines over the years.
Ms Williams ordered Estyn to visit Ruthin unannounced in November after concerns were raised with her.
Results of that visit, published yesterday by Estyn, conclude the school does not meet all the requirements of the Independent School Standards (Wales) Regulations.
In particular, it fails to comply fully with the regulatory requirements for Standard 3 relating to the welfare, health and safety of pupils, the report says.
Estyn inspectors also conclude that the role of the head is unclear.
“Within the staff handbook, the role of the principal is not defined precisely, so it is not clear to what extent the principal is exempt from specific guidelines and why this should be the case, how the principal is held to account, and consequently what the principal can and cannot do.”
Their report adds that there is “a lack of clarity regarding the responsibility of the principal in his role as ‘guardian’ for overseas pupils”. The Council of Management at the school, which has responsibility to safeguard pupils, is failing to do so, yesterday’s Estyn report adds.
“The absence of appropriate reporting on safeguarding does not allow the Council of Management to determine whether these policies are effective, whether there are any emerging patterns of issues, or critically whether pupils are safe,” it says.
In a written statement, the Education Minister said: “Following the Estyn inspection, my officials presented the report to the Council of Management and at the same time requested that they produce an action plan to address the failings identified in the Estyn report.
“As a matter of public interest, Estyn has agreed to publish their report today.
“With regard to the Council of Management’s action plan, submitted earlier this month, government officials are carefully considering next steps, having sought and received Estyn feedback on whether the plan is a fully effective tool in securing the required improvements.”
In its report Estyn says not all the school’s Council of Management members are fully informed about key issues relating to safeguarding.
It goes on: “There is no evidence in the minutes of meetings that the Council of Management review safeguarding reports in a robust manner.
“There is no safeguarding ‘team culture’, deputy officer or internal sounding boards. As a consequence, the designated safeguarding person is not supported effectively in his work.”
On the role of the headteacher, the Estyn report says: “Within the staff handbook, the role of the principal is not defined precisely, so it is not clear to what extent the principal is exempt from specific guidelines and why this should be the case, how the principal is held to account, and consequently what the principal can and cannot do.
“There is also a lack of clarity and potential conflict in the respective roles of the designated safeguarding person and the designated safeguarding lead. While most staff enjoy working at Ruthin, the management of recent concerns has impacted on staff morale.
“This has the potential to undermine the extent to which staff feel confident to report issues in line with school policies. For example, staff indicate reluctance to use the school’s recording system to report safeguarding issues.”
The report found that, overall, “the Council of Management at Ruthin School is not fulfilling its duty to safeguard pupils and to promote the wellbeing of all members of the school community.”
Ruthin School was contacted for comment.