New pupils barred from top UK Catholic school after abuse scandal

The government has ordered one of England’s most prestigious Catholic boarding school, Ampleforth college, to stop admitting new pupils as a result of “very serious” failings.

Scandal has surrounded the private school in recent years and an independent inquiry into child sexual abuse published a highly critical report in August 2018 that said “appalling sexual abuse [wasCuthbert Madden, was removed from the post that year following allegations that he indecently assaulted pupils. Madden has denied the claims.

His replacement, Deirdre Rowe, stood down as acting head after 10 months in the role following the release of a highly critical inspection report that found the school did not meet standards for safeguarding, leadership, behaviour, combating bullying and complaints handling.

The Department for Education (DfE) has now launched enforcement action against the 200-year-old institution in North Yorkshire after ruling it had failed to meet safeguarding and leadership standards following an emergency Ofsted inspection.

Ampleforth has said it will appeal against the ruling because, it argues, the order is “unjustified and based on incorrect information”.

The letter, which was published by the DfE on Friday, highlighted concerns from a number of inspection reports from January 2016 onwards.

“The SoS [secretary of state, Gavin Williamsonthis month found that between 1970 and 2015, the Catholic church in England and Wales received more than 900 complaints involving more than 3,000 instances of child sexual abuse, made against more than 900 individuals, including priests, monks and volunteers.

When complaints were made, the church invariably failed to support victims and survivors but took action to protect alleged perpetrators by moving them to a different parish. “Child sexual abuse,” the report said, “was swept under the carpet.”