IICSA Residential Schools Investigation Update

At present only phase 1 of this investigation is formally open. This covers the preparation and publication of a closed schools report, and public hearings (scheduled for 30 September - 11 October 2019) examining the music schools and the special schools sectors.

The Inquiry gave a summary of common themes likely to be examined in both the music and special schools hearings:

• Recruitment, vetting and safeguarding training undertaken by full time and part time teaching staff
• Supervision and monitoring of staff and accountability to governors
• Understanding of child sexual abuse, grooming and warning signs
• Audit, monitoring and inspection against applicable standards
• Response to allegations and reparation/compensation arrangements
• Internal investigations and acting on findings
• Disciplinary processes, reporting to statutory bodies and other schools
• Information sharing between employers and regulators
• Record keeping
• Positive factors/ways in which particular schools protect children
• LADO/police and CPS response
• How schools have altered their policies, practices and procedures

In addition, specific issues will be examined:

In music schools:

• Toleration of grooming by exceptional staff (talented musicians)

In special schools:

• Regulation of non-teaching staff in special schools
• Current system of teaching children with SEND about inappropriate sexual behaviours and staff training available to deliver this
• Steps to give children with SEND a voice/communicate incidents of abuse
• How the sector manages peer on peer abuse and sexually harmful behaviours
• Inter-personal relationships between staff and children with SEND
• Funding body oversight of safeguarding practices and procedures
• Management and support given to those with convictions
• Difficulties that police/CPS and local authorities face when investigating allegations

The Inquiry has indicated that the likely timetable for the hearings aspects of phase 1 is as follows:

• Disclosure of all documents and witness statements by end of July/mid-August 2019
• Circulation of proposed witness list in beginning/mid -August 2019
• Thereafter the Inquiry has referred to a "window of a couple of weeks" for core participants to comment on and make submissions
• Witness evidence and oral evidence proposals will be circulated in late August/early September 2019
• Submissions on witness list and evidence shortly after

Further preliminary hearings may take place to provide more details about the substantive hearing and deal with administrative matters.

Phase 2

The Inquiry also expanded on the themes to be examined in phase 2:

• Policies practices and process of schools, local authorities and central government, and whether they were followed
• Training, education, recruitment and professional development of teachers and school staff, and their understanding of child protection and suitability to undertake the role
• School, police, local authority and CPS response to disclosures
• Systems in place for reporting abuse to statutory bodies and disciplinary investigations
• Role of LADO, police and CPS
• Structure and governance of schools
• Systems in place to ensure accountability for wellbeing and safety of students
• Adequacy of systems of redress

Other issues likely to be examined at this later stage are:

• Culture of education system as a whole - behaviours, values, beliefs
• Extent that a culture of secrecy has been tolerated or encouraged by schools - did it inhibit disclosure and investigation?
• Avoidance of reporting for fear of reputational damage or financial reasons
• Particular cultures in schools facilitating/enabling abuse eg hyper-masculinity
• Toleration of other forms of abuse encouraging and creating a culture of sexual abuse
• Nature and structure of institutions and unwillingness to accept criticism
• Gender stereotyping and the impact on willingness to report
• Attitude to sex, gender and sexuality impacting on culture
• Whether an influx of women into the hierarchy of all-male schools changes school culture
• Hierarchical nature in some schools creating power imbalances, inhibiting reporting of abuse
• Approach and attitudes towards sex and relationship education
• Culture of transparency
• Regime for inspecting and monitoring wellbeing to prevent/minimise risk of abuse
• Systems of reporting unsuitable staff and how this works in practice/is enforced
• The extent inspectorates, regulators and representative bodies provide monitoring and oversight of schools and those who work(ed) within them

The identification of case studies/situations and timing for core participant applications for phase 2 are not yet open. At this stage, the Inquiry has simply stated that further update notes about phase 2 are likely to be published "later this year" and a two week substantive hearing will take place "during 2020".

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