Inspectors gave clean bill of health to schools where children were sexually abused

Ofsted “did not do enough” to identify serious child protection weaknesses in some schools, a damning inquiry into child sexual abuse has found.

Inspectors even gave clean bills of health to settings where children were being sexually abused.

The seven-year-long Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse found there were “limitations on an inspectorate’s ability to judge the adequacy” of schools’ child protection approaches.

The current inspection system may also “lead to false assurances about children’s safety”, it warned.

Despite an “enhanced focus” on safeguarding in the 21st century, the inquiry found that schools were “not as safe for children as they should be, and children’s interests do not always come first when allegations or concerns of sexual abuse arise”.

It recommended mandatory reporting of sexual abuse be introduced for school staff and others working with children, which would make it a crime not to pass on disclosed or witnessed abuse.

It also called for the creation of a child protection authority for England, which would have the power to inspect institutions and settings “as it considers necessary and proportionate”.

The inquiry, launched in 2015, conducted 15 investigations, research and analysis and a “truth project” giving 6,000 victims and survivors the opportunity to share their experiences.

‘Allegations of abuse were ignored’

Chair Professor Alexis Jay said the inquiry “heard time and time again how allegations of abuse were ignored, victims were blamed and institutions prioritised their reputations over the protection of children”.

“The nature and scale of the abuse we encountered were horrifying and deeply disturbing.”

The inquiry found Ofsted and other inspectorates “on occasions did not do enough to identify the serious weaknesses in the protection of children in some of the care and educational settings the inquiry examined”.

Inspection activity was “not routinely targeted at child protection”. When it came to schools, there were “limitations on an inspectorate’s ability to judge the adequacy of an institution’s approaches to child protection”.

For example, the inquiry found instances “where education inspectorates considered that an institution met or exceeded expectations of safeguarding only for it subsequently to come to light that children were being sexually abused at school or otherwise experiencing harm because of poor practice”.

Inspection could give ‘false impression’ of safeguarding

Where reports include positive comments about safeguarding or children’s feelings of safety, readers “could be left with a false impression that the institution’s child protection practices have been rigorously examined”.

It is not the first time Ofsted has been criticised over its handling of the issue. In a 2016 report, the women and equalities committee found that Ofsted did not refer directly to sexual harassment or sexual violence in its guidance to schools or inspectors.

The inspectorate was tasked last year with reviewing the issue of sexual abuse in schools in response to allegations of abuse shared on the Everyone’s Invited website.

Its report accused school leaders and teachers of “consistently underestimating” the scale of sexual abuse and harassment occurring among their pupils.

But Ofsted also admitted it was unable to say whether its own inspections were “sufficiently assessing” the extent of sexual harassment and violence

A spokesperson for the inspectorate said today’s report was “significant and wide ranging and our thoughts are with victims and their families”.

“We will be considering the Inquiry’s findings with the diligence and care it deserves.”

‘Many shortcomings’ in school system

The inquiry also found widespread failures by schools themselves, and the report detailed harrowing testimonies from victims, some of whom said their abuse was ignored by staff.

Allegations of abuse made to the inquiry had to be reported to the police.

Of 10,431 referrals made from the inquiry, 4,065 were linked to a specific institution in England. Of those, 1,704 related to allegations of incidents that took place in schools. Referrals relating to schools were higher than those from any other type of institution.

The inquiry identified “many shortcomings” in current systems of protection, regulation, oversight and enforcement, including the scope and practical operation of the DBS scheme, workforce regulation, inspection systems and standards.

Statutory guidance is also “not always sufficiently precise and clear”.

Some school staff “were reluctant to report concerns, in part fearful of the consequences of doing so”. When concerns were raised, they were “not always referred to statutory authorities when they should have been”.

“Where the threshold for formal referral was not met, there was confusion regarding what, if any, further steps should be taken, and by whom.”

‘Poor recruitment practice’ in schools

Victims and survivors also said clear physical signs of abuse went unnoticed. And some of those interviewed felt racism led to adults around them ignoring “changes in their behaviour, such as poor performance or attendance at school”.

The inquiry also found examples of “poor recruitment practice, including failures to obtain the appropriate record checks”, in schools, local authorities and religious organisations.

At times, “people classed as volunteers were allowed open access to children without any vetting, as a result of which children were exposed to unnecessary risk”.

Education secretary Kit Malthouse said the “scale of historic abuse and exploitation suffered by these children is horrifying, and their bravery in coming forward will help improve services to protect children”.

“Over the last seven years we have strengthened the join-up between police, health care professionals, councils and schools, so more children feel protected by the institutions that are supposed to keep them safe, and we will continue to improve children’s social care so every child has a safe and loving childhood.”

The government has said it will respond in full to the inquiry’s report within six months, “when proper consideration has been given to all of the recommendations”.