Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry publishes thirteenth case study findings

Lady Smith, Chair of the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry, has today (22 October) published her thirteenth volume of findings relating to the provision of residential care for children at Queen Victoria School (QVS), a boarding school in Dunblane. 

She concludes that pupils were subjected to ‘dreadful abuse’, and that numerous abusive practices perpetrated by members of staff and pupils went unchecked.

QVS apologised for abuse experienced by children who had been entrusted into its care. 

The current management of QVS, HM Commissioners, and the Ministry of Defence (MOD) now also understand that there is no room for complacency given the abuse that has taken place since 2010 despite the child protection systems and policies that were put in place.

Lady Smith said: ‘The pupils at QVS were all boarders and they were exposed to risks of sexual, physical, and emotional abuse. For many of them, those risks materialised and children suffered abuse.

‘I have no difficulty in finding that children were abused by staff whose abusive practices were such that they must ­or at least ought to have been obvious to those in positions of responsibility.

‘Further, they were abused by senior and other pupils, some of whose practices must or ought to have been obvious.’

QVS was constituted by a Royal Warrant initiated by Queen Victoria but enacted by her son King Edward VII, who signed it in 1905.

The initial aim was to provide support and education, in a stable boarding environment, for sons of Scottish servicemen of ranks other than officers.

The governance of QVS reflected those aims, with oversight and management carried out by HM Commissioners who were, and are, largely made up of senior military officers of the services of which pupils’ parents are members.

Lady Smith said: ‘It was mistakenly assumed the background and governance of the school would be enough to provide appropriate residential care.

‘Throughout many decades, particularly the late 1950s to the early 1990s, that assumption was ill-founded, and, in fact, children for whose care the school was responsible were abused.

‘Factors that enabled abuse to occur included inadequate management and oversight, not enough staff, and undue adherence to a robust military culture.

‘The culture of the school was such that pupils were subjected to initiation ceremonies, there was a hierarchy that enabled abuse of power by senior pupils, differences were not tolerated, and pupils were, at times, not treated as the children they were. 

‘A culture of silence was the norm. Staff encouraged pupils not to clipe or report, and some ignored obvious abuse.

‘Violence was allowed to prevail at QVS.

‘A small number of teachers abused children physically and emotionally under the guise of corporal punishment, using belts, slippers, a cricket bat, and heavy wooden dusters, and instilling fear.

‘Violence by older boys towards younger boys was endemic. It included unofficial punishments by boys in authority, either prefects or monitors, especially up to the 1980s.

‘Cruel and terrifying behaviour by older boys towards junior boys was commonplace in the senior boarding houses.

‘It included tying boys to chairs, putting bags over their heads, and, in one case, threatening to throw a child down a lift shaft.’

Lady Smith added: ‘In 1991 a concerned teacher, Glenn Harrison, wrote to the press and to parents to expose his genuine anxieties about bullying and violence which he described as “a dark side of the school”. His actions contributed to improvements in child protection being achieved.’

Two teachers sexually abused pupils, in different decades.

Ben Philip, a teacher at QVS between 1973 and 1993, groomed and then abused multiple P6 boys. He used a mixture of kindness and intimidation towards vulnerable children to present himself as a father figure.

His behaviour and use of innuendo was well known throughout QVS, yet the school took no action.

James Clark, a drumming instructor, abused seven female pupils between 2011 and 2019, including by means of indecent assaults.

He groomed them openly and patiently so as to seek to normalise sexualised behaviour. When his conduct became known about, it stunned QVS; a system for child protection had, by that time, supposedly been established.

The existence of the system did not prevent the occurrence of significant abuse, nor did it give rise to the abuse being promptly detected.

Lady Smith said: ‘The current management, the Commissioners, and the MOD now understand that there is no room for complacency given the abuse that has taken place since 2010 despite the child protection systems and policies that were put in place.

‘QVS apologised for the abuse experienced by children who had been entrusted into its care.’

The abuse found to have taken place at QVS is, in many respects, similar to the abuse found to have taken place at other boarding schools, including Loretto School, Morrison’s Academy, and Gordonstoun, and the boarding schools run by two male religious orders, the Benedictines and the Marist Brothers.

There were also similarities in relation to causative factors such as staff who lacked the appropriate skills and training, inappropriate recruitment policies, and insufficient oversight of pupils and teachers.

Lady Smith has now published thirteen volumes of findings, most recently in relation to Gordonstoun. Further case study findings in relation to other boarding schools will follow.

Lady Smith said: ‘I am very grateful to all who have provided evidence to the Inquiry, whether former pupils, former and current staff, or others.

‘The cooperation and assistance of, and contributions from, all the witnesses about their experiences at the school, as well as their wider experiences, learning, and ideas in relation to the provision of education and residential care in Scottish boarding schools have been invaluable.’