Safeguarding weaknesses at a leading Catholic boarding school exposed children to abuse, an inquiry has found.

The Charity Commission report on Ampleforth College in North Yorkshire found “significant weaknesses” in the safeguarding, governance and management of the two trusts involved with running it.

St Laurence Educational Trust runs Ampleforth College, an independent school on the same site as Ampleforth Abbey, which is operated by the Ampleforth Abbey Trust (AAT). Monks from the Abbey provide chaplaincy and teaching to pupils at the college.

The inquiry opened in 2016 after allegations of sexual abuse by monks of the abbey and lay staff.

The investigation then found out about nine previously unreported serious abuse allegations and/or convictions – both historic and recent – that the Abbey Board had been made aware of in 2014, 2015 and 2016.

“The majority of these were reported to have been committed or alleged to have been committed against pupils by staff and monks in place at the time,” the Charity Commission’s report said.

Investigators said they identified numerous past instances in which both charities “failed to manage safeguarding incidents appropriately” and trustees “failed to fulfil their responsibilities under charity law, which put students at the college at risk of harm”.

In November 2020, Ampleforth was ordered to stop admitting new pupils by the Government as a result of “serious failings”.

The school faced criticism in a report by an independent inquiry into child sexual abuse in 2018.

An interim manager was appointed in 2018, who, according to the report, “identified that the trustees’ obligations of loyalty to their brothers in the monastic community could have led to decisions being taken that were not always solely in the best interests of AAT”.

The Charity Commission said both charities had made “positive strides,” with the St Laurence Educational Trust having since received a “Good” Ofsted inspection and readmittance to the Headmaster’s Conference. The Abbey Trust successfully passed an audit by the Catholic Safeguarding Standards Agency.

Amy Spiller, head of investigations at the Commission, said: “The inquiry found several weaknesses and failures in the approach to and handling of safeguarding matters across both charities, which exposed pupils to risk of harm. We expect safeguarding to be a priority for all charities, and the lack of oversight demonstrated mismanagement in the administration of these charities.

“We recognise the progress made by both charities during the inquiry, including recent compliance with regulatory standards, but the findings of our inquiry underscored the importance of maintaining high safeguarding standards and rebuilding public trust.”

The Ampleforth Abbey Trust said in a statement: "The Ampleforth Abbey Trust (AAT) welcomes the Charity Commission’s publication of its report closing the statutory inquiry opened by the Commission in November 2016 into the Abbey Trust and the St Laurence Education Trust (SLET).

"The Commission opened its inquiry over seven years ago because it saw serious weaknesses in the charity’s approach to, and management of, safeguarding.

"The Abbot of Ampleforth Abbey would like to take this opportunity to offer sincere and heartfelt apology to anyone who suffered abuse while in the care of our schools, parishes, or other ministries.

"Throughout this inquiry, the trustees have co-operated with the Commission and have worked hard, with the help and guidance of many professionals, to learn from past mistakes and to ensure that a positive and professional safeguarding culture is embedded in all of the Abbey’s works.

Most read: 

Get more from The Northern Echo with a digital subscription. To get access to our latest offer Click here.

"As the Commission has stated: 'Changes to safeguarding practice are now embedded across and throughout AAT, and there is now a professional culture adopted in the way in which safeguarding incidents are managed and addressed.

"AAT has benefitted from the recruitment of new and expert safeguarding trustees, new executive leadership and the appointment of experienced safeguarding personnel to manage safeguarding operations. AAT now has the foundations in place to ensure safeguarding is carried out effectively and the right personnel are in place to lead AAT in building on those foundations'."