The Charity Commission has today (12 July 2024) published the report of its class inquiry into the St. Laurence Educational Trust and Ampleforth Abbey Trust.
St Laurence Educational Trust runs Ampleforth College, an independent school located on the same site as Ampleforth Abbey, which is operated by the Ampleforth Abbey Trust. Monks from the Abbey provide chaplaincy and teaching to pupils at the college. The inquiry was opened to assess both charities' approach to safeguarding, including their practices and procedures, and how the charities ensured a safe environment for their beneficiaries.
The findings reveal there were significant weaknesses in the charities' approach to safeguarding, governance, and management. The Commission 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.
The inquiry found that:
- there was ineffective communication between the charities, and the safeguarding committees that were in place at the time the inquiry was opened did not adequately address the needs and requirements of either charity
- St Laurence Educational Trust repeatedly failed to meet independent school standards and these failures, along with the slow pace at which cultural change and improvements were made, exposed beneficiaries to risks of harm and the college to reputational harm
- the trustees of Ampleforth Abbey were found to lack sufficient expertise and oversight, and records relating to safeguarding were poor. The inquiry also found that trustees of Ampleforth Abbey were not adequately managing safeguarding risks to pupils attending the College
During the inquiry, the Commission recognised the charities' implementation of structured governance reviews and the recruitment of experienced safeguarding personnel as positive steps towards improving safeguarding culture.
With the St Laurence Educational Trust having since received a 'Good' Ofsted inspection and readmittance to the Headmaster's Conference, alongside the Abbey Trust successfully passing an audit by the Catholic Safeguarding Standards Agency, positive strides have been made by both charities. However, the Commission emphasises the need for continued vigilance and robust safeguarding measures to protect vulnerable individuals associated with the charities.
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 full report detailing the findings of this inquiry can be found here.
