Top English academy trust faces safeguarding review over ‘emotional abuse’ of pupils
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Observer investigation into London school has sparked an inquiry into allegations that teachers harmed mental wellbeing of children. A school in one of England’s leading academy trusts is to face an independent safeguarding review after an Observer investigation exposed allegations of emotional abuse of children over two decades.
After an emergency multi-agency meeting on Tuesday, Jim Gamble, the independent child safeguarding commissioner for Hackney in east London, confirmed on Friday that he had launched a local child safeguarding practice review – normally reserved for serious individual cases of child abuse or neglect – into Mossbourne Victoria Park academy (MVPA).
Since the first Observer story three weeks ago about the treatment of children at MVPA – based on accounts from nearly 30 parents – more than 200 parents, pupils, former teachers, and local GPs and child psychologists have now come forward with evidence in relation to this school and another in the trust, Mossbourne Community Academy.
The allegations, which the government described last weekend as “deeply distressing”, centre on MVPA and the acclaimed Mossbourne community academy (MCA), also in Hackney. It was originally run by Sir Michael Wilshaw, who went on to be Ofsted’s chief inspector of schools for England from 2012 to 2016.
Both academies have been rated outstanding by Ofsted – with MVPA netting the top rating only last year – and are known for high grades and super-strict discipline. Allegations include teachers screaming at close range in children’s faces, pupils with special educational needs being punished or pushed out to other schools, and more than 15 accounts of secondary-age children wetting or soiling themselves or menstruating through their clothes because they were not allowed to go to the toilet or were too scared to ask.
