Chetham's Gets One Month to Clean up Its Act after Sex Case Shame

Manchester Evening News
April 4, 2013

http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/chethams-school-gets-one-month-2511319

Chetham's School of Music as seen from the new Cathedral Gardens

Scandal-hit Chetham’s school has been given a month to clean up its act after two damning inspection reports.

Government education chiefs have given the ?31,000-a-year institution until May 10 to come up with a plan of action before ministers decide whether to take further action.

The move comes after the school was hit by allegations of abuse stretching back decades – and the jailing of former choir master Michael Brewer.

The M.E.N. revealed yesterday how a catalogue of continued failings had been highlighted in two recent reports.

Independent and town hall inspectors highlighted a number of serious issues that needed to be addressed.

Now the Department for Education has stepped in and demanded to see a plan of action the school proposes to take to address its failings.

A DfE spokeswoman said: “The school has to produce and action plan. It has until May 10 to do so.

“We will then say whether we are satisfied that the plan addresses the issues.

“The report is for the school to do itself.”

The damning dossiers discovered that the school did not meet child protection guidelines and that annual protection reviews were not being carried out.

It also found checks on two members of foreign staff were not carried out until after they started work – and that no meetings had taken place to discuss a series of allegations made against teachers at the school.

The reports were carried out last month by Manchester council’s children’s services team and the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) – shortly before Brewer, 68, was jailed along with his ex-wife Hilary for a campaign of abuse against tragic former pupil Frances Andrade, who killed herself after giving evidence in his trial.

Six more teachers are currently being investigated in a probe over historic sex abuse.

A spokeswoman for Chetham’s said child protection policies were reviewed annually by governors and the last probe was held in October.

She added that serious discussions had taken place with the governing body with regards to historic abuse cases and the way forward.

The spokeswoman said: “The overwhelming majority of parents and students who were consulted as part of the assessment feel that Chetham’s provides a safe environment and they are comfortable with our current safety protocols.

“Manchester children’s service reported that 97 per cent of parents agreed with the statement ‘the school keeps my child safe’ and 94pc of pupils agree that ‘I feel safe in my boarding house’.

“The ISI concludes that ‘Pupils report that they are happy and feel safe and secure in the school’.”