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The recent Ampleforth statement included:
"In the last 18 months, we have put in place a robust safeguarding regime, a new and experienced senior leadership team, and a new governance structure - including new Trustees - that has effectively separated the Abbey from the College"
"In the last 18 months, we have put in place a robust safeguarding regime, a new and experienced senior leadership team, and a new governance structure - including new Trustees - that has effectively separated the Abbey from the College"
On the face of it, quite impressive. But something nagged at the back of my mind - where have I heard this before? Then I remembered the IICSA hearings in Nov/Dec 2017. Matthias Kelly QC represented Ampleforth at those hearings. This is what he said in his closing submission.
Hang on! If this separation happened in 1997, how come the school is claiming credit for it all over again in work supposedly carried out in the last 18 months? According to Kelly QC, the separation was widened in 2010 and again in 2017. What on earth was left to do so recently?
Kelly also claimed (3 years ago) that the lessons of the past had been learned and that all was now essentially well and improving further.
(By the way, the Kelly QC submission on behalf of Ampleforth College can be found here , starting at page 75) https://www.iicsa.org.uk/key-documents/3612/view/15-december-2017-roman-catholic-church-public-hearing-transcript.pdf
Almost all schools say "everything is different now" in the aftermath of an abuse crisis. Several also say "under new management" as well in order to make the point stronger.
Ampleforth is unique in my experience in making that claim several times over in respect of essentially the same crisis and the same response. That's why I'm rather skeptical about the latest assurances, especially when they conflict with an emergency Ofsted report.
If the latest assurances are true, then Mr Kelly was misinformed by Ampleforth College as to the thoroughness of the reforms undertaken by December 2017 - or alternatively the school was deluding itself.
But if Kelly was not misinformed, then the improvements claimed at the time have proved not to be as irreversible as promised, and there has been backsliding, and the recent assurances are essentially worthless.
