A Newcastle-based solicitor, Emma Moody, is now temporarily in charge of key pupil welfare at one of Britain’s leading Catholic schools, Ampleforth College, after it was stripped of its responsibility for safeguarding by the Charity Commission as a result of “continued concerns”.
Ms Moody, a specialist in charity law and education, will have all the powers and duties of a trustee, to the exclusion of the trustees, in respect of a number of safeguarding-related matters at both Ampleforth Abbey and the St Laurence Education Trust, which runs the college and Ampleforth’s prep school.
A spokesperson for the Charity Commission told The Tablet that the “interim manager” will have specific tasks and once they’re completed, the inquiry will be closed and a report issued. During the process, the spokesperson said, there are plans in place to periodically update parents and it was impossible to give a timescale, as “it depends on what we find: new information can come to light”.
In a statement, head of investigations and enforcement at the Charity Commission, Harvey Grenville, said: “It is of paramount importance that beneficiaries, and others who come into contact with charities, are protected from harm. We are not satisfied that the trustees of these charities have made enough progress in improving the safeguarding environment for pupils in the schools connected to the charities.”
The appointment, which was announced on 3 April, comes after the commission reviewed the progress made by the trustees in implementing recommendations made in March 2017 by an independent review.
Responding to the commission’s appointment, a statement on Ampleforth Abbey’s website said: “Emma and her team are in place to support and guide the trustees and to provide strategic leadership on matters relating to safeguarding, ensuring the charities have the proper framework they require to deliver their missions safely and appropriately and importantly that all our beneficiaries are able to flourish and thrive, reaching their full potential, in a safe environment and protected from harm.”
The statement continued: “Emma’s appointment is a precautionary measure. The Charity Commission believes that this appointment is necessary to ensure that previous and current safeguarding concerns are identified, addressed and importantly that the charities’ plans for the future are sufficiently robust to achieve long-term change.
“It has tasked Emma with investigating its concerns and reporting her findings and recommendations.
“The appointment of the Interim Manager should have no impact on day to day religious and educational activities of the charities or the provision of education to students at the schools.”
In November last year, the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) heard that multiple allegations of sexual abuse had been made against 40 monks and teachers at the North Yorkshire boarding school and abbey.
The claims spanned the past 60 years. Since 1996, three monks and two lay teachers have been convicted of sex crimes against pupils who attended the schools between 1960 and 2010.
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