Decades ago, students at a military boarding school were subjected to “dreadful abuse” in an environment where “violence was allowed to prevail”, according to the chairwoman of an inquiry.
Lady Smith, who is leading the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry, stated that children at Queen Victoria School (QVS) in Dunblane were physically and emotionally abused by teachers and older students, something that should have been “obvious” to those in charge of the institution.
She said that pupils were beaten or hit by “a small number of teachers” with items such as belts, slippers, a cricket bat and wooden dusters, all “under the guise of corporal punishment”. Older students also subjected younger ones to “cruel and terrifying behaviour”, including tying them to chairs and placing bags over their heads.
QVS, which was established by a Royal warrant initiated by Queen Victoria but enacted by her son, King Edward, in 1905, was originally intended to provide support and education to sons of Scottish servicemen of ranks other than officers.
Lady Smith commented on the inquiry findings at a report published on Tuesday, saying: “The pupils at QVS were all boarders and they were exposed to risks of sexual, physical, and emotional abuse. For many of them, those risks materialised and children suffered abuse.
“I have no difficulty in finding that children were abused by staff whose abusive practices were such that they must, or at least ought to, have been obvious to those in positions of responsibility. Further, they were abused by senior and other pupils, some of whose practices must or ought to have been obvious.
“It was mistakenly assumed the background and governance of the school would be enough to provide appropriate residential care. Throughout many decades, particularly the late 1950s to the early 1990s, that assumption was ill-founded, and, in fact, children for whose care the school was responsible were abused.
“Factors that enabled abuse to occur included inadequate management and oversight, not enough staff, and undue adherence to a robust military culture. The culture of the school was such that pupils were subjected to initiation ceremonies, there was a hierarchy that enabled abuse of power by senior pupils, differences were not tolerated, and pupils were, at times, not treated as the children they were.
“A culture of silence was the norm. Staff encouraged pupils not to clipe or report, and some ignored obvious abuse. Violence was allowed to prevail at QVS.
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A small number of teachers abused children physically and emotionally under the guise of corporal punishment, using belts, slippers, a cricket bat, and heavy wooden dusters, and instilling fear. Violence by older boys towards younger boys was endemic. It included unofficial punishments by boys in authority, either prefects or monitors, especially up to the 1980s.
“Cruel and terrifying behaviour by older boys towards junior boys was commonplace in the senior boarding houses. It included tying boys to chairs, putting bags over their heads, and, in one case, threatening to throw a child down a lift shaft.
She concluded: “The current management, the commissioners, and the MoD now understand that there is no room for complacency given the abuse that has taken place since 2010 despite the child protection systems and policies that had been put in place.
“QVS apologised for the abuse experienced by children who had been entrusted into its care.”
Lady Smith has now published 13 volumes of inquiry findings, one of the most recent relating to Gordonstoun.
Further case study findings in relation to others boarding schools will follow.
A Ministry of Defence spokesperson said on behalf of QVS: “Every child deserves to feel safe and protected and the experiences of past students at QVS were totally unacceptable.
“We have worked extensively with the inquiry and the school is committed to ensuring this never happens again. The school has multiple ways for students and staff to report anything that makes them feel uncomfortable, so that pupils are confident they are studying in an environment of transparency and trust.”
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