to be amazed it's taken so long for a Steiner school to be shut down over safeguarding issues?

[QoFE]

And the biggest bestest shiniest one in the UK at that - Kings Langley

I'm aware it's a touchy subject and that MNHQ have been threatened with legal action for allowing open discussion of these and other issues on here so I won't go into my own experiences (I have done in the last under name changes but I think all the posts got deleted).

Suffice to say this does not surprise me in the least.

In the PAST not the last - twat phone

Blimey!

The article says nothing about what the safeguarding issues are.

Sounds like people were paying £10k a year for crap schooling at a 'cult' like school.

I saw the article earlier (thinking it might be my local one!) It's horrific how they've tried to cover it up - reminds me of the cases on the church:(

Oh dear. There seem to be very mixed opinions about it.

So, what are the safeguarding issues? Can anyone enlighten me?

There is an, ahem DM article about it.

Says teachers are meeting pupils outside school, among other things.

There's an ofsted report with some info. Not sure how to link to it

Following to see how long this lasts before legal action threats shut it down….

I've read a lot about this sort of thing over the years, but you have to be quick, it soon goes "poof" - anti steiner stuff doesn't stay online for long

Do we consider closing all schools because one is shit? No. so why does it have any baring on all the others?

I saw the article but the only safeguarding issue that I could see was a failure to enforce signing in/out. They even mentioned teachers seeing former students socially as if this is even remotely abnormal.

reports.ofsted.gov.uk/inspection-reports/find-inspection-report/provider/ELS/117631

thats the ofsted report

Do we consider closing all schools because one is shit? No. so why does it have any baring on all the others?

yeah, and when people have been repeatedly damaged in catholic institutions, those were also isolated incidents right?

"These standards relate to the safeguarding of pupils at the school. They were not met at the previous inspection as leaders had failed to take decisive action to address reasonable and serious concerns raised by parents. They had failed to adequately assess risks posed by unsupervised visitors and had not completed all the required pre-
Inspection report: Rudolf Steiner School, 23–24 May 2017
Page 2 of 11
employment checks on staff.
 These standards remain unmet. Crucially, leaders do not base their decisions, at all times, on what is in the best interests of the child. This is the core principle of good safeguarding practice and a statutory requirement for all schools.
 Leaders rely too heavily on the advice of their solicitors when making some crucial safeguarding decisions. They do not consider carefully enough the potential consequences to children of the actions they then take. At the worst, they have not considered known risk factors because they are uninformed of all the facts. This is because the trustees have failed to ensure that critical information about historical safeguarding failings are discussed openly with those who need to know."

Well, no, because they weren't isolated incidents, were they? All i'm asking is without any proof that other schools are failing their pupils why jump to the conclusion that they must all be bad? we don't assume that about other types of schools.

According to that Telegraph report other authorities are investigating serious allegations so I assume there are police investigations underway. If staff are simply being moved around schools in response to allegations being made against them then damn right the whole organisation needs to be investigated.

"Leaders have underplayed and misrepresented the school’s safeguarding failings to parents. On more than one occasion, they have publicly stated that the failure is simply one of ‘record keeping’. They have also stated that ‘no transgressions or wrongdoings were found to have taken place’ and have implied that former parents who expressed concerns have misrepresented the position. These messages are not supported by the inspection evidence.
 Leaders have failed to ensure that information relating to child protection is retained in line with the rules on retention of data promulgated by the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse. They have failed to take proper steps to save the email accounts of former staff, including those of one former leader for safeguarding.
 Records of pupils going off-site at lunchtime continue to be poorly kept. It is not always clear if pupils have returned to school. This poses a safeguarding risk."

These Ofsted reports contain the worst safeguarding concerns I have ever seen from Ofsted, repeatedly stated and not addressed over a very long period. They are not about errors, they are about an ingrained culture that the school has not wished to address.

If you go back through the Ofsted reports - and they have been visiting very often- the concerns are outlined fully. They are shocking laxities and dishonesties in how the school deals with safeguarding. The school has not addressed them.

Well, no, because they weren't isolated incidents, were they?
yup, and carried out within a system that supported cover ups, discouraged whistleblowing, and alienated any members who were deemed to be critics…..

I too am amazed it has taken so long.

if staff are simply being moved around schools in response to allegations being made against them then damn right the whole organisation needs to be investigated

ah, ok then that would make sense, I'm asking because I have very little knowledge of these types of schools. Loving the name btw drudge

Yeah my personal experience (which I have actual documentation confirming, so feel free to try and sue me ) is that staff who are known to be incompetent and unfit to work with children are given good references and moved to another Steiner school. Out of sight out of mind...