Charity Commission report discloses new allegations of sexual abuse at Ampleforth

Ampleforth Abbey is located in North Yorkshire and is an English Benedictine Congregation monastery which has a boarding and day school Ampleforth College affiliated to it. There was also a prep school. Monks from the Abbey may serve as teachers and chaplains at the school.

Girls were admitted to the sixth form in 2002 and the school became fully co-educational in 2010.

There have been a significant number of allegations of child sex abuse at Ampleforth going back to the 1960’s. The Nolan Committee was set up in 2000 to examine the arrangements the Catholic Church had in place to protect and prevent the abuse of children within its institutions.  The police then set up Operation Ellipse to investigate allegations of child sex abuse at Ampleforth in 2004.

A number of monks and individuals have been convicted or cautioned over the years in relation to offences involving sexual activity with children or offences concerning pornography. These include  Father Bernard Green, Father Gregory Carroll, Father Piers Grant-Ferris, David Lowe and Dara De Cogan. Others died before any police action could be taken.

Jordans solicitors have successfully pursued civil claims against the school relating to the sexual abuse of pupils by Father Piers Grant-Ferris and Father Gregory Caroll. Claims in relation to non-recent sexual abuse may still be successful years after the event in particular if the person was involved in the criminal proceedings against the abusers.

There have also been regular complaints over the years about how the school have handled allegations of child sexual abuse. Complaints of abuse were often not reported to the authorities. The alleged abuser was sometimes moved elsewhere to avoid a scandal with little warning of the risks to their new location.

After the report by the Nolan Committee, Ampleforth chose to set up its own safeguarding commissions. In 2016 the Charity Commission became aware of articles in the media that included allegations of sexual abuse at the college and prep school by both monks and lay employees. The majority of the abuse was said to be against pupils of the school.

The Charity Commission opened an enquiry and the school’s safeguarding body then disclosed to the Commission 9 previously unreported serious abuse allegations and convictions recorded at the school which they had been made aware of in 2014, 2015 and 2016. These should have been reported to the commission as a Report of a Serious Incident. It is not clear why they were not reported.

The inquiry subsequently found that the acting superior at the time failed to recognise safeguarding concerns which had been raised to him by individuals on 4 separate occasions and did not therefore refer those concerns to the safeguarding co-ordinator as required. It concluded that this put children at risk across the site for over 9 months. The acting superior was disqualified as acting as a trustee for 3 years.

Under the “Wayfarer” Scheme, hospitality and shelter including overnight accommodation was offered to guests visiting the Abbey. However, guests were not subject to adequate background checks or risk assessments despite there being risks in relation to the location of the Wayfarers room and a lack of supervisory measures.

In February 2018, North Yorkshire Police became aware of an incident in which a Registered Sex Offender stayed overnight in the Abbey although there was no reported contact with pupils. The “Wayfarer” practice was then suspended in March 2018 and terminated in June 2018.

On 3 April 2018 the Charity Commission announced that it had stripped the charities that operate Ampleforth School of their safeguarding oversight and they appointed an interim manager who remained there for a little over 2 years.

The Charity Commission’s report was only published on 12 July 2024 and it is not clear why there has been such a delay in publishing the report.

It recognises that the Ampleforth Trustees worked with the interim manager to help them better understand their safeguarding responsibilities and to take a more professional approach. An audit of the site in 2023 confirmed the effectiveness of the current safeguarding processes.

Jordans solicitors are acting on behalf of vulnerable children and young adults whom it is alleged were sexually abused in schools.

Compensation is a small step towards taking control of your life and getting the justice you deserve.

We understand how difficult it can be for you to talk about the abuse you suffered during your childhood. That’s why our specially trained child abuse solicitors work closely alongside psychologists and barristers to support you both emotionally and legally.

Justice for child abuse survivors should be accessible no matter how long ago it happened. That’s why we fought for a landmark change in the law, which allows an abuse claim to be brought before a court regardless of when it took place.

If you want to discuss the options that are open to you, please contact our specialist Abuse Team at Jordans Solicitors.

Ampleforth Abbey Abuse Claims