School abuse allegations 'rising weekly'

More than 15 people have come forward with accusations of physical and sexual abuse at a school caring for vulnerable young people, a lawyer has said.

Wings School Cumbria in Milnthorpe closed down in July after Ofsted found its physical intervention practice saw "pupils subjected to excessive force and unsafe holds".

Last week Cumbria Police said it was investigating allegations of abuse at a school in South Cumbria and added it would seek to identify other potential victims.

Three former pupils have told the BBC about being physically assaulted, specifically during restraining incidents which they described as "brutal" and "excruciating".

Wings School Cumbria was an independent residential school for pupils aged nine to 17 who had social, emotional and mental health difficulties and specific learning issues.

Oakwood Solicitors said it was working with cases from 2003 to 2024 which mainly related to "physical assaults in the form of or committed during excessive restraints, but there are a small number of allegations of abuse of a sexual nature".

Solicitor Molly Frost said more than 15 claims were being pursued against Kedleston Group, which ran the school, in relation to Wings Cumbria.

However she said it was "likely to increase to more than 20 soon" and "we are receiving new enquires every week".

Terrance Douglass was a resident at Wings School for several years.

He said he was injured from a physical restraint which he alleged was used by staff regularly and could be "brutal".

"There were staff there that were really supportive, caring and wanted the best for you, but others that you had to stay away from... we were scared of them," he added.

An emergency Ofsted inspection in June reported "some leaders and staff use restrictive physical intervention on pupils as a strategy for discipline and compliance, not solely when pupils or staff are at risk of harm".

"The school's physical intervention practice is unsafe with pupils subject to excessive force and unsafe holds."

Mr Douglass said while there were positive rewards, restraints were regularly used as punishment.

He detailed one incident where he said he had been in an altercation with another student.

"I was accused of making fun of his condition, which wasn't true. This made me irate, but I wasn't violent.

"I was then restrained by a large man - bearing in mind I weighed eight stone at the time - who put my arms behind my back, lifted me off the floor and slammed me into the wall.

"I was screaming 'I can't breathe'. It was so painful."

Kedleston Group declined to comment on specific cases, but said: "In relation to physical intervention, it is our organisation-wide policy that this should only ever be used as a last resort and only to keep a child, or those around them, safe.

"Where concerns are raised, these are reported to all relevant authorities and fully investigated.

"Should any issue be identified, positive and proactive action is taken."

An Freedom of Information request revealed Cumbria Police recorded a total of 143 allegations, both physical and sexual in nature, at the school from January 2011 until August 2023.

The force said this includes pupils reporting against other pupils and staff, and staff reporting being assaulted by pupils.

Mr Douglass, meanwhile, said he witnessed a staff member "bounce" the arm of a pupil, who had a cast on for a previous injury, on a table. "They were in tears," he said.

Ellis Robertson was the pupil he saw.

"I had been mouthing off, but I wasn't being aggressive, more like a typical gobby teenager," Mr Robertson said.

"The staff member grabbed my arm, which was healing from a severe break, and slammed it on the table.

"It was excruciating, I've never had pain like it.

"Physical abuse in the form of 'restraints' was the staffs' method of keeping control of us.

"Staff would tell us you were dirt and we would be nothing on the streets if we didn't behave."

Harvey Benson was also a pupil in care who claimed "restraints were used just for the sake of it".

"The school fostered a culture where abuse went unchecked and the children's voices were silent," he said.

Mr Benson told of one time he was in detention and refused to work, which he said annoyed the teacher.

At the end of the session, he said he got up to leave.

"The teacher came up behind, grabbed my shoulders and blazer and pulled us back into the classroom. I caught my wrist on the door."

He said that during another restraint, a staff member kneed him in the ribs and barricaded him in a classroom.

Mr Benson said he suffers with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as a result of what happened.

All three former pupils have said they witnessed frequent assaults on other young people.

"One morning, I saw one kid who was restrained on a chair. A staff member was telling another pupil to hit him," Mr Benson alleged.

A spokesperson for Wings School said: "At this time, and to our knowledge, no claim of misconduct relating to any member of staff has resulted in further action being taken by the authorities.

"The safety and wellbeing of children and young people is a responsibility we take very seriously."

Kedleston Group said it was fully co-operating with the investigation.

Mr Benson and Mr Robertson said they would often see young people being locked up in bedrooms and classrooms while Ofsted inspections took place.

The inspections they refer to were prior to 2023.

An Ofsted spokesperson said: "It is very upsetting to hear allegations of abuse from pupils at Wings School.

"Safeguarding is central to our inspections and we take it extremely seriously.

"We will always take quick and decisive action when we uncover concerns on inspection, including suspending a setting's registration where necessary."

Mr Benson has created a petition urging the government to enforce unannounced inspections by an independent body, place CCTV in communal areas and provide body cams for staff during restraints.

He said: "I felt we that we were treated as troublemakers by the authorities," while Mr Robertson added "not a single person listened to us".

Cumbria Police said its "far-reaching" investigation was being run by its major incident team, working closely with a number of partner agencies.

The force said it expected it would "take some time to establish the facts".

A spokesperson said: "At this point we can't give any details about findings or specific allegations; our sole focus is ensuring any victims are being fully supported throughout this difficult time."

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