Special needs pupils ‘hit, kicked, and left in own urine’ at London school

The alleged abuse happened at Whitefield School in Walthamstow

Pupils at a special school in London were routinely ‘tortured’ by being locked in so-called ‘calming rooms’ for hours at a time, it was alleged.

CCTV footage shows them ‘naked, sitting in urine and eating crumbs off the floor’ in rooms which could not be opened from the inside, according to a BBC investigation. 

Whitefield School in Walthamstow is now under new management, but some staff accused of being involved are still employed there and have not been barred from working with children, it was claimed. 

During the use of isolation rooms between 2014 and 2017, pupils were forced in using ‘rhino pads’ more typically used in rugby training, while some were slammed and hit ‘without obvious justification’, the BBC reports.

Families of children at the school say they still show signs of trauma years after the ‘organised abuse’. 

Of the 39 pupils ‘abused and neglected’ in the rooms, which have now been closed, many were not able to speak.

The school, with around 370 pupils, is one of the UK’s largest special schools and its website says it seeks ‘to deliver enjoyment, achievement, and wellbeing for all’. 

But a whistleblower told the BBC that treatment of pupils amounted to ‘torture’ and claimed the bare rooms, without natural light or ventilation, were worse than cells. 

After 44 memory sticks of CCTV recordings from them were found in 2021, a HR consultant was employed to examine the footage. 

A leaked report of the findings tells how a staff member pinned a pupil against a wall and hit him so hard his body was ‘jolting’ which constituted physical abuse, though the teacher allegedly showed no remorse.

The consultant concluded they should be disciplined and a referral should be made to DBS.

But the BBC claimed this was not done and they continue to teach. 

Flourish Learning Trust, which runs the school, said a new leadership team was in place and footage had been shared with police. 

Some staff members have since resigned while one was sacked, but the trust said three staff members who returned have received extensive training.

Worried parents who asked to see CCTV footage of their children in the rooms say they were blocked by the Met Police who told them it was too distressing or would breach privacy law

In one observation report, a boy was described as self-harming by slapping and punching his head and throwing himself into the wall. After two hours, he was seen urinating twice but was still not allowed to leave. 

A spokesperson for Flourish Learning Trust said: ‘What occurred between 2014 and 2017 in Whitefield School was wrong and wholly inappropriate. Those in charge are no longer involved in the Trust or our schools. These issues were only brought to light by the actions of the Trust’s current Senior Executive Leaders who uncovered them soon after taking office and demanded that they were fully investigated.

‘Across our Trust, we take our responsibility for promoting and protecting the health, safety and wellbeing of our children and young people incredibly seriously. Welfare is of paramount importance and is central to the way we run our schools.

 ‘This is a historic matter which pre-dates the current leadership of both the school and the Trust. Even before this matter was discovered, leaders had introduced significant changes to the Trust’s safeguarding policies and practice and, in recent inspections, Ofsted has found safeguarding at the Trust’s schools to be ‘effective’ and that pupils are ‘kept safe’. We can, however, never be complacent about welfare and we are continually updating and improving our policies and practice.

‘Throughout this investigation, we have acted on the advice and guidance of the police, the local authority and the Department for Education. Our disciplinary panels, which were led by an independent investigator, received ongoing advice from HR and legal professionals. The LADO was kept informed at all times and was content with the handling of the process and the outcomes.

‘In exposing what had occurred in the years up to 2017, we accepted that there would be reputational damage but this was far outweighed by the need to expose what had happened and ensure these practices could not be allowed in the future in any school across the sector.’

A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said: ‘Police are continuing to investigate alleged non-recent abuses at a school in Walthamstow between 2014 and 2017.

‘Following a thorough investigation, including the careful viewing of over 500 hours of CCTV footage, files were submitted to the Crown Prosecution Service in relation to a number of people connected to the school – the CPS confirmed they will face no further action.

‘Enquiries continue to establish if any offences were committed by individuals who were not connected to the school.

‘There have been no arrests.

‘No further information will be provided while the investigation remains ongoing.’

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