Pupils at Loretto boarding school in Musselburgh suffered abuse, inquiry concludes

Children who boarded at Loretto School were exposed to risks of sexual, physical and emotional abuse, an inquiry has found.

Loretto, in Musselburgh, East Lothian, is one of a number of boarding schools investigated by the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry (SCAI) and evidence was explored at case study hearings.

Publishing her findings relating to the school on Wednesday, SCAI chairwoman Lady Smith found a small number of staff at Loretto abused children.

They included the late Guy Ray-Hills, a French teacher at Loretto junior school the Nippers between 1951 and 1967, who Lady Smith described as a “prolific sexual predator”.

He groomed many children and established abusive sexual relationships with them, some of which were one-offs but others lasted for four years, she found.

At the outset of the inquiry, Loretto School offered an “unreserved apology” to those who suffered abuse there.

Lady Smith made clear that the current leaders of the school inspire confidence that Loretto is now committed to child protection, and it has learnt and is keen to keep learning from its past mistakes.

She said: “At the outset, I want to make it clear that I find there were many children who had positive experiences at Loretto and, in many ways, went on to have rewarding adult lives.

“Also, there is no doubt that the school has provided many children with a good education.

“However, not all children had positive experiences and amongst those who did, there were children who also suffered abuse.

“Children who boarded at Loretto were exposed to risks of sexual, physical and emotional abuse.

“For many, those risks materialised, and I have no doubt that children were abused whilst in Loretto’s care.”

Lady Smith found the response by Loretto to the behaviour of Ray-Hills at the time was “woefully inadequate” and he was allowed to resign rather than being dismissed.

The school has previously apologised for giving a good job reference to Ray-Hills after he left.

She also found that another teacher groomed a final year pupil, and four other teachers were reported to have touched children inappropriately or made sexual comments that were offensive and upsetting to pupils.

Sexually abusive conduct by older children towards younger pupils was also normalised in the all-male environment of the houses at Loretto, Lady Smith said.

She found there was a lack of oversight and review of the administration of corporal punishment by older boys over decades, which she described as a serious failing by the school.

Lady Smith found bullying, with associated physical abuse inflicted on younger boys by older boys, was a constant at Loretto throughout the 20th century and bullying cultures were allowed to prevail because of staff complacency and a lack of supervision by them.

The first witness, former pupil Don Boyd, wrote an article about his experiences.

He told the inquiry: “I have learned, horrifyingly, as a result of all this, the extent of the problem, which has appalled me.

“I thought I was a bit of an isolated case, but being involved in writing the article, and dealing with this phenomenon over the years, I realised not only was I one of many at Loretto, but I am one of thousands throughout an entire educational set up.

“It isn’t that situation where you can loosely say, oh well that was in the 1950s, that was in the 1960s.

“It has persisted, and I have learned that inquiries like this are incredibly important as they give an opportunity for society to adjust the way that they see the problem, and deal with it, and provide public advice without it being sensationalised.”

Some children at Loretto School suffered sexual, physical and emotional abuse, an inquiry has found.

Loretto, in Musselburgh, East Lothian, is one of a number of boarding schools investigated by the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry (SCAI) and evidence was explored at case study hearings.

Publishing her findings about the school on Wednesday, SCAI chairwoman Lady Smith found some pupils were subjected to physical, sexual and emotional abuse and that while some of them have learned to live with the impact, “for some, it has been and will be lifelong”.

She found that a small number of staff at Loretto abused children, including the late Guy Ray-Hills, a French teacher at Loretto junior school the Nippers between 1951 and 1967 who Lady Smith described as a “prolific sexual predator”.

He groomed many children and established abusive sexual relationships with them, some of which were one-offs but others lasted for four years, she found.

On Wednesday, Loretto School reaffirmed its “unreserved apology” and deep regret for the hurt and pain suffered, and said the well-being of pupils in its care remains its “highest priority”.

She said: “At the outset, I want to make it clear that I find there were many children who had positive experiences at Loretto and, in many ways, went on to have rewarding adult lives.

“Also, there is no doubt that the school has provided many children with a good education.

“However, not all children had positive experiences and amongst those who did, there were children who also suffered abuse.

“Children who boarded at Loretto were exposed to risks of sexual, physical and emotional abuse.

“For many, those risks materialised, and I have no doubt that children were abused whilst in Loretto’s care.”

Lady Smith found the response by Loretto to the behaviour of Ray-Hills at the time was “woefully inadequate” and he was allowed to resign rather than being dismissed.

The school has previously apologised for giving a good job reference to Ray-Hills after he left.

The period covered in evidence ranged from 1948 to 2021 – which is beyond the terms of reference of the inquiry which covers up to December 2014, however Lady Smith said it would have been wrong to curtail it.

Sexually abusive conduct by older children towards younger pupils was also normalised in the all-male environment of the houses at Loretto, Lady Smith said.

She found there was a lack of oversight and review of the administration of corporal punishment by older boys over decades, which she described as a serious failing by the school.

A Loretto spokesman said: “Today’s report from the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry has been a stark reminder of the first-hand evidence given by those who survived abuse whilst pupils at Loretto.

“We found listening to the accounts from survivors at the time of the inquiry profoundly troubling, and reading Lady Smith’s report reignites these feelings: much of the content is deeply disturbing.

“On behalf of the school, we reaffirm our unreserved apology and deep regret for the hurt and pain suffered.

“Throughout the process of the inquiry, Loretto has acknowledged the testimony of the survivors, and fully recognises and respects the courage and the determination that they have shown.

“Our aim throughout has been to listen, learn and reflect and we will now continue to do so by considering the terms of Lady Smith’s findings. As part of our ongoing work, Loretto remains open to hearing from, and continuing to learn from, survivors.

“We have worked hard to create an environment where every pupil, parent or member of staff can raise any concerns and know that they will be listened to and supported by appropriate action.

“We remain committed to this aim and the well-being of pupils in our care remains our highest priority. There can be no room for complacency.

“Whilst these findings focus on the period 1945-2021, and form an important milestone, they do not mark the end of our work. We strive to ensure that we get it right for every child.”

The inquiry, which aims to raise public awareness of the abuse of children in care, is considering evidence up to December 17 2014, and which is within the living memory of any person who suffered abuse.