Top Edinburgh private school allowed sexual and physical abuse to 'flourish for decades'

Key Points

Abuse allowed to ‘flourish’ for decades at Fettes, Scottish Child Abuse inquiry finds
Children were physically, sexually and emotionally abused while in residential care
Racism and misogyny commonplace into 21st century
Living conditions were ‘basic’ and staff had limited oversight
Headmaster Anthony Chenevix-Trench and teacher Iain Wares named as perpetrators

Abuse was allowed to “flourish” for decades at one of Scotland’s top private schools, a damning report from the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry has outlined.

Lady Smith said that for at least four decades, pupils at Fettes College in Edinburgh were subjected to appalling abuse that was missed and ignored by the school.

Her findings in relation to residential care at the school concluded that a former headmaster had protected known abusers, and that there had been a “shameful” failure to protect pupils.

Fettes College was established in 1870 using funds from the estate of Sir William Fettes and was intended to follow the model of other boarding schools in Scotland and England.

Lady Smith, Chair of the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry

It ran as a boys-only boarding school until 1972, when the first female day pupils started. The prestigious school became fully co-educational in 1983.

The inquiry found that until the end of the 1980s, living conditions at the school were “basic” and staff had limited oversight, allowing abuse to flourish.

Lady Smith said: “Children were wholly failed by the school. They could have been readily protected, and it is shameful that did not happen.

“Had complaints been listened to and acted upon at the outset, many children would have been saved from abuse. The suffering they still endure, over 50 years later in the 2020s, could all have been prevented.

Iain Wares has been accused of abuse by multiple former pupils of Edinburgh Academy and Fettes College, where he taught in the 1960s and 1970s.Neil Douglas

“Children were sexually abused, they were physically abused, and they were emotionally abused. Members of staff sexually abused children from the 1950s until the 1980s.”

Perpetrators

Headmaster Anthony Chenevix-Trench and teacher Iain Wares were named as perpetrators by the chairwoman.

Wares moved to Edinburgh from his home in Cape Town at the age of 27 in 1967.

He had been working as a teacher at St George’s Grammar School in Cape Town but had resigned from his post on account of incidents of what he referred to as “playing around with small boys”.

“In the course of his career, the norm became that he was “asked to leave” teaching jobs “quietly on account of similar incidents”, Lady Smith added.

“He arrived in Edinburgh having been referred to Professor Henry Walton, consultant psychiatrist at the Royal Edinburgh Hospital, by a South African consultant with a view to “curing” him of what is described in his medical records as “homosexuality (liking for young boys)” and a “personality disorder – dependent type”.

“Wares was employed as a teacher in Edinburgh between 1968 and 1979, first at The Edinburgh Academy and then at Fettes. He was not “cured”. Rather, he was and remained a prolific abuser of children.

“He preyed on them. He had a predilection for touching young boys sexually that he could not control. At times, he could not control his temper either, resulting in children being subjected by him to brutal assaults.”

Lady Smith’s findings also highlight the repeated failure of Professor Walton to take appropriate action.

‘Children suffered dreadfully’

The chairwoman added: “Many children were harmed by Wares, and many are still suffering the effects of his abuse, which was appalling both in its nature and in its extent. Children suffered dreadfully.

“They were failed by Henry Walton, who knew that Wares was abusing children and that his dangerous predilections were never “cured”.

“Walton wholly failed to prioritise the protection of children and failed to lead his team appropriately.

“He insisted that Wares should continue to teach children despite his ongoing paedophilia, despite him not being “cured” of his problems, and despite both his wife and his GP making it clear that they thought Walton was being utterly irresponsible in doing so.”

Fettes resolved to dismiss Wares in 1975 but continued to employ him as a teacher until 1979.

Headteacher protected abusers

Former headmaster Anthony Chenevix-Trench’s protection of abusers has also been highlighted in the findings.

Lady Smith said: “Chenevix-Trench was appointed as head of Fettes, having previously been head of Eton College. Fettes hoped that appointing a man who had been head of Eton would enhance its reputation.

“He was, in fact, a man who was unfit to be appointed to lead a school on account of his having lost the trust of senior masters at Eton, having a problem with drink, and having a propensity to beat boys excessively.

“He was appointed despite these matters having been expressly disclosed to Fettes by Eton. Chenevix-Trench was also attracted to young blond teenagers at Eton, a predilection of which the provost of Eton College was aware.

“He protected two, and possibly more, members of staff who had, to his knowledge, abused children at Fettes.”

Culture of silence

Children were found to have been physically abused at Fettes, both by teachers and other children, with a culture of silence, leaving the victims in fear of retribution and being ostracised if they complained.

In her report, Lady Smith also noted that emotional abuse of children by other children was common.

Following the introduction of co-education, female pupils were the targets of serious and regular misogyny, which persisted into the 21st century. They were treated as second-class citizens in a way that was tolerated by the school, Lady Smith said.

Racism was also found to be prevalent at Fettes, with mocking by staff and pupils of anyone who was not British, normalised into the 1990s.

Black or Asian pupils experienced violence or threats of violence from other pupils.

Lady Smith said the school’s current leaders now recognise shortcomings at the school in past decades.

In 2017, a submission from the school to the inquiry did not accept that there were any systemic failures.

Lady Smith concluded: “Applicants and other witnesses continue to come forward to the inquiry with relevant evidence about boarding schools and this will be considered as part of a continuing process.

“I would encourage anyone who has relevant information on any aspect of our work to get in touch with our witness support team.”tion on any aspect of our work to get in touch with our witness support team.”

Fettes chair of governors, Lady Morag Wise, said the school apologised unreservedly to those who suffered abuse.

“There can be no excuse for the behaviour that we heard about at the Inquiry hearings. We applaud the extraordinary bravery of everyone who shared their experiences,” she said.

“Many young people were failed by those in positions of authority at Fettes, who could and should have acted differently. Their actions fell well below the standards expected and would be utterly unthinkable at the Fettes of today.

“The culture of safety and welfare at our school now is unrecognisable from the past. Although Lady Smith’s report notes the positive findings of the 2025 inspections by Education Scotland and the Care Inspectorate, we must never be complacent, and we are united in our resolve to ensure that the mistakes of the past are never repeated.”