Child sexual abuse: School's image 'more important than victims'

A woman has spoken of the abuse she suffered at the age of 13 at Chetham's School of Music

A victim of sexual abuse at a music school has told how it still haunts her every day as a damning report declared "reputation" was more important than investigating allegations.

Manchester's prestigious Chetham's School of Music is among a range of schools criticised in a new report.

The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse said what was happening at some schools would "shock and horrify".

A former pupil said the abuse even led to one victim taking their own life.

The inquiry's 19th report scrutinised music schools including Chetham's alongside residential special schools such as the Royal School Manchester and Appletree School in Cumbria.

It said: "The power and influence of often revered and influential music teachers made some pupils even more vulnerable to being sexually abused by them.

"The reputations of both the musicians and the schools were often seen as more important than their victims and potential victims when allegations were made or concerns raised."

Chetham's School of Music said it was "truly sorry" in a new statement

The victim told BBC North West Tonight the abuse she endured in the 1980s as a 13-year-old has had a "devastating" effect on her.

"It's affected relationships, how I think everyday, how I relate to people all the time," she said.

"I don't play the violin anymore. That's just my case. There are other people who aren't alive anymore because of how upsetting it was.

"The damage is just too much for it to be OK for reputation to come first."

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• How the child sexual abuse inquiry works

The report said the abuse represented "the antithesis of everything that a school should be".

It added: "For many victims and survivors, the impacts have been profound and lifelong."

The inquiry heard how former director of music Michael Brewer, who was jailed in 2013 for six years, was "a powerful figure, having complete autonomy over all matters relating to music".

In 2013, Frances Andrade, another former pupil, took her own life after giving evidence on how Brewer had groomed and sexually abused her.

The inquiry also heard how Christopher Ling, a violin tutor employed by Brewer, abused pupils in his care aged between nine and 15, in the 1980s.

Michael Brewer, a former choirmaster at Chetham's, was jailed for child sexual abuse

Mr Ling apparently shot himself dead in 2015 after police arrived at his home in the US to arrest him.

A message was earlier posted on Chetham's website, stating: "It is a matter of deep and profound regret to Chetham's that former teachers at our school betrayed the trust placed in them in order to harm children, for which we are truly sorry."

The school said it "recognised its responsibility in safeguarding the rights of all children" and would continue to make sure that was the case.

The report has made seven recommendations which it said "must be implemented to vitally improve the current systems of child protection in schools".

These include setting nationally accredited standards and levels of safeguarding training in schools and making the highest level of training mandatory for headteachers.

Pro Alexis Jay, who chaired the inquiry, said: "Schools should be places of learning where children are nurtured by trusted teachers and are able to flourish in a safe environment.

"Poor leadership frequently left staff unaware of how to respond to concerns about sexual abuse or too afraid of potential consequences to act. In some cases, it was clear that protecting the reputation of the school was prioritised over the protection of children from sexual abuse."

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