Jane Davidson

Politicians in Wales have reacted with horror to a new report on child abuse in a Welsh school.

Cardiff's education minister, Jane Davidson, said a report published by the children's commissioner for Wales was "deeply disturbing".

Watchdog Peter Clarke concluded that, on the balance of probabilities, pupils at Ysgol Gyfun Rhydfelen in Pontypridd were abused by drama teacher John Owen over a period lasting for years.

Owen killed himself shortly before he was due to stand trial on five charges of indecent assault.

"The abuses that the commissioner believes took place are shocking," said the minister.

The damning report also found that some adults in positions of authority failed to protect children from abuse, failed to deal appropriately with their allegations, failed to get justice for the children and failed to take steps to prevent the possibility of further abuse.

The report also criticises David Matthews - previously a district education officer for the former Mid Glamorgan education authority and now director of education for Bridgend - for failing to refer Owen's case to the police and social services.

Matthews, who has rejected the criticisms of his role, had investigated the concerns raised by pupils, family members and teachers.

The report said that his failure to involve the police and social services of the allegations could amount to a criminal act.

Action pledged

The Welsh Assembly Government has pledged to act on the report's findings.

"Parents, teachers, governors and others reading the report will be - rightly - gravely concerned by the events described," said Davidson.

"Many people will be incredulous that systems designed to protect children failed in the ways the report describes."

She said it was vital to ensure that the situation was never repeated and pledged to develop "robust, dependable systems" that would protect children from harm and abuse.

Echoing recent findings from the Bichard inquiry into the police handling of information before the Soham murders, the minister also said that there were "important issues of information sharing" that would be addressed.

"I believe that it is vital that information, particularly of this nature, is shared within and between those organisations that need to know clearly the legislative and regulatory constraints that exist," she said.

"The Assembly Government intends to demonstrate in the way we respond to this report that Wales and its democratic institutions are fully capable of responding to a deeply disturbing report with important implications for child protection."

Report reaction

The Welsh Conservatives said they would back the implementation of the minister's proposals.

"This is a harrowing report," said Jonathan Morgan, the party’s health and social services spokesman in the assembly.

"It demonstrates not only the way in which a sick man was able to abuse this position as a teacher, but also the way in which protocol and procedures broke down within various levels of government that should have spotted and dealt with the allegations much sooner."

He called for lessons to be learned from the report.

And Chris Keates, acting general secretary of the NASUWT teaching union, said there had been "serious failings" at Mid-Glamorgan LEA and the Welsh Joint Education Committee in not referring the matter to the police earlier.

"This failure is unacceptable. Children rely on such authorities to protect them from abuse in school," she said.