Two independent reports commissioned by the Governing Body of Westminster School, looking at Harmful Sexual Behaviours and Attitudes to Race, have been published.

The reports, written by Fiona Scolding QC and Femi Otitoju of Challenge Consultancy, bring together the experiences of pupils, former pupils, parents, staff and Governors in order to understand their thoughts and concerns in these two critically important areas.

Both reviews acknowledge that the issues described are not unique to Westminster, but also make it very clear that aspects of the culture and structure of Westminster have, in the past, contributed to unacceptable words and deeds that have caused harm to some members of our community. For this, we would like to reiterate our sincere and unreserved apology. We are sorry.

In the harmful sexual behaviours review, Fiona Scolding QC makes 44 recommendations. She states that while Westminster’s safeguarding is rigorous and that school risk is never higher than the endemic national risk, there is still great scope for improvement that is achievable and measurable.

In the attitudes to race review, Femi Otitoju makes 25 recommendations. The School’s appetite and commitment to meaningful change is acknowledged, and the review sets out to help the School prevent any future incidence of racial abuse, to respond in the correct manner and to best support any pupil who is affected.

The School accepts the findings of both reviews and their recommendations in full. Much work has already started, being led by a new Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Steering Group, chaired by a Deputy Head and reporting to the full Governing Body through a new EDI Link Governor. This Group will complement the work of the existing Safeguarding Group, as well as a new Head Master’s Forum.

Dr Gary Savage, Head Master Of Westminster School: “There can be no doubt that undertaking these two in-depth reviews has been a difficult process for the School, and rightly so. We have been forced to look deep into our culture and practices and we now commit wholeheartedly to implementing the recommendations. Once again, I would like to express my sincere sorrow, and offer heartfelt apologies, for any distress or abuse experienced by any of our pupils. We are absolutely determined to bring about further, continuous improvement through a renewed commitment to diversity – of thought and ideas, of course, but also of background and identity. Our aim is to continue to provide a liberal education, taught and learned within a pluralistic community, and experienced in an atmosphere of mutual respect where discrimination or abuse of any kind are universally understood to be completely unacceptable.”