A special school at the centre of a BBC Panorama probe into alleged abuse has hit back at the BBC for acting in a highly irresponsible manner “putting the interests of a television programme ahead of the interests of vulnerable children”.
An undercover reporter for the BBC worked at LIFE Wirral, an independent secondary school in Wallasey, for seven weeks and witnessed staff “using offensive language to mock pupils for their neurodiversity or learning disabilities, as well as manhandling them into dangerous headlocks”.
In her time there, reporter Sasha Hinde posed as a work experience student at the school, working with sports staff. She saw some children treated cruelly by the adults charged with taking care of them. In one part of the documentary head of operations Paul Hamill is seen laughing and telling her he had fantasised about killing a child in his care.
“Just the thought of squeezing him while he’s scratching me arms, trying to wriggle out,” he recalled saying.
A spokesperson from the school said that LIFE Wirral do not condone the behaviour of a small proportion of staff whose actions were aired on BBC Panorama programme. Also that they were deeply concerned about their students and their families and would like to apologise to all those affected.
They added though that an undercover investigator had failed in her basic safeguarding duties to report significant concerns and had she have done so on day one there would be no television programme and nearly twenty at-risk children would still have a safe environment in which they can learn and develop as young adults.
“In correspondence from the BBC they stated they had uncovered ‘significant safeguarding issues’, if they were significant (as a responsible school we absolutely agree they were), why did they not report them and put a stop to it there and then? They chose not to because they had other priorities and the children’s welfare was not their primary concern,” the statement said.
“As a team of highly respected education specialists we see no justification whatsoever allowing such incidents to continue; the safeguarding of the children should have come first rather than a television show. It cannot be stressed enough, had these incidents been reported immediately the members of staff would have been instantly suspended; something the reporter knew too well.”
The BBC however said that their investigation was firmly in the public interest and the welfare of the children concerned was their primary consideration. It added that prior to their investigation, the local authority and the school were already aware of safeguarding concerns having previously been made by others, and despite the local authority investigating, this had not resulted in meaningful change.
Concerns had been raised to Wirral Council about the school in 2023 who reported this to the Department for Education (DfE). Ofsted later carried out an emergency inspection into pupil health and safety, staff, and leadership in the school in April 2023 without notice.
It is also understood that Wirral Council made DfE aware of concerns in March 2023 regarding restraint, threatening behaviour and peer-on-peer abuse at the school that took place in 2022.
A spokesperson for Wirral Council said: “The nature of the allegations is truly shocking and far from the kind of care, support and education these young people deserve and should be receiving.
“We acted immediately in a safeguarding capacity to take all the students at this independent school out of the setting. Working alongside partners in health and social care, we have been providing practical and emotional support for the young people and their families, which includes identifying appropriate alternative educational provision.
“At all times, we have sought to exercise the powers we have to keep children safe and achieving their educational outcomes and that has included liaising with the Department for Education, as the regulator of independent schools, and Ofsted as the inspectorate.”
Wirral council has paid out more than £2.2m in total since the school opened in 2021. Ofsted has rated the school “good”. Five staff members have now been suspended and an investigation is underway.
