PARENTS of children attending Wellesley Park School, in Wellington, have been assured by headteacher Carly Wilkins that no current staff or pupils were known to be involved in an alleged case of sexual abuse anonymously reported by a website.

Concerns were raised last week after the Wellington Weekly revealed how a feminist website run by the charity ‘Everyone’s Invited’ had included Wellesley Park in a list of about 1,600 UK primary schools where anonymous reports of sexual abuse had been submitted to it.

Now, headteacher Carly Wilkins and governors chairman Hannah Gibson-Patel have written to parents to reassure them and outline actions which will be taken.

They said staff would receive refresher training on spotting abuse and harassment, using the ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education’ guidance, which happened at the start of every academic year with regular updates.

An NSPCC ‘Stay safe, speak out’ programme would be organised with assemblies and workshops for pupils in the summer term.

And an upcoming annual safeguarding review by the school’s trust would have a focus on gathering pupil voice and ensuring the relationships and sex education and health education (RSHE) curriculum was implemented fully.

Mrs Wilkins acknowledged how such headlines were both ‘alarming and upsetting for our school and local community’.

She said: “To our knowledge, the report does not involve current staff or pupils of Wellesley Park.

“The charity provides an anonymous platform for individuals to share their experiences, and reports made through this platform may identify educational establishments.

“It is important to note these anonymous allegations can be written without the need to give any context to the alleged incident or when it may have occurred.

“We have not been provided with any additional information other than our school being mentioned in the charity’s establishment links.

“We remain wholeheartedly committed to the safety and wellbeing of our pupils and we would like to reiterate our firm commitment to the belief that abuse of any form is unacceptable and will never be tolerated.

“We have robust procedures that span all aspects of our operations, from how we record and monitor concerns, recruit, train, and induct our staff and governors, and how we continue to ensure that safeguarding understanding and vigilant practice remains top of our priorities.”

However, Mrs Wilkins said she did not want to ‘dismiss or diminish the terrible lived experiences of those who have suffered abuse’.

Ms Gibson-Patel, who is also a parent of current and former Wellesley Park pupils, said: “I understand how concerning these headlines are, but I have full confidence that the school has implemented exceptional standards around safeguarding practice to ensure our children are safe and cared for.

“Alongside trust management, governors regularly audit all aspects of safeguarding processes, including staff and pupil knowledge and voice.

“Wellesley Park children regularly tell us that they feel safe, and if unhappy about anything, would feel confident to approach staff for support.”

Wellesley Park and its associated nursery has about 350 pupils aged from two to 11 years.