Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry: Closing Submissions

The School has been attending the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry this month. The closing day of The Edinburgh Academy Case Study was Wednesday 30th August, although the Inquiry is continuing to accept submissions. Lady Smith advised it would be sometime before she produces her report on findings of ‘non-recent child abuse’ at the school.

We are fully committed to supporting our former pupils and helping the reporting of non-recent abuse. We recognise that abuse during childhood has wide-ranging consequences for that individual throughout their life. We shall learn from the past to ensure the best safeguarding of all our pupils. Zero tolerance of abuse must be a given in any modern school.

To this end we believe that it is important we share with you our Closing Submissions to the Inquiry, as this summary document will give you some flavour of what was heard with witness statements and testimonies from many former pupils, and indeed members of staff, who gave evidence about their time at the School. 

If you have been affected by the recent media,  or experienced non-recent abuse yourself and have not contacted anyone about this, then we urge you to do so now. 

Details of our Non-Recent Child Abuse procedures can be found below, including a link to the EA Survivors Group. The main contact details are as follows:

• Police Scotland Operation Treefrog: Telephone 101; Email OperationTreefrog@scotland.police.uk
• Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry: Telephone 0800 0929 300; Email talktous@childabuseinquiry.scot​
• Edinburgh Academy: acciesupport@edinburghacademy.org.uk

We know that the School of today is a very different place, made possible by the wonderful work that our teachers provide to ensure our pupils and colleagues feel welcome, safe and cared for. We fully appreciate that this cannot make right the pain and suffering which so many of our former pupils endured, through the hands of specific individuals whose roles were to educate, protect and nurture. It is of paramount importance that the safeguarding of our pupils is our continuing focus for evermore.
 

Non-Recent Child Abuse Support

Schools should be safe places for everyone and, at various points in our history, this was not the case for too many of our pupils. They were wronged by specific individuals whose roles were to educate, protect and nurture them. For this The Edinburgh Academy unreservedly apologises.

We are fully committed to supporting our former pupils and helping the reporting of non-recent abuse. We recognise that abuse during childhood has wide-ranging consequences for that individual throughout their life. We shall learn from the past to ensure the best safeguarding of all our pupils. Zero tolerance of abuse must be a given in any modern school.

The Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry (SCAI) was established in 2015 to review cases of non-recent abuse of children in care in Scotland. Phase Six of the SCAI focused on children who were in care in Scottish Boarding Schools. As a former boarding school The Edinburgh Academy was notified in 2017 that the school would be part of the investigation. The School appeared at the Inquiry in August 2023.

The Edinburgh Academy thanks those members of our community who have come forward and assisted the SCAI with its proceedings. This will have been an incredibly difficult undertaking and we applaud their courage in doing so.

If you wish to contact the School about non-recent abuse, please:

Phone: 0131 557 6400 and ask to speak to Samantha Byers, Chief Operating Officer
Email: acciesupport@edinburghacademy.org.uk    

There is an active, well-connected and independent Support Group of former pupils who are willing to listen to, support and provide reassurance to other former pupils who experienced non-recent abuse at The Edinburgh Academy. Contact with this group is completely confidential and the school will not receive any information in this regard.

To contact this group directly, please use the following link:
https://easurvivors.info/ which will put you in touch with Giles Moffatt (EA 1980–1990) in the first instance.

Further details on our Policy can be accessed here: Non-Recent Child Abuse Policy