WILLIAM HENRY SMITH SCHOOL ABUSE SCANDAL SHAKES BRIGHOUSE IN WEST YORKSHIRE

William Henry Smith School, a residential institution exclusively for boys with learning disabilities and emotional or behavioural challenges, has recently reached an out-of-court settlement with 30 former pupils who allege they were subjected to abuse during their time at the school. The allegations span several decades, specifically the 1960s, 70s, and 80s, and have cast a long shadow over the institution's history in Brighouse, West Yorkshire.

Despite the serious nature of these claims, no individuals have been convicted in connection with the allegations. Some have undergone court proceedings and been cleared of charges, but the allegations of systemic abuse remain a dark chapter in the school's history. Over the years, officials in Brighouse and Halifax have been accused of actively concealing the abuse, with former employees of the Smith Foundation allegedly protected by local authorities from scrutiny. This alleged cover-up persisted throughout the 1960s to the 1990s, during which time children at the school reportedly endured physical and sexual abuse with little intervention from authorities.

Victims have come forward describing the brutal conditions they endured. One former pupil, who attended the school which primarily served children with behavioural issues, recounted that the environment was often so harsh that he attempted to escape multiple times. He described the treatment as dehumanising, stating, “There were times when we were made to have a cold shower at 2am then stand outside in the school yard.” He further explained that the children were often dressed in hand-me-down clothing, and despite the school receiving approximately £100,000 annually in funding, the money did not benefit the students. “At times we were going round in rags,” he said. The same individual revealed that some children had been sexually abused and that staff members frequently physically assaulted students, dragging them around and inflicting harm.

He also described a duality in the school's operation: “The school had two sides to it – one they wanted the public to see and the other where they didn’t want people to know what was happening to the children and how they were ill treated.” An incident he recounted involved his face being smashed into a sink in the schoolyard toilets, after which he was coerced into signing a document to conceal the incident. The victim also shared that he would hide in the loft of his home to avoid returning to the school, and on one occasion, his grandfather, who was 55 at the time, intervened after witnessing staff physically assaulting him. His grandfather responded by hitting the staff member back, an act that led to a letter being sent to his mother, warning her to keep her grandson away from the school. The victim noted the apparent double standard: “It seems it was all right for staff to beat children but not for an adult to step in and take similar action.”

The school's governing body expressed their regret over the allegations, stating they were “saddened” by the claims. They emphasized that no convictions resulted from the investigations and that no admissions of liability were made. Alan Collins of Pannone Solicitors, representing the former pupils, confirmed that an undisclosed sum had been secured for settlement, providing some measure of justice for the victims.

The school, which opened in 1961, has faced scrutiny over its past. The statement from the school's governors highlighted their commitment to the welfare and care of every child and young person, asserting that the institution has been recognized as “outstanding by Ofsted in recent times.” Nonetheless, the legacy of abuse continues to haunt the history of William Henry Smith School in Brighouse, West Yorkshire, raising questions about oversight and accountability during those troubling decades.