Unofficial Christ's Hospital Forum

You could contact the journalist. Standards of reporting are so low that articles often raise more questions than they answer.

yamaha wrote: ↑Wed Jul 18, 2018 11:10 am You could contact the journalist. Standards of reporting are so low that articles often raise more questions than they answer.

As to journos, nothing in the meeja of which I have close private knowledge has ever been 100% correct. Journos are generalists and I suspect get rung up at no notice and told, e.g., get yourself down to Lewes Crown Court and cover XXX and get your copy in by teatime. So they cobble something together, guess the bits they didn't get, and then off it goes to a subed. Subeds I suspect are journos who are so bone they can't be let out on their own and they cut and paste what is given them to fit nn words or mm column inches, binning key points on the way. What Jo Public gets is the equivalent of a letter the dog has chewed, in the CH case a posh school for posh people paying thaasands with no understanding whatever of how it works or who it's for.

If it's any consolation the naval stuff is usually even worse.

Dobbie's record in Crockfords, from the 2012-13 edition, came across a copy today:

Interesting. Just a coincidence maybe but mention of Kimbolton, a school with which I am familiar (not least because my brother attended and was advised to leave when he tried to report a predatory housemaster) prompts me to mention another link besides Dobbie. It has been going through similarly torrid times of late with another cluster of five custodial cases involving teaching staff. Kimbolton and Christ’s Hospital are running neck and neck in a pretty insalubrious league table. I know of no other school that comes close although, naturally enough, schools are extremely reticent about publicising such statistics.

Observer wrote: ↑Tue Jul 24, 2018 12:20 pm Interesting. Just a coincidence maybe but mention of Kimbolton, a school with which I am familiar (not least because my brother attended and was advised to leave when he tried to report a predatory housemaster) prompts me to mention another link besides Dobbie. It has been going through similarly torrid times of late with another cluster of five custodial cases involving teaching staff. Kimbolton and Christ’s Hospital are running neck and neck in a pretty insalubrious league table. I know of no other school that comes close although, naturally enough, schools are extremely reticent about publicising such statistics.

Hello Observer. Thank for this, a link made possible my Julian's posting. Do you have any links about the abuse Kimbolton school please? It does not seem surprising Dobbie previously taught at a school with such a history.

This is regarding today's IICSA (independent independent inquiry into child sexual abuse)

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/201 ... quiry-told

People will see that the Prince of Wales' statement regarding his relationship to Peter Ball (leaked to media) and his failure to understand that a caution involved an acceptance of guilt, will be read into the transcript on Friday. Surprisingly enough, he won't be attending....

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/201 ... quiry-told

And as I said earlier, LHA, It's getting more and more interesting by the minute !

Archbishop Carey was on the news this evening, of course only a smidgin of his appearance BUT he came across as a complete idiot, unable to comprehend that Bishop Ball was a baddie. After all, he was a BISHOP, wasn't he? Carey still doesn't seem to have either the common sense or the decency to apologise to the victims on behalf of the C of E.

postwarblue wrote: ↑Tue Jul 24, 2018 6:54 pm Archbishop Carey was on the news this evening, of course only a smidgin of his appearance BUT he came across as a complete idiot, unable to comprehend that Bishop Ball was a baddie. After all, he was a BISHOP, wasn't he? Carey still doesn't seem to have either the common sense or the decency to apologise to the victims on behalf of the C of E.

I saw it Richard. Things are definitely picking up speed.

Watch this space ????????

jtaylor wrote: ↑Tue Jul 24, 2018 11:13 am Dobbie's record in Crockfords, from the 2012-13 edition, came across a copy today:

CrockfordsDobbie2.jpg

I’m likely misinterpreting the abbreviations here, but did Dobbie go from senior chaplain to assistant chaplain in 1996?

DazedandConfused wrote: ↑Tue Jul 24, 2018 7:27 pm

jtaylor wrote: ↑Tue Jul 24, 2018 11:13 am Dobbie's record in Crockfords, from the 2012-13 edition, came across a copy today:

CrockfordsDobbie2.jpg

I’m likely misinterpreting the abbreviations here, but did Dobbie go from senior chaplain to assistant chaplain in 1996?

Yes I noticed that before. I'm guessing it is to do with taking on housemaster duties.

Carey came to Sarawak in the early 90s when we were there. I met him at a couple of functions, I wasn't impressed with him then, and I'm not impressed now.

I did hear that the way the CofE chooses Archbishops is that two names go to the PM who makes the final choice. Carey was put down as nobody would ever choose him, so the other one, the preferred candidate, would be chosen. I don't know how much truth there is in that.

He became housemaster a few years before that though, seems strange.

I've followed this discussion with interest and sadness. I'm not at all sure it has reached the end either - certainly my history teacher disappeared one Saturday in about 1973 after what were told was an incident with a boy (yes, I know the name quoted). I recall being told that the teacher concerned 'was on his last chance' after problems at another school......doesn't that fit a familiar pattern? His name has not yet appeared, but he was another we all knew what he was like. It seems to me that several of these 'problems' were simply passed around the private school sector and occasionally shipped overseas to cool off (or not).

People have asked what we can do about it. After a career in senior levels of school inspection, I'd say don't expect much from the 'Independent Schools Inspectorate.' The DfE is the legal regulator of private schools and they have clearly failed to act here - for years. We should all write to Damian Hinds and ask him what action he is going to take, specifically against those in authority that appear to have condoned systemic abuse. It is a scandal that people known to have 'looked the other way' have recently been, or even still are, in school positions or have care of children. Ask your MP what they are going to do about it.

Let's also take it to the IIASC - the people who grilled Runcie today. They have a particular interest in systems that condoned abuse - and is there a stronger example? Maybe some of you have.

What about governance? Surely some of those remote, important people knew? They should be investigated by the Charity Commission - so write to them as well. The school's governance was plainly not fit for purpose and anyone from the 1990s should be removed. We should also all demand that boarding schools are inspected, every six months, by people with no connections whatsoever with the school; I'm afraid that working in another school in the same 'association' is not acceptable, as we can now see from what went on at Kimbolton, CH etc.

I have contacted LHA with some of the press reports on the Kimbolton cases. Readers can do their own research but in view of the request for appropriate sensitivity towards all visitors to this site, I judge some of the reporting to be frankly too salacious for general posting.

Re selection of Bishops, Yes, Prime Minister apparently got it scarily accurate....
The Bishop’s Gambit (hope this link works...)
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x5tc4li