A report in the Daily Telegraph on Saturday was headed 'MoD accused of covering up abuse claims at top Army School'. It reports that “Kent Police has launched a review into the force's alleged failure to investigate dozens of criminal allegations at The Duke of York's Royal Military School near Dover, and at least one detective inspector has been disciplined. The force has set up a dedicated team to review claims about the school". There was a follow-up story on Monday.
The school website notes
School statement regarding recent inaccurate reporting Following inaccurate and misleading reports in the Telegraph, the School wishes to make it absolutely clear that it is not under investigation by the police. In addition, the School is taking action against the Telegraph’s deeply flawed articles |
The school's statement that it is NOT under investigation by the police is incorrect; the existence of an ongoing investigation being publicly confirmed by the suspension of several Police Officers.
The school appears to be facing a crisis of numbers, with just 12 places offered at secondary transfer in March, compared with 36 at this stage in 2016, and 38 in 2015. Whilst numbers do rise through the year as explained below, it would appear that the school is suffering badly from its reputation and one must now question the viability of this school in its new £25 million premises.
It would clearly be inappropriate to comment on the abuse allegations until the School’s legal action is concluded.
Families who are concerned about issues of abuse may wish to contact Whistleblowers UK or official channels for advice.
| Duke of York's RMS, Pupil Numbers | ||||||
Year | Year Seven Allocations | 2017 Age Group | 2013 Census | 2014 Census | 2015 Census | 2016 Census |
| 2017 | 12 | Year 7 | ||||
| 2016 | 36 | Year 8 | 60 | |||
| 2015 | 38 | Year 9 | 69 | 77 | ||
| 2014 | 23 | Year 10 | 48 | 69 | 79 | |
| 2013 | 39 | Year 11 | 44 | 56 | 80 | 94 |
Whilst each cohort shows a steady increase as older pupils transfer in to the school, in most years, the number of Year pupils arriving in Year Seven is approximately double the March allocations. This suggests that in September, the number arriving could be around 24, although the current bad publicity is surely bound to reduce this further to a long term non-viable figure. It is also reported, but not confirmed that some families have removed their children from the school which will add to the pressures.
In spite of the shrinking numbers, the academy's financial viability may be secure because of an annual grant from the Ministry of Defence, totalling £891,858 in 2016 for 'Ministry of Defence Military Ethos'. That is an awful lot for ethos!