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Benjamin RussellBBC Scotland
PA Media
The inquiry found abuse was allowed to take place for decades at Fettes College in Edinburgh
One of Scotland's top private schools failed to protect pupils from sexual and physical abuse, the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry has found.
Inquiry chairwoman Lady Smith said children at Fettes College in Edinburgh were regularly abused by both teachers and other pupils from the 1950s until the end of the 1980s
She named several staff members who were complicit in the abuse, including ex-headmaster Anthony Chenevix-Trench, who she said had been employed at the school "despite having a problem with drink and having a propensity to beat boys excessively" at his former school, Eton.
The governors of Fettes said the school apologised "unreservedly" to those who suffered abuse.
"Children were wholly failed by the school. They could have been readily protected, and it is shameful that did not happen," Lady Smith said.
"Had complaints been listened to and acted upon at the outset, many children would have been saved from abuse. The suffering they still endure, over 50 years later in the 2020s, could all have been prevented."
She said some victims were still suffering the effects of being targeted by Iain Wares, a former teacher at the school who is now the subject of extradition proceedings from South Africa.
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Lady Smith said Anthony Chenevix-Trench was unfit for the job of headmaster
Lady Smith published her findings in relation to residential care at the school as part of an overall case study into Scottish boarding schools.
She said that Chenevix-Trench had also protected abusers and had "protected two, and possibly more, members of staff who had, to his knowledge, abused children at Fettes".
She said he was unfit for the job he was appointed to in 1971, with his previous conduct being "expressly disclosed" to Fettes by Eton.
He stayed in the role until his death in 1979.
Lady Smith also told how Chenevix-Trench had been "attracted to young blond teenagers at Eton", adding that it was something the provost of Eton College had been aware of.
Iain Wares, 86, has been accused by former pupils of Fettes College and Edinburgh Academy
She said teacher Iain Wares had been asked to leave other jobs due to incidents involving small boys and this had become the "norm" in his career.
She said he had secured teaching jobs in Edinburgh after moving to the city from South Africa in 1967.
He had been referred to a consultant at the Royal Edinburgh Hospital for treatment to "cure" him of a condition described as "homosexuality (liking for young boys)".
Lady Smith said: "Wares was employed as a teacher in Edinburgh between 1968 and 1979, first at The Edinburgh Academy and then at Fettes. He was not 'cured'. Rather, he was and remained a prolific abuser of children."
She added that he "preyed" on children and had a "predilection for touching young boys sexually that he could not control".
"At times, he could not control his temper either, resulting in children being subjected by him to brutal assaults," she added
She said the consultant psychiatrist at the Royal Edinburgh Hospital, Professor Henry Walton, repeatedly failed to take action.
Lady Smith said: "Walton wholly failed to prioritise the protection of children and failed to lead his team appropriately."
Lady Smith also noted emotional abuse of children by other children was common.
When the school became co-educational in the early 1980s there were regular instances of misogyny which persisted into the 21st century, she said.
She added that racism was also present at the school well into the 21st century.
Lady Smith said the school's current leaders now recognise shortcomings at the school in past decades.
In 2017, a submission from the school to the inquiry did not accept there were any systemic failures.
Lady Smith said: "Applicants and other witnesses continue to come forward to the inquiry with relevant evidence about boarding schools and this will be considered as part of a continuing process.
"I would encourage anyone who has relevant information on any aspect of our work to get in touch with our witness support team."
Lady Morag Wise, chairwoman of the governors at Fettes, said the school apologised "unreservedly" to those who suffered abuse.
"There can be no excuse for the behaviour that we heard about at the inquiry hearings," she said
"We applaud the extraordinary bravery of everyone who shared their experiences."
She added that the actions of staff had fallen "well below the standards expected and would be utterly unthinkable at the Fettes of today".
"The culture of safety and welfare at our school now is unrecognisable from the past," she said.
"Although Lady Smith's report notes the positive findings of the 2025 inspections by Education Scotland and the Care Inspectorate, we must never be complacent, and we are united in our resolve to ensure that the mistakes of the past are never repeated," she added.
