Dear Alumni
On 23 November 2022, St Peter’s issued the media statement copied below.
The statement followed NZ Police informing the school that they would be charging a former staff member who worked at the school in the late-1970s with offences related to alleged historical student abuse in Hamilton District Court.
We have been fully cooperating with NZ Police and will continue to do so.
The School Trust Board has also made the deliberate decision not to request name suppression for the school in relation to this person’s charges. In the interest of transparency, we felt this was important.
As many of you will remember, one year ago the St Peter’s School Trust Board acknowledged and apologised to alumni for historical cases of sexual, physical and emotional abuse against former students by former staff members.
At that time, we encouraged survivors of historical abuse at our school to access support and counselling through an independent and confidential Listening Service. This remains active and alumni can contact the service by emailing alumniassist@outlook.com.
From the day we announced the School Trust Board’s apology in November 2021, we have chosen to be open and honest with our communication around the issue of historical student abuse and we will continue to do so within the confines of the law.
The attached media statement references the critical child protection procedures and policies the school has put in place over the past few years. Rest assured that the safety of students, in both learning and boarding environments, is our primary concern. With the help of our dedicated staff, we have diligently embedded a range of best-practice safeguarding measures throughout our school.
To ensure we do not compromise the judicial process in any way, we will minimise further communications related to this matter.
As always, thank you for your continued support of St Peter’s, Cambridge.
Regards
John Macaskill-Smith
Chair
St Peter’s Trust Board
MEDIA STATEMENT
23 November 2022
St Peter’s Cambridge confirms it is cooperating with NZ Police investigations into a former staff member
St Peter’s Cambridge confirms it is cooperating fully with NZ Police in relation to investigations involving a former staff member.
The confirmation follows NZ Police informing the school that a former staff member will be charged with offences related to alleged historical student abuse in Hamilton District Court today.
While the person being charged has name suppression, NZ Police confirmed the person worked at St Peter’s Cambridge in the late-1970s.
School Trust Board Chair, John Macaskill-Smith, said he understands the school’s acknowledgement and apology for historical staff abuses, made in November 2021, was the prompt that led alumni to come forward to police and subsequent charges to be laid.
“We fully support alumni who have come forward. The School Trust Board wants to assure them we have been cooperating fully with NZ Police and we will continue to do so,” he said.
“To avoid compromising the judicial process in any way, St Peters’ Cambridge will minimise further public statements about the charges laid today.”
In recent years, St Peter’s has initiated many safeguards to protect current and future students who learn and board with the school. It has developed a child protection policy and processes and invested in ongoing child safeguarding training for staff while also ensuring students have a range of ways to report any concerns.
Child abuse prevention and safeguarding is openly discussed with students to reinforce that abuse in any form is not tolerated at St Peter’s Cambridge.
ENDS
