Warning: this article contains details of sexual assault.
After a viral blog post accused Colchester Royal Grammar School (CRGS) of having a "toxic rape culture" BBC Three has uncovered a number of allegations of serious sexual assault, from students past and present, as well as claims the school has been complicit in letting sexism run rife.
Since BBC Three contacted the Department of Education and Ofsted, regarding these allegations, Ofsted has commenced an "unannounced" inspection of the school. When a campaign collecting first hand claims of sexual assault and toxic masculinity in schools across the UK hit the news headlines Scarlett Mansfield was forced to reflect on her own traumatic experience.
She says she left Colchester Royal Grammar not with good grades, but haunting memories - including a time, she recalls, where she felt trapped in her car with another student and was forced to perform oral sex on him. Colchester Royal Grammar School, known as CRGS, is an all-boys school for 11-16 year-olds. The school, which is free to attend, admits a number of girls into its sixth form and its leading academic reputation is what attracted Scarlett to apply.
But her recent blog post described a "toxic rape culture" at the school and quickly went viral, with more than 20,000 views and more than 200 anonymous testimonies being submitted from other current and former students.
Speaking for the first time since she wrote her blog, Scarlett, 26, says she really wants people to know how "dangerous" unchecked rape culture can be. She says after leaving CRGS she was raped by another student from the school.
"It’s not just the events that happen in the school itself, it’s the legacy it creates for students leaving the school. It led me to a terrible incident," she tells BBC Three. "The behaviour is something that seems to stay with some of the boys, this lack of respect for women, and the idea they are invincible and they can do what they want to women without repercussions."
In a statement to the local press the school said it has "changed considerably" since Scarlett was a student. But BBC Three has uncovered rape allegations against two current students at the school, while another student says he was sexually assaulted in-between lessons.
'Even now I keep remembering things'
Mimi*, who attends another local school, says she has ruled out applying to CRGS in the future - despite it being her dream. When she was very young, she alleges a CRGS student raped her and other boys told her not to make a "big deal out of it". Mimi says she didn’t feel the school would support her if she reported it - after learning about what had happened to another girl, Grace*.
"[The school] failed to even acknowledge her statement," she says. Grace says, last summer she was raped by a CRGS student she had been in a relationship with. "[That day] I was pushing against him and I was saying ‘it hurts, it hurts’ and he didn’t stop," she says.
"He messaged me after saying he felt so bad, but 'don’t tell your mum, don’t tell the police, I’d rather you tell a therapist because I don’t want to get in trouble.'" Looking back at their relationship she says there were "multiple assaults".
"Even now I keep remembering things", she says.
One month after the incident, in a Snapchat message seen by BBC Three, the student told Grace he would "emotionally abuse" her less if she gave in and sent him nudes. Messages she was sent in 2019, also show him and another male student joking about wanting to rape her. Grace tried to take her own life shortly after the assault. While she was in hospital, her clinical team reported the incident to the police due to concerns about her safety. But after months of waiting, she was told her case was not being taken forward by the Crown Prosecution Service due to "insufficient evidence".
When news of Scarlett’s blog post spread in April, Grace saw a statement on the school’s website that said "all reported incidents are dealt with in line with the highest levels of our Code of Conduct" and that "inaction… is equally unacceptable". She says she saw this as hope she might still get some form of justice, and decided to contact the school.
"I don’t think that I should be put in a position where he can be near me, every day we’re both going to school next to each other, which are 10 minutes walk away." "Every day I’m in class thinking about it," she says.
"If I choose to walk to school or if I have to go into town, I have to think where he is going to be. Am I going to see him? What am I going to do if he sees me? Am I going to melt on the ground, am I going to cry, am I going to scream?" In her letter to the school she asked CRGS to investigate her claims formally but the school told her it was a matter for the police.
Grace says "CRGS have failed to investigate rape" and the effect on her mental health has been devastating. The school confirmed they are aware of Grace’s allegation, and they had "fully supported" and been aware of the original police investigation in 2020. They say her email has been read and "action has been taken" but there is limited information they can provide because it relates to another student. Both students accused of rape are still enrolled at CRGS.
'Snitches get stitches'
Screenshots, seen by BBC Three, show some girls who attended the school were subjected to derogatory comments made online by classmates - including instances of being named after animals, being ranked by attractiveness, and being referred to as "slutty blondes". In one Facebook post a boy said there had been "less rapes" because "the meat wasn’t as good as last year".
When Rory* attended an assembly at CRGS, about Scarlett’s viral blog post he says he felt angry because it seemed like the school thought it wasn’t still a problem. "It didn’t make it seem like anything was going to change," he says. The subject was raw for Rory because he says he was sexually assaulted on the school premises, in-between lessons, by another student when he was under 16. "It’s made me feel very unsafe at school." "I never want to be alone anymore and it always feels like I need to be with someone now when I’m just walking around school. "I have also been touched inappropriately by other students because they think that they're allowed to do whatever they want to students who are LGBTQ+ as no-one will care or believe them." Rory told BBC Three that there was "no way" for him to safely report what happened.
"I didn’t tell anyone... as I knew I would be in danger if I did. "There’s a bit of a 'snitches get stitches' culture. "When people are being homophobic, a lot of the teachers witness it and just don’t say anything… People use 'gay' as an insult all the time, I’ve heard a few teachers use it like that as well." "It just makes you feel as though you can’t really then go and trust them with something that sensitive." Rory says whilst reading the blog post, he felt the school hasn’t changed and he still doesn’t know how to report peer-on-peer abuse. "I know I’m not the only boy this has happened to," he says.
BBC Three has found that prior to 27 April 2021 the school had no specific policy addressing peer-on-peer abuse - it was however mentioned in two paragraphs in the school’s Child Protection Policy. Under the school’s new policy it outlines that investigations and risk assessments should be undertaken in situations where peer-on-peer abuse has been reported.
In a statement the school says they "recognise some of the barriers which deter students from reporting incidents; developing a culture of reporting acts of discrimination, especially microaggressions and acts that are perceived by some as less serious, provides a significant challenge – but one that we are determined to address." They also highlighted their policies were up-to-date with all legislation at a local and national level.
'Culture comes from the top'
BBC Three’s investigation has also revealed allegations of bullying, sexism and discrimination against a number of staff members who worked at the school, including the current headteacher John Russell - who has been accused of "joining in on a rape joke" in 2016. He denies these allegations. Lara*, a former CRGS student, says the main reason herself, and others, didn’t report being sexually assaulted was because so many of the teachers were "bystanders". She argues this made them complicit in the behaviour that girls were subjected to and says the culture comes from the very top.
"There was always an inappropriate amount of touching whilst walking through the corridors… Nothing was ever said [by teachers] to teach these young boys this was not an appropriate way to treat women," she says. She says even the school’s uniform policy felt sexist: "I was cornered by a male teacher where he stared directly at my breasts and then told me it was 'too tight' and would 'distract the boys'." During a leavers’ assembly, Lara alleges Mr Russell, joined in on an ongoing "rape joke" about a student who was accused of assaulting a girl while she was unconscious. A former teacher at the school confirmed she was aware of the incident and a student from the same year also independently told BBC Three about the comment.
In a statement, the governors acknowledged the headmaster made an "ill-considered" comment relating to a student charming a girl to sleep. The headmaster strenuously refutes he made a "rape joke" and says "a comment, which had been agreed in advance with some of those involved, could easily have been misconstrued if its context was not fully understood." The headmaster says it was regarding an "innocent situation between two students" and denies knowingly referencing an incident where "someone may have been disrespected, mistreated or assaulted". In a letter to staff members, at the time, he "apologised fully" and the board of governors did not feel that a formal warning was appropriate. Not everyone who got in touch with BBC Three had negative experiences at the school. One former student described her years at the school as some of the best in her life. "The vast majority of the boys were lovely and great friends," she says.
"They would have called out anyone who acted inappropriately to the girls." A Year 11 student said over emails that he believes some of the speculation about "alleged rape culture" at the school is "misplaced" and it has felt like a personal attack on current students and staff. "There are a surprisingly large number of active feminists among the student body," he wrote. "At the current time I would argue I see little evidence of ‘toxic masculinity’ among lower schools. "I would instead say that now a greater problem lies with the fact that boys in lower school simply don’t know how to interact with girls."
'I left school traumatised'
The main criticism of the school, that BBC Three has heard, is their alleged "failure" to "adequately respond and apologise" to former and current students who have shared their experiences. Some say they were shocked when, after sharing Scarlett’s blog post or their own stories, they were blocked by the school on Twitter. A number of the women BBC Three spoke to say they had to seek professional therapy to come to terms with their experiences at the school, and feel an apology would help give them closure.
The school said in response that they could not comment on individual cases. Now numerous former students are calling for an independent inquiry into their claims of abuse and the school’s safeguarding measures, as well as a detailed plan on what will be implemented moving forward - to prevent this from happening again to other young people. They argue that the school’s current policy is not clear enough about what action would be taken by the school if peer-on-peer abuse was reported. Rory, who still attends the school, says he would like to see an external person appointed who students can report peer-on-peer abuse to. Scarlett thinks schools and universities should have a "safety" category in their league tables that affects their national rankings. When she joined CRGS she says she was "full of hope and optimism".
"[But], I, and many of the girls since, left genuinely traumatised by the memory of our time at school." Mr Russell told BBC Three: "It is right and correct that issues around attitudes and cultures that exist within our society, particularly towards women and girls, are at the forefront of discussion and debate. "These are incredibly important topics, and ones that we do not shy away from. We all have a role to play in helping to shape communities where every person feels safe, and as a school we are acutely aware of our role in helping positive and healthy relationships to flourish.
"Since my appointment a significant amount of work has been undertaken to enhance our work in this area. This is, however, such an important topic, that there is always more that can be done to improve the experience and the development of the young people with whom we work. "What we can say is that we will always listen, always look for what we can do better, and always embrace new ideas and best practice. We will leave no stone unturned in supporting our students.
"It is totally unacceptable if misogyny and harassment in any form takes place, and it is deeply wrong for anyone to act as a bystander on such issues. We will ensure that CRGS is a community where people feel safe, valued and able to be their authentic selves, free from all forms of discrimination." In response to the allegations against CRGS, a government spokesperson said: "Sexual abuse in all its forms is abhorrent. While the majority of schools take safeguarding responsibilities extremely seriously, the right processes must be in place across the entire education system to deal with allegations properly.
"That is why the Education Secretary asked Ofsted to undertake an immediate review of safeguarding policies in schools and colleges, and launched an NSPCC helpline to support victims of abuse. "Any relevant information received by the government will be passed to Ofsted to support the review, and we urge anyone who feels they have been a victim of sexual harassment to speak to someone they trust, whether that be family, friends, the NSPCC helpline, their teachers, or the police."
