BBC Panorama uncovers special needs staff threatening to drown pupil 'like a kitten'

A BBC Panorama undercover investigation into a special needs school has recorded a senior staff member recalling how he said he would like to drown a pupil in a bath "like a kitten".

In disturbing footage obtained by the current affairs programme the man said it was the "worst thing I've probably said and got away with".

He explained he had been discussing the child with a colleague and "the thought of squeezing him while he’s scratching me arms, trying to wriggle out". He then reveals he noticed the pupil he was talking about "was there".

The BBC said it had seven weeks undercover at Life Wirral in Wallasey, in The Wirral, Liverpool, and witnessed staff "mocking pupils for their neurodiversity or learning disabilities".

Worryingly the channel also recorded an interview with the school's CEO, a former police special constable, who detailed his knowledge of how to put someone in a headlock to the point where they lose consciousness.

The school has since responded, saying that had the claims been reported immediately they would have been acted on.

In video shared by the BBC the CEO said a child had "ignored a 10-second warning and that he went “straight in and he hit the floor. I just did one pressure point and he was gone.”

According to the BBC the CEO of Life Wirral, Alastair Saverimutto said he “does not condone the behaviour revealed by the programme and five members of staff have been suspended”.

On the BBC news website the channel added that lawyers for the school said staff are suitably trained and that he "denies ever using inappropriate force on, or behaving aggressively towards, a pupil”.

They add the school "prides itself in having an excellent reputation transforming pupils' educational experience and achieving positive outcomes for children who may not have succeeded in a traditional educational setting".

It's reported Wirral Council are now investigating the allegations made in the BBC report.

Places at the educational establishment are understood to cost between £50,000 to £150,000 a year child, with costs supported by the local authority.

Express.co.uk has contacted Life Wirral and Wirral Council for comment.

In May the Liverpool Echo reports Wirral Council was served with an improvement notice in relation to children's services.

The Department for Education published an improvement notice today, May 15, ordering the local authority to act up due to “poor progress” in addressing 10 areas of "significant concern” highlighted in a 2021 inspection by Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission.

This report looked into services for young people and children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND.)

The May 2024 notice said a specialist advisor had been appointed by the government who will work with the council until services improve, with a board overseeing progress. The council was first informed of the notice in April.

Following the notice being issued, the Parent Carer Forum said it would continue to work with the council and partners, adding: “We’re pleased to hear that this has been taken seriously.”

A Life spokesperson said: “The BBC has acted in a highly irresponsible manner putting the interests of a television programme ahead of the interests of vulnerable children.

“An undercover investigator failed in her basic safeguarding duties to report significant concerns and had she have done so on day one there would be no television programme and nearly twenty at-risk children would still have a safe environment in which they can learn and develop as young adults.

“In correspondence from the BBC they stated they had uncovered ‘significant safeguarding issues’, if they were significant (as a responsible school we absolutely agree they were), why did they not report them and put a stop to it there and then? They chose not to because they had other priorities and the children’s welfare was not their primary concern.

"As a team of highly respected education specialists we see no justification whatsoever allowing such incidents to continue; the safeguarding of the children should have come first rather than a television show. It cannot be stressed enough, had these incidents been reported immediately the members of staff would have been instantly suspended; something the reporter knew too well.

“Indeed, shocking evidence has also revealed that not only did the investigator ignore clear advice to report safeguarding issues she went one step further and falsified official reports in order to claim that situations were handled well on the school’s safeguarding system which would deceive the safeguarding lead and ultimately allow the television programme to proceed.

“Life School was a very successful Ofted rated place of learning, shortlisted by the Times Educational Supplement as Inclusive School of the Year 2023 but regardless of how respected the school was it does not condone the behaviour revealed by the programme and five members of staff have been suspended and will face disciplinary action. This action cannot take place because the BBC has withheld evidence from the school despite asking for it to be handed over on several occasions.

“The school immediately launched an investigation, reported the broadcaster to the police and will be taking all necessary legal steps against the BBC.”

A spokesperson for Wirral Council said:

“The nature of the allegations is truly shocking and far from the kind of care, support and education these young people deserve and should be receiving.

“We acted immediately in a safeguarding capacity to take all the students at this independent school out of the setting. Working alongside partners in health and social care, we have been providing practical and emotional support for the young people and their families, which includes identifying appropriate alternative educational provision.

“At all times, we have sought to exercise the powers we have to keep children safe and achieving their educational outcomes and that has included liaising with the Department for Education, as the regulator of independent schools, and Ofsted as the inspectorate.

“We are continuing to work closely with the police as they gather and assess evidence in this case and the Wirral Safeguarding Children Partnership will be commissioning an independent Child Safeguarding Practice Review in due course.”