Report into paedophile head teacher delayed hours before release

A year-long Child Practice Review into the sexual abuse by former head teacher Neil Foden was postponed hours before its scheduled publication. The North Wales Safeguarding Board said publication was delayed while it considered its legal obligations and information-sharing requirements, and no new publication date was provided. Foden, 68, who was the head of Ysgol Friars in Bangor and who also held a senior role at Ysgol Dyffryn Nantlle in Penygroes, was jailed in 2024 for 17 years after being found guilty of 19 sexual offences against four girls between 2019 and 2023.

Late on Tuesday, the board issued a brief statement explaining the delay; a news conference planned for Wednesday was cancelled, and Cyngor Gwynedd—the council covering the area where Foden worked—said it was extremely disappointed by the change. Foden was arrested in September 2023 at Ysgol Friars.

The North Wales Safeguarding Board is one of five such boards established in Wales in 2014 to oversee safeguarding reviews in cases involving children or vulnerable adults. Work on the Foden inquiry began in August 2024, with social care expert Jan Pickles appointed to lead the Gwynedd review panel. She has previously led reviews into sexual abuse on Caldey Island and the murder of five-year-old Logan Mwangi.

A BBC News investigation published after his conviction outlined allegations that Foden may have abused children over four decades, with claims far greater than earlier disclosures. The reporting also prompted a separate legal action against Gwynedd council, brought by solicitors representing up to 12 people who say they suffered harm as a result of Foden’s conduct. The council commissioned its own report into what happened after concerns were flagged in 2019, but the findings have not yet been made public.

Cyngor Gwynedd said it learned of the delay only late in the afternoon and had not been given advance notice or discussed the matter with the safeguarding board. Officials said they were awaiting further clarification from the board and, having waited so long and prepared to act on any conclusions and recommendations, they were extremely disappointed by the postponement. The pause leaves questions about how safeguarding lessons are implemented in Wales and how information-sharing practices are managed in high-profile abuse cases.