In a harrowing saga that has sent shockwaves through Wales, an independent review has revealed that more than 50 opportunities were missed by authorities to stop a prolific paedophile headteacher, Neil Foden, from abusing girls over several years. The findings, made public on November 4, 2025, in a Child Practice Review led by prominent safeguarding expert Jan Pickles OBE, expose a litany of institutional failings and a culture of silence that allowed Foden’s predatory behavior to persist unchecked across multiple schools in Gwynedd, North Wales.
Neil Foden, now 68, was a powerful figure in Welsh education, serving as headteacher at Ysgol Friars in Bangor and strategic head at Ysgol Dyffryn Nantlle. In July 2024, he was sentenced to 17 years in prison after a three-week trial found him guilty of 19 sexual offences against four girls, including 12 counts of sexual activity with a child and two counts of sexual activity with a child while in a position of trust. According to BBC, the judge described Foden during sentencing as "arrogant and controlling," with some explanations for his behavior that "beggared belief."
The review, commissioned by the North Wales Safeguarding Board, is titled "Our Bravery Brought Justice"—a name chosen by one of Foden’s victims. It analyzed a staggering volume of evidence, ten times more than typical reviews, and covered the period from January 2017 through September 2023, though some allegations date back as far as 1979. The report details how Foden created a culture that enabled his offending in plain sight, describing him as a "sophisticated and controlling paedophile" and a "bully" who also used excessive force on boys.
Ms. Pickles, the review chair, said, "The courage shown by these young people should be an example to us all. The victims have shown bravery and strength working with the review after a gruelling trial so that we could learn whatever lessons we could to protect other children. I’d like to thank them for this from the bottom of my heart." She emphasized that the report’s recommendations are "designed to bring about the most significant change in safeguarding in schools in Wales in a generation."
Among the most damning findings are the 52 separate concerns raised about Foden’s conduct—ranging from inappropriate contact with female pupils, being alone with them, giving them lifts, and even accompanying them to medical appointments without parental knowledge. In one instance, a clinician sent a letter expressing concern that a child "spends a lot of time with Foden in his room"; this letter was later found in Foden’s office, years after it was written. Despite repeated warnings from staff, parents, and even the NSPCC, Cyngor Gwynedd council and other agencies failed to act, often dismissing complaints as not meeting the threshold for child protection.
The report highlights a particularly troubling meeting where four senior Cyngor Gwynedd officers discussed concerns about two vulnerable children seen alone with Foden for long periods. Despite clear red flags—including one girl being seen with her head on Foden’s shoulder—the discussion was limited to professional conduct, not child protection, and no further action was taken. According to WalesOnline, there were also multiple occasions where the NSPCC and Sexual Assault Referral Centre raised alarms, only for them to be dismissed or ignored by local authorities.
The consequences of these failures have been described as "heartbreaking and frightening" by Plaid Cymru’s Sioned Williams, who told the Welsh Parliament, "For me, one of the most unacceptable things in the report is that the voice of the child was not listened to, not given a central part of the processes meant to protect them. Their voices were completely lost." The review found that over five to six years, no effort was made to ask the children about Foden’s actions, a lapse that has drawn widespread condemnation.
Wales’ Education Secretary, Lynne Neagle, issued a public apology to the survivors, stating, "I also want to say to them that I am truly sorry for the abuse they suffered, sorry for the trust that was betrayed and sorry that they were failed by so many of the people and organisations that should have protected them." She called the findings "shocking, disappointing and distressing," and confirmed that all 27 recommendations directed to the government would be acted on immediately. These include mandatory safeguarding training for all school staff and a comprehensive review of safeguarding procedures in the education sector.
The local authority, Cyngor Gwynedd, has accepted responsibility for the failures. Council leader Nia Jeffreys said, "We are saddened by the details that have been highlighted by the independent reviewers and we take responsibility for the mistakes and missed opportunities to stop Neil Foden. On behalf of the council, I apologise to all those who have suffered and pay tribute to their courage and strength." The council has established a Programme Board, chaired by Professor Sally Holland, to drive urgent improvements in safeguarding, with input from national experts and observers.
Jenny Williams, co-chair of the North Wales Safeguarding Board, echoed the apology, stating, "We have also offered an apology on behalf of the key agencies involved for the things that we recognise should have been done differently." She pledged that the board would "work together to hold those agencies to account" and publish an action plan later this year.
The review draws uncomfortable parallels with the 2004 Clywch Inquiry into similar abuses by teacher John Owen, concluding that lessons from that case remain unlearned. Children’s Commissioner for Wales, Rocio Cifuentes, called the repeated failings "a source of national shame," urging that the report "should be a real turning point in how the child protection system functions in Wales." She stressed, "Time and time again, children were not listened to; they were failed by people who should have acted and by institutions that should have protected them."
Conservative and Plaid Cymru politicians alike have criticized the systemic weaknesses exposed by the case, with Conservative Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Education Natasha Asghar describing the catalogue of ignored warnings as "devastating," and local Plaid Cymru members emphasizing the need to see safeguarding matters "through the lens of the child in all circumstances in future."
As the dust settles, authorities across Wales are under intense scrutiny to ensure that the review’s 27 recommendations are implemented in full, and that such a betrayal of trust is never repeated. The survivors’ bravery, and the tragic lessons learned from their ordeal, are driving a renewed commitment to child protection and a pledge that, this time, the system will change.
