Just hours before it was due to be made public, the long-awaited report into how paedophile head teacher Neil Foden was able to sexually abuse girls in North Wales schools was postponed, leaving victims, their families, and the wider community reeling from yet another delay in justice and accountability. The North Wales Safeguarding Board, responsible for investigating cases of child abuse, announced late on the afternoon of September 23, 2025, that it would not release its Child Practice Review as planned on September 24. This abrupt decision came after a year-long inquiry into Foden’s crimes, which had been anticipated as a crucial step toward understanding the systemic failures that allowed his abuse to go undetected.
Neil Foden, now 68, was once regarded as one of Wales’ most senior teaching leaders, holding the position of head at Ysgol Friars in Bangor and serving as strategic head of Ysgol Dyffryn Nantlle in Penygroes. His career, which began in earnest in 1989 when he was appointed deputy head at Ysgol Friars, ended in disgrace and horror when he was arrested at the school in September 2023. A jury at Mold Crown Court found him guilty of 19 sexual offences against four girls, committed between 2019 and 2023. In July 2024, Foden was sentenced to 17 years in prison, with the trial judge, His Honour Rhys Rowlands, branding him an “arrogant, controlling individual used to getting his own way.”
The breadth of Foden’s crimes shocked the nation. According to BBC Wales, evidence presented at trial revealed that Foden “ruled his school in Bangor with an iron fist for 25 years but abused his position in the community to groom and abuse children.” He was described by the judge as a “depraved” and “arrogant bully,” with the court hearing that Foden had deceived colleagues and parents alike while “living a lie.”
What’s more, a subsequent BBC Wales investigation uncovered claims that Foden may have abused children for more than four decades, with potentially many more victims than those whose cases reached trial. This revelation led to a legal case being launched against Gwynedd Council by solicitors representing up to 12 people who said they had suffered because of Foden’s actions. The council had previously commissioned its own report after concerns about Foden were flagged as early as 2019, but those findings have yet to be made public.
The North Wales Safeguarding Board, one of five such bodies established in Wales following reforms to social services and welfare laws in 2014, has a legal duty to conduct reviews in cases involving the abuse of children or vulnerable adults. The board’s inquiry into Foden began in August 2024, led by social care expert Jan Pickles OBE, who has previously overseen reviews into high-profile abuse cases such as those on Caldey Island and the murder of Logan Mwangi. The review, titled “Our Bravery Brought Justice,” was intended to examine how Foden was able to evade detection and continue his abuse for so long.
The decision to delay publication of the report was communicated in a brief statement from the board, which said: “Publication of the Child Practice Review will not go ahead tomorrow as planned whilst the board considers its legal obligations and information sharing further.” The statement continued, “We appreciate that this is a huge disappointment to all those involved not least the brave women and children who are at the heart of this review. We will endeavour to provide a revised timeline as soon as we are able to. Those leading on the review continue with their responsibilities of focussing on the wellbeing of victims during this difficult time, as has been the case throughout the review cycle.”
The impact of the delay was immediate and profound. A press conference scheduled for September 24 was cancelled, and Gwynedd Council, which covers the area where Foden worked, expressed its frustration at the lack of notice. A spokesperson for the council stated, “We were informed at 4:30pm yesterday by the North Wales Safeguarding Board that the Child Practice Review report will not be published today, as planned. We received no advance notice and there was no discussion with Cyngor Gwynedd about this. We are currently awaiting further clarification from the Safeguarding Board. Having waited for the report for so long, and preparing to act upon any conclusions and recommendations without delay, we are extremely disappointed that the report will not be published today.”
For many, the delay raised uncomfortable questions about the transparency and accountability of the safeguarding process. Victims and their advocates had hoped the report would shed light on how warning signs were missed and why, despite concerns raised about Foden’s behavior, no formal investigation was launched until it was too late. During Foden’s trial, Judge Rhys Rowlands remarked that the absence of a formal inquiry “emboldened him to continue” his abuse.
The North Wales Safeguarding Board offered its “deepest regrets” for the delay, emphasizing its commitment to the wellbeing of victims. In a further update issued at 1pm on September 24, the board reiterated, “It is with the deepest of regrets that the North Wales Safeguarding Board has had to take the difficult decision to delay publication of the Child Practice Review to consider its legal obligations and information sharing. We appreciate that this is a huge disappointment to all those involved not least the brave women and children who are at the heart of this review. We will endeavour to provide a revised timeline as soon as we are able to. Those leading on the review continue with their responsibilities of focussing on the wellbeing of victims during this difficult time, as has been the case throughout the review cycle.”
The Child Practice Review is independent of Gwynedd Council, though the local authority has stated it is “fully committed to learning from this tragic case” and has done “everything in our power” to support the review. The council’s own investigation, launched after concerns were first flagged in 2019, remains unpublished, adding to the frustration among those seeking answers and accountability.
While the Safeguarding Board has not indicated when the findings will now be released, the delay has underscored the complexities and sensitivities involved in such high-profile abuse cases. Legal obligations around information sharing and data protection are paramount, but the need for transparency and swift action to protect children and rebuild trust in institutions is equally pressing.
For the survivors and their families, the postponement is yet another hurdle in a long and painful journey toward justice. As the community awaits a new timeline for the report’s publication, the hope remains that the eventual findings will lead to meaningful change—ensuring that the failures which allowed Neil Foden’s crimes to go undetected for so long are never repeated.
