School drops former Archbishop of York's name over Church of England's failure to stop child sex abuser

The decision comes as senior Church of England figures have been pushing for Lord Sentamu's return to ministry, highlighting growing tensions over the handling of historic abuse cases.

The school's move follows appeals from a survivor who urged academy executives to "distance" themselves from Lord Sentamu after the publication of a Church safeguarding report.

In 2013, Lord Sentamu, then Archbishop of York, failed to act when Rev Matthew Ineson reported being raped and sexually abused by priest Trevor Devamanikkam in Bradford during the 1980s when he was 16-years-old.

A Church national safeguarding team review later found that Lord Sentamu's failure, along with other senior clergy, to help the victim report allegations to police meant "safeguards could not have been put in place to protect others".

Devamanikkam died by suicide in 2017 before facing court on six sexual offence charges.

Church safeguarding experts confirmed that Devamanikkam had sexually abused Rev Ineson in 1984.

Lord Sentamu's claim that he had "no authority" to act was dismissed by a reviewer, who stated "no Church law excuses the responsibility of individuals not to act on matters of a safeguarding nature".

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The school's decision stands in stark contrast to recent actions by senior Church leaders regarding Lord Sentamu's ministry privileges.

Last November, former Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby and Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell, who has become the institution's temporary leader, pushed for Lord Sentamu's return to ministry.

After Bishop of Newcastle Helen-Ann Hartley suspended Lord Sentamu's permission to officiate, Welby and Cottrell published a letter stating they "would very much like to see a resolution to this situation which enables Sentamu to return to ministry".

Bishop Hartley accused the Church's two most senior leaders of using "coercive language" to pressure her into restoring Lord Sentamu's permission to officiate.

A spokesman for the Archbishop of York has previously stated that his attempt to support Sentamu's return to ministry was "not about minimising the impact of anything Lord Sentamu previously said".

Rev Ineson told The Telegraph the contrast between the school's decision and the Archbishop of York's actions showed why Archbishop Cottrell was "wholly unfit" to act as the Church's caretaker leader.

"Lord Sentamu is beyond rehabilitation. If a school can see this, why can't Stephen Cottrell? He has today taken over as the Anglican Church's most senior leader when the institution is in crisis, and he is wholly unfit for the job," Rev Ineson said.

A Church safeguarding team report published in May 2023 confirmed that "the survivor's allegation that he disclosed his abuse to the Archbishop of York [Lord Sentamu], and he did not act on this, is substantiated".

GB News has approached Lord Sentamu for comment.