⚠️ Disclaimer
The views and statements contained in this article are those of the Edinburgh Academy Survivors’ Group and do not necessarily reflect the views or work of Seen & Heard CIC.
Seen & Heard is an independent not for profit dedicated to supporting the emotional wellbeing of past and present pupils of boarding and independent day schools, and their families.
If you, or someone you know, has experienced abuse, neglect or abandonment within a boarding or independent school, please know that support is available via the WEBSITE that includes
- Access to a specialist therapist, counsellor, and coaching directory
- Free online sharing groups for past pupils of boarding or independent schools, and their families
- A grant-assisted therapeutic support programme for those needing help to meet the costs of their care
- A weekly podcast exploring boarding and independent school topics, education, trauma, healing, and societal change.
- Seen & Heard Schools support current pupils by working with schools to improve safeguarding, wellbeing and welfare.
For more information or to access support, please contact us at info@seenheard.org.uk.
2025 Report
Read the Full EA Survivors 2025 Report →
The EA Survivors’ Group 2025 Annual Report is a comprehensive and sobering account of the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry’s (SCAI) failures, survivor advocacy, and ongoing calls for justice and reform. Written by survivors of abuse in Scottish boarding schools, it chronicles both progress, and deep systemic failings, within SCAI’s decade-long operation.
The report documents the tragic death of Kevin Sutherland, a survivor denied retrospective anonymity despite repeated pleas—a decision widely condemned by experts and the media. It exposes inconsistent use of General Restriction Orders, protection of establishment figures, and the Inquiry’s hostile treatment of whistleblowers such as Glenn Harrison, Vanessa Goldie-Scot, and John Halley.
Further chapters reveal evidence of cover-ups within elite schools, notably under Edinburgh Academy headmaster James Burnet, and draw parallels between abuse, legal complicity, and failures of public accountability. Survivors highlight hypocrisy and bias within the Inquiry’s leadership.
Alongside criticism and calls for change, the report celebrates positive survivor-led outcomes—criminal prosecutions, arrests, and collaboration with Police Scotland, COPFS, and child-protection charities. It champions the introduction of strong, legally enforceable Mandatory Reporting and condemns current UK proposals for the mandatory reporting of child sexual abuse as inadequate.
Supported by extensive documentation, references, and expert contributions, the report concludes that SCAI has become an institution that protects power rather than children. It calls for compassion, transparency, justice for Kevin Sutherland, and a reformed child-protection framework grounded in accountability and humanity
2024 Report
Read the EA Survivors 2024 Report →
This Annual Report documents the actions and progress made by the Edinburgh Academy Survivors Group from its inception in September 2022, to September
2024, in the pursuit of justice for survivors (and victims) of known and alleged abusers at The Edinburgh Academy between 1950’s-2000’s.
Purpose of this report
To document the history of EA Survivors in its first two years. To assist other survivors and survivor groups with their own efforts. To inform educationalists and schools of today. To improve relationships between survivors, schools and the authorities. To make ongoing recommendations on safeguarding and child protection.
