The Department for Education has ordered scandal-hit Ampleforth College to produce an action plan setting out how it will address serious failings uncovered by inspectors.

The Catholic independent boarding school, near York, was found in March to be failing on national minimum standards regarding the safeguarding of its pupils and suitability of its staff.

The Independent Schools Inspectorate had been sent into the school by the DfE after the Charities Commission removed pupil safeguarding responsibilities from the school’s trustees.

The trust that runs the school has been subject to an inquiry by the Charity Commission over its handling of abuse allegations.

North Yorkshire Police also launched a new investigation into safeguarding at the school this year.

Sexual abuse allegations

In addition, the force has three ongoing investigations into historic sexual abuse allegations at the school.

Today it emerged that the DfE has written to the school, demanding that it submits an action plan, detailing the steps needed to meet all of the ISI standards, by 11 June 2018.

In a letter, dated 11 May but published today, an unnamed DfE official writes: “The action plan must contain reasonable timescales for implementation within which the necessary action will be taken and it is expected that the implementation dates given in the action plan should not extend beyond 11 August 2018.”

It adds: “I must warn you that the secretary of state may reject an action plan, and in these circumstances the secretary of state may remove the school from the Register of Independent Schools or may impose a requirement restricting the school’s operations (from a date following the appeal period).”

Separately, the DfE has today published a letter sent to Ampleforth’s preparatory school, St Martin’s Ampleforth School, regarding a separate ISI inspection in March.

The inspection report, published on the ISI’s website, lists a series of failings over standards relating to pupil welfare and leadership, and the school has also been asked to come up with its own action plan.

The prep school announced in January that it plans to close its doors from September. Its pre-preparatory section, and Years 2 to 5, will end this academic year and the remaining year groups will be integrated into the main Ampleforth College site.

Ampleforth and the DfE have been approached for comment.