One of Scotland’s most prestigious ballet schools has closed after allegations of sexual misconduct against its former vice-principal.
The trustees of Ballet West, a £9,000-a-year boarding school in Taynuilt, Argyll, announced on Monday that it had ceased operations with immediate effect after the registered Scottish charity “had been driven to the point of insolvency”.
This month an ITV investigation alleged the school’s vice-principal, Jonathan Barton, had been involved in inappropriate sexual behaviour.
The investigation heard from more than 60 women – including former students, staff and parents – who gave their accounts of the Ballet West teacher’s inappropriate behaviour going back as far as 2004 and as recently as 2018.
A number of former students alleged they had been groomed by Barton into sexual relationships with him when they were teenagers.
Barton denied all of the allegations but resigned from his position at the school. He is the son of the school’s principal and founder, Gillian Barton.
Last week, Police Scotland confirmed it was investigating after receiving “a number of reports” in relation to the school.
Immediately after the allegations were reported, several organisations cut ties with Ballet West, including Bath Spa University, which accounted for 70% of the school’s student intake.
Jonathan and Gillian Barton’s memberships with the Royal Academy of Dance – a body that accredits ballet teachers – have been suspended as inquiries continue.
Ballet West was Scotland’s biggest ballet school and won the best British ballet school award at this year’s British Ballet Grand Prix awards.
The trustees said the company’s affairs would now be managed by a liquidator, which would assist Police Scotland and any other regulatory bodies.
They said: “The board of trustees is deeply saddened by this outcome and appalled that parent and students have been placed in such a terrible situation. This is the consequence of a catastrophic sequence of events and we could not prevent this from happening.”
“The allegations broadcast by ITV News regarding the vice-principal on Thursday 13 August were shocking. Immediate action was required in response and he resigned. The board launched an internal inquiry, committed to an external inquiry and informed Police Scotland. We hoped the board’s prompt action would allay fears in terms of student safety going forward.”
After the allegations were made, Gillian Barton was suspended by the trustees’ board, which announced it would undertake a full external inquiry, using an independent QC.
The trustees said on Monday that funding was not available for it to proceed and it was a matter of “deep regret”.
