By Burnett Munthali 
By Burnett Munthali
Parents of children with special educational needs and disabilities have raised concerns about the treatment of vulnerable pupils at a specialist residential school in Bristol that was closed in 2019 following allegations of child cruelty.
According to an investigation published by The Guardian on September 1, 2026, parents Annette and Kevin Maxwell have described their experience at St Christopher’s, a specialist school where their autistic son Jonah was receiving residential care.
Jonah, who has severe autism, is non-verbal and has epilepsy and behavioural difficulties, required round-the-clock support. His parents said placing him in residential care was an extremely difficult decision but became necessary because of the level of care he required at home.
When Jonah initially entered St Christopher’s, his parents said he appeared to be thriving. He received various therapies and participated in activities including horse riding.
However, the family said they began noticing changes after the centre was taken over by the Aurora Group in 2016, following the collapse of the charity that had previously operated it.
Annette Maxwell said the quality of food deteriorated and the family became concerned about proposals to reduce overnight nursing provision. She also said Jonah frequently appeared unusually tired when he returned home.
The concerns escalated in 2019 when Ofsted announced that St Christopher’s was being closed following serious allegations of child cruelty.
Children were moved from the facility at short notice, with families reportedly having to arrange alternative placements across the country.
Police subsequently investigated allegations of abuse and safeguarding failures. The investigation ended after about two years without criminal charges being brought.
Allegations involving autistic child
The Maxwell family were later informed by police that allegations had involved Jonah.
According to the family, one allegation concerned a staff member allegedly grabbing the boy roughly and pushing him into his room.
Another allegation involved a carer reportedly waking Jonah repeatedly during the night to take him to the toilet, allegedly to avoid dealing with soiled bedding.
The police reportedly indicated that the latter conduct could potentially amount to child cruelty.
Annette said she regretted not pressing harder for answers when concerns first emerged.
The family later pursued civil proceedings against the Aurora Group, alleging that Jonah’s human rights had been breached. The company agreed to pay £18,600 to settle the case without admitting liability.
Parents demand stronger accountability
The Maxwell family is now calling for tougher laws governing private providers of special educational needs and disability education and care.
Kevin Maxwell argued that vulnerable children should not become a source of excessive profits for private companies and said stronger accountability was necessary.
The case has also reignited a wider debate about the role of private companies in England’s special educational needs sector.
Darren Northcott, national officer for education at the NASUWT teaching union, said there were concerns that public money intended for children and education workers was being diverted into private-sector profits and surpluses.
He also pointed to staffing and resource shortages affecting specialist schools, warning that some staff were being expected to cope with highly challenging situations without adequate support.
Shortage of state specialist places
Campaigners say the growing dependence on private providers is partly linked to a shortage of specialist places in state schools.
Hayley Harding of the Let Us Learn Too campaign said many families had little choice but to use private providers because local authorities had insufficient capacity to meet demand for special educational needs and disability placements.
The issue comes as the UK government implements reforms to England’s special educational needs system.
Earlier this year, ministers announced plans aimed at increasing state provision while introducing measures to regulate private providers, including fee controls and minimum standards.
Aurora responds
The Aurora Group said St Christopher’s had already been experiencing serious difficulties and was under close regulatory scrutiny when the company became involved.
The organisation said it had invested substantially in staffing, facilities and the overall provision at the school but was ultimately unable to overcome the challenges that led to its closure.
Aurora also said police had thoroughly investigated the allegations and that the company had cooperated with the inquiry.
The organisation said most of its services were rated good or outstanding by Ofsted and maintained that its profits were reinvested into establishing new schools in partnership with local authorities.
The controversy has nevertheless renewed calls for greater transparency and accountability in England’s specialist education sector, particularly where vulnerable children are placed in privately operated facilities.
For the Maxwell family, the experience has reinforced their belief that parents of children with complex needs need stronger safeguards and greater confidence that their children are receiving appropriate care and protection.
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