Ms Pickles paid tribute to the bravery of the victims and described Foden as “a sophisticated and controlling paedophile” who “created a culture which enabled his offending in plain sight”.
She said safeguarding was a “multi-agency responsibility”, requiring all agencies to contribute to keep children safe and follow agreed legislation, guidance and policies, adding: “In this case, those arrangements failed.”
The “ambitious” recommendations the report makes are “designed to bring about the most significant change in safeguarding in schools in Wales in a generation,” Ms Pickles said.
The review was unique in its size and scale, analysing 10 times the volume of information that is usually looked at in a CPR, and took more than a year to complete.
It also highlights an historical allegation dating back to 1979, not long after Foden qualified as a teacher.
