Urge the Forfeiture Committee to remove Anna Kennedy's OBE
The Issue
My name is Emma Dalmayne, I am the CEO of an autistic led grassroots organisation based in Woolwich SE London.
We have been supporting Mark Page, his son Dominic and other familes who have come forward for help and support regarding Baston.
Mark Page witnessed the troubling reality at Baston House School in Bromley, a place that was meant to be a sanctuary for children with Special Educational Needs (SEN).
Founded by Anna Kennedy, OBE, Baston House was intended to provide a supportive environment for vulnerable autistic children.
However, beneath its promising facade lies a history marred by allegations of abuse and neglect by the staff she employed.
Mark's son Dominc was a victim of Baston House staff.
Dominic, then eight years old, was sexually abused by another pupil, repeatedly locked in a broom cupboard in the dark, and regularly restrained by up to five adult men.
Restraint should only be used on someone if there is a credible violent threat to themselves or others.
His friends were also targeted by the pupil, and were restrained by staff.
While these defenseless children suffered under unethical and harmful conditions, Anna Kennedy was being celebrated with an OBE for her achievements, and won Tesco Mum Of The Year
This recognition seemed to come at the cost of the very children she pledged to protect.
Parents who attempted to reach out to Anna with desperate pleas for intervention were met with silence. Instead of addressing their concerns, she systematically blocked their attempts to contact her for assistance on every platform.
This lack of accountability is particularly concerning given her personal connection to autism; Anna is the mother of two autistic sons and married to an autistic barrister.
These relationships beg the question: how could someone so close to the autistic community turn a blind eye to the suffering of the students at Baston House?
When Baston House first opened, hopes were high for a nurturing educational environment.
However, stories from within the school paint a hauntingly different picture, one of mistreatment and neglect that has left scores of children and their families devastated. This cannot be the legacy we allow to stand under the banner of an OBE.
We call upon the Forfeiture Committee to thoroughly investigate these claims and consider the removal of Anna Kennedy’s OBE. Such action would hold those in power to a higher standard of responsibility and ensure that honours are bestowed only on those truly deserving based on their unwavering dedication to bettering others’ lives, not on neglect and harm.
We ask that you contact the Forfeiture Committee and ask that Anna Kennedy's OBE be removed due to a lack of safeguarding for the pupils of Baston House.
You can email them here:
forfeiture@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
The voices of the affected families need to be heard and validated. It is imperative that we demand justice for the children of Baston House and secure a future where SEN schools are safe havens, not harbingers of distress.
Please join us in this crucial call for fairness and integrity by signing this petition. Together, we can strive for a world where justice prevails and the vulnerable are steadfastly protected.
There is a short film with interviews with both Mark and Dominic, made by documentary maker Georgia De Gidlow which we premiered last week.
It is called Baston House: Dominics Story.
Baston has a long history of abuse, the school has been sued twice:
More recent abuse here: https://www.newsshopper.co.uk/news/23805228.autistic-lewisham-boy-comes-home-school-bruises/
There are several links here for more information:
https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1EUDshGFje/
201
The Issue
My name is Emma Dalmayne, I am the CEO of an autistic led grassroots organisation based in Woolwich SE London.
We have been supporting Mark Page, his son Dominic and other familes who have come forward for help and support regarding Baston.
Mark Page witnessed the troubling reality at Baston House School in Bromley, a place that was meant to be a sanctuary for children with Special Educational Needs (SEN).
Founded by Anna Kennedy, OBE, Baston House was intended to provide a supportive environment for vulnerable autistic children.
However, beneath its promising facade lies a history marred by allegations of abuse and neglect by the staff she employed.
Mark's son Dominc was a victim of Baston House staff.
Dominic, then eight years old, was sexually abused by another pupil, repeatedly locked in a broom cupboard in the dark, and regularly restrained by up to five adult men.
Restraint should only be used on someone if there is a credible violent threat to themselves or others.
His friends were also targeted by the pupil, and were restrained by staff.
While these defenseless children suffered under unethical and harmful conditions, Anna Kennedy was being celebrated with an OBE for her achievements, and won Tesco Mum Of The Year
This recognition seemed to come at the cost of the very children she pledged to protect.
Parents who attempted to reach out to Anna with desperate pleas for intervention were met with silence. Instead of addressing their concerns, she systematically blocked their attempts to contact her for assistance on every platform.
This lack of accountability is particularly concerning given her personal connection to autism; Anna is the mother of two autistic sons and married to an autistic barrister.
These relationships beg the question: how could someone so close to the autistic community turn a blind eye to the suffering of the students at Baston House?
When Baston House first opened, hopes were high for a nurturing educational environment.
However, stories from within the school paint a hauntingly different picture, one of mistreatment and neglect that has left scores of children and their families devastated. This cannot be the legacy we allow to stand under the banner of an OBE.
We call upon the Forfeiture Committee to thoroughly investigate these claims and consider the removal of Anna Kennedy’s OBE. Such action would hold those in power to a higher standard of responsibility and ensure that honours are bestowed only on those truly deserving based on their unwavering dedication to bettering others’ lives, not on neglect and harm.
We ask that you contact the Forfeiture Committee and ask that Anna Kennedy's OBE be removed due to a lack of safeguarding for the pupils of Baston House.
You can email them here:
forfeiture@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
The voices of the affected families need to be heard and validated. It is imperative that we demand justice for the children of Baston House and secure a future where SEN schools are safe havens, not harbingers of distress.
Please join us in this crucial call for fairness and integrity by signing this petition. Together, we can strive for a world where justice prevails and the vulnerable are steadfastly protected.
There is a short film with interviews with both Mark and Dominic, made by documentary maker Georgia De Gidlow which we premiered last week.
It is called Baston House: Dominics Story.
Baston has a long history of abuse, the school has been sued twice:
More recent abuse here: https://www.newsshopper.co.uk/news/23805228.autistic-lewisham-boy-comes-home-school-bruises/
There are several links here for more information:
https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1EUDshGFje/
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Petition created on 11 August 2026