Police have launched a new investigation into allegations of child abuse at a former residential school in Aberdeen.
The new probe comes six years after Oakbank School was first looked into by the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry.
The former boarding school on Mid Stocket Road was closed in 2008 – a year after its 125th anniversary – due to £4 million of pension debts.
After its closure, allegations made by a number of Oakbank residents against members of school staff were brought to light again.
It was one of 17 institutions added to the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry’s investigation list in late 2018.
Many establishments are being looked into by the organisation but not all ongoing investigations are listed on the website.
It is understood detectives from the National Child Abuse Investigation Unit have been getting back in touch with former pupils in recent weeks.
Local officers hope to talk to those who lived at Oakbank about their experiences at the school as part of their inquiries.
Some have received letters from officers while others have been contacted at home, according to The Scotsman.
A police spokesperson said: “Officers are reinvestigating allegations of abuse made at a children’s home in the Aberdeen area.”
Police relaunch Oakbank School investigation
Oakbank Industrial School for Boys was founded in 1878 and later became a residential school for 11 to 16-year-olds with “emotional and behavioural problems”.
It had a roll of about 50 pupils in the 1990s which had dropped down to 18 when it closed in 2008.
More than 100 members of staff lost their jobs at the time.
The school had been subject to a number of “critical reports” in the nineties due to continuous failures with many expecting it to close.
At this time, allegations were also made against staff members’ “irresponsible and at times brutal behaviour”.
Many former Oakbank School pupils have stayed in touch via online groups and have also held reunions in the past.
In 2019, a remembrance night was held for members of the “Oakbank family” who had died since leaving the school.
The Press and Journal reported that close to 30 pupils from between the mid-1990s to 2008 had died – including seven who did not make it into their 20s.
Conversation