Julie Spencer, the principal at Andrew Lloyd Webber-backed drama school ArtsEd, has resigned citing health reasons after an independent investigation concluded that she presided over an “unhealthy environment” and brought the institution into disrepute.
ArtsEd is a storied British drama school, which counts Lloyd Webber as its president and major donor. Its notable alumni include One Day star Leo Woodall and Oscar-winner Julie Andrews. The school commissioned a senior lawyer to investigate after a series of Deadline stories uncovered bullying and misconduct allegations from staff and students against Spencer.
Ghazaleh Rezaie, the barrister engaged to lead the probe, has delivered her findings to ArtsEd’s board after a delay of more than three months. The performing arts school has published a summary of the investigation, but will not release Rezaie’s full report for data privacy reasons.
After interviewing 30 witnesses, Rezaie concluded that Spencer’s relationships with ArtsEd employees was “damaged beyond repair” and that an “unhealthy environment” had developed under her leadership. Spencer joined ArtsEd in 2019 to lead its School of Acting before being elevated to principal in 2021.
Rezaie said that not all the allegations against Spencer were “well founded,” but around half were enough to justify a disciplinary process. The lawyer also concluded that Spencer called students “snakes” after Deadline published audio evidence of the incident. Rezaie said Spencer brought ArtsEd into disrepute, “damaging trust and confidence” in the school by allowing it to forcefully deny that she used the term to describe students.
Spencer resigned before ArtsEd could commence disciplinary proceedings. Spencer has been on sick leave since ArtsEd commissioned the investigation last year and Rezaie was unable to fully conclude her work because she could not “obtain the principal’s response to all of the allegations within the time available due to the principal’s health.”
Deadline has offered Spencer the opportunity to comment via an ArtsEd spokesperson.
Farida Mannan, ArtsEd’s acting chair, said the board will consider Rezaie’s findings and takes the allegations against Spencer “very seriously.” She acknowleged that the process had been “challenging and at times an emotional” for those involved.
Mannan added: “The board is assessing the lessons which must be learned and changes which must be made … We are committed to a culture of inclusivity and transparency. The board of trustees will ensure that robust procedures and processes that create a safe environment for all of ArtsEd’s students and staff are embedded throughout the whole institution.”
The statement marks a change of tone from ArtsEd, which emphatically denied the allegations against Spencer and defended the principal in the weeks after Deadline’s exposé. It disputed any suggestion that the school had a “toxic” environment and said the claims were of a historical nature, arguing that they related to matters dealt with in a previous barrister-led review by Rebecca Tuck KC in 2021.
Tuck’s review concluded that ArtsEd had a “lack of regard” for the wellbeing of students, exposing them to favoritism, bullying, and other misconduct. The inquiry forced the resignation of principal Chris Hocking, meaning Spencer is the second ArtsEd chief to quit amid a misconduct controversy over the past three years.
The fallout from Spencer’s tenure is also playing out in court. ArtsEd is facing a legal battle with a former teacher, who was fired after raising concerns about a “culture of fear” at the drama school. Matt Bulmer was appointed head of ArtsEd’s Day School and Sixth Form in February 2022 but was sacked in August last year, resulting in his unfair dismissal claim.
A representative for Lloyd Webber declined to comment on Deadline’s investigation last year. There is no suggestion that he was aware of the allegations. Deadline’s reporting on ArtsEd formed part of a Drama Schools Uncovered series, which revealed that revered acting institutions are breeding grounds for sexual misconduct, racism, and bullying.
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