Child abuse -- be it sexual, physical or emotional -- seems to be baked right into the English Public School System.
It doesn't help that (1) the System sets itself up as a kind of island, out of the scrutiny of the rest of the world; and (2) some of those educated in such a system must end up thinking that behaviour is normal.
So you have a situation where kids -- many of whom will grow up into positions of power -- are being abused within an insular portion of the educational system, while those on the outside laugh and joke about such things in a way that suggests they don't believe it is really happening.
The only solution is going to be, firstly, to acknowledge that something is rotten in the state of Denmark; and then, to fling the doors wide open and shine the cold light of day into the murkiest corners. This may not be among the most realistic prospects in the world, so long as we are talking about the System that educated so many of our elected representatives.