Early life and career
Born in Rochdale, Rowen went to the Bishop Henshaw RC Memorial High School in Rochdale. From the University of Nottingham, he graduated with a BSc in Chemistry and Geology in 1976. From 1977 to 1980, he taught Science at Kimberley School in Nottinghamshire. From 1980 to 1986, he was Head of Chemistry at St Albans RC High School, Warren Lane in Oldham (now closed), then Head of Science at Our Ladys RC High School from 1986 to 1990. From 1990 to 2005, he was Deputy Headteacher of Yorkshire Martyrs Catholic College on Westgate Hill Street in Tong, West Yorkshire.
Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA)
On 24 October 2017, Rowen gave evidence to the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) as part of its investigation into Cambridge House, Knowl View and Rochdale.
During his evidence Rowen admitted to recommending that known sex offender Cyril Smith be made a governor of Knowl View School, a residential facility in Rochdale where boys had been subjected to child sexual abuse, including by Smith. Rowen said he made the recommendation despite being aware of allegations that had been made about Smith as far back as 1979.
Rowen had also previously defended making Smith a governor of the school. In a 2014 newspaper interview,
he said: “At the time there was concern that we needed people with some stature and standing that could keep an eye on the place." In the interview he denied knowing allegations had been made against Smith but during the IICSA hearings three years later admitted reading a local newspaper article about the allegations and being aware that the former leader of the Liberal Democrats, David Steele had interviewed Smith.
In its report, which was published in 2018, IICSA said: "We think that Mr Rowen bore considerable responsibility for the school as Leader (of the council). We felt he was prepared to blame others for their faults without acknowledging his own failures of leadership. At best, he was insufficiently inquisitive about Knowl View School when the evidence that he knew about was that serious problems persisted there, which would not be resolved quickly; at worst, he turned a blind eye to the very serious problems that were in his judgment low down on the priority list."
