Pulteney Grammar School interim principal Deb Dalwood sends letter to parents following lewd photo incident

Pulteney has issued a message to parents after the elite private school became involved in a shocking scandal.

The principal of an elite private school has addressed parents after the revelations a group of boys photoshopped the head of a female student onto the naked body of a woman.

On Tuesday, The Advertiser revealed a group of students from Pulteney Grammar School were suspended for five days after the image was uncovered, which occurred last week.

In a statement to The Advertiser, the school said it had “notified SAPOL and had not received further communication or follow up from police”.

“As a mandatory notifier, the school also made a notification to the Child Protection Report Line.

“We are working closely with police in relation to this matter.”

However, SA Police said no official report had been received in relation to the incident.

Pulteney Grammar, Wednesday, July 17, 2024. Picture: Matt Loxton

Pulteney Grammar School Interim principal Deb Dalwood sent a letter to all parents of students at the school following the photo incident.

“We have clear behaviour expectations, which we consistently teach and reinforce with all our students,” the letter said.

“Recently, an incident of concerning behaviour by a small group of students occurred.

We have already informed the parents and carers of those directly involved,” she wrote.

“As a courtesy, I wanted to let you know that your child may have heard about it and could potentially mention it at home.

“If your child does talk about the incident or expresses any concerns, please reach out to us. This will allow us to provide the best support for your child and ensure a positive outcome for everyone,” she said.

Mrs Dalwood said the school would “continue working closely with those directly involved to encourage positive and safe behaviour”.

“It is important that we respect the confidentiality and privacy of the students and families directly involved.”

The school previously stated it had programs in place to ensure there would not be a repeat of the incident.

“Pulteney Grammar School has a comprehensive wellbeing program that includes education on consent, respectful relationships and responsible decision-making,” the statement said.

The incident comes one week after The Advertiser uncovered that student footballers at Pembroke School created a spreadsheet of fineable “offences”, including “kissing a whale”, “you’re having sloppy seconds” and one that involved a racist slur targeting Indigenous women.

It is understood the school earlier held an assembly to address the issue and has spoken to dozens of students but would not say whether disciplinary action has been taken.

Since the incident, Greens MLC Robert Simms has put forward a bill, to be introduced to parliament next month, that would require private schools to publicly disclose data on student behaviour in a bid to create more transparency in the area.