Catholic schools look at value of jewellery, cars before waiving fees for those in lockdown hot spots

Some Catholic schools are demanding to know the fine details of cash-strapped Aussie families, with forms that rival bank loans. SEE THE DOCUMENT

Exclusive: Catholic schools are demanding details of parents’ furniture and jewellery before waiving fees for families struggling financially in lockdown hot spots.

Parents applying for fee relief must reveal how much they spend on food, groceries, internet, mobile phones and pay-TV each month.

Some schools expect families to fill in forms resembling bank loan applications, listing all assets including cars, jewellery, furniture, boats, motorbikes, trailers, and “personal effects’’.

Parents have to provide their latest tax return and financial statements, pay slips, credit card and bank statements and rental statements.

In some cases, families are forced to give schools permission to probe their social security details by contacting Centrelink.

A spokeswoman for National Catholic Education (NCE) said it would be “highly unusual to expect families to sell jewellery (or) furniture to pay for school fees if they are expecting financial hardship.’’

The Catholic Archdiocese of Parramatta - one of the dioceses demanding the personal details - said it was reviewing the form it currently sends to parents, after being contacted by News Corp Australia.

He said more than 3000 parents had been given fee relief in 2020.

“The form we are currently using for applications for assistance is under review with a focus on making sure the process is simpler,’’ a spokesman said.

“We acknowledge that some of the details ... are not needed, nor used to determine fee support and so these details are being removed from the form.

“Our dedicated team responds to requests for fee support with care and sensitivity, taking into account the personal circumstances of each family.’’

NCE executive director Jacinta Collins said that 3 per cent of families in Sydney had sought financial assistance before the start of the current lockdown.

She said fee policies vary between schools and dioceses.

“Some schools and systems offer reduced fees for all families with a health care card or those on Jobseeker payments,’’ she said.

“Fee relief may include fee waivers, reductions or deferrals based on individual circumstances.

“In some cases other financial assistance is provided (such as) uniforms and students’ equipment, or bursaries and scholarships.

“Schools have also loaned devices and provided access to the internet for some families.’’

Ms Collins – a former Labor Party senator – said enrolments were stable in Catholic schools in Melbourne and greater Sydney, the regions hardest hit by lockdowns.

She said Catholic schools planned to seek extra federal funding to compensate for fee relief, through its Emerging Priorities program to help pay for teachers’ professional learning, and children’s online lessons.

National Catholic Education (NCE) executive director Jacinta Collins. Picture: Supplied

“The Catholic sector will determine whether any assistance to school communities in need can be accessed via this program,’’ she said.

“Given the protracted lockdowns currently being experienced in NSW and Victoria, we can’t rule out asking for further assistance from the government, and will closely monitor the impact on Catholic schools.’’

Ms Collins said Covid-19 lockdowns were impacting boarding schools, as well as schools in poorer suburbs subjected to the longest lockdowns.

“The Catholic sector is particularly concerned about the impact on school communities in low socio-economic areas such as western Sydney,’’ she said.

“The viability of boarding schools is still of concern, particularly as they serve Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and remote students.’’

Independent Schools Australia chief executive Margery Evans said many private schools had offered fee remission in 2020 “and will make similar efforts in affected areas this year’’.

She said enrolments in private schools had risen 2.5 per cent between 2019 and 2020 – the strongest growth in more than a decade.