John Paul College parents shopping around after curriculum changes
PARENTS from John Paul College have been contemplating sending their children elsewhere in the wake of the school’s controversial curriculum change, a rival school has confirmed.
QLD News
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PARENTS from John Paul College have been contemplating sending their children elsewhere in the wake of the school’s controversial decision to transition towards a stronger academic curriculum.
Canterbury College principal Donna Anderson told The Courier-Mail today while she could not divulge specific numbers, some JPC parents had recently approached the school.
It comes after JPC director of marketing and communications Niki Dowding resigned last Thursday after comments she made in a private Facebook message surfaced online.
In the messages Ms Dowding, with another unknown person, slammed Canterbury’s musical The Sound of Music.
The former staffer also claimed parents didn’t want to pay $13,000 for arts subjects at JPC.
Ms Anderson said Canterbury was a member of the Australian Heads of Independent Schools and followed a code of ethics.
“That is not to downgrade any other school,” she said.
“I was quite shocked at what the director (Niki) had written (about the musical).”
Ms Anderson said the messages were also published on Facebook by a former JPC board member.
“It (also) appeared as a public post under the JPC Facebook site,” she said.
“I asked for all references to Canterbury to be removed.”
Speaking about Canterbury’s subject selection, Ms Anderson said the school adjusted its timetable according to student interest.
“If there are a certain number of students who want to take a subject we offer it,” she said.
“If there is not that number we don’t offer the subject.
“Schools can manipulate their subject base to get good results and remove students who are not academic achievers.
“All schools would love to have the top ATARs and 100 per cent of OPs in the 1-15 range but they would have to remove some of the student population out of the OP eligible subjects.”
Ms Anderson said by doing that, schools could disqualify certain students from being able to gain results in subjects they were talented in.
“Your subject base restricts who you want to come to the school and the school becomes selective,” she said.
“We go from a student voice, not from an ATAR or OP stance.
“Our mission is to be inclusive.
“We do not disregard those students who haven’t got an ability to do some of those subjects.
“All students need to belong and be given opportunities to excel.”
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