Moreton Bay College embattled principal James Sloman resigns
An embattled elite private school principal has resigned, months after being on extended personal leave amid scandals over allegations of bullying, a mass staff exodus and plummeting academic results.
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AN EMBATTLED elite private school principal has resigned, months after being on extended personal leave amid scandals over allegations of bullying, a mass staff exodus and plummeting academic results.
James Sloman, executive principal of Moreton Bay College and Moreton Bay Boys College in Manly West, tendered his resignation on Friday and a letter sent by the schools’ joint board to parents Friday afternoon said he and his family had decided to “move on to the next phase of their lives”.
READ THE FULL STATEMENT FROM THE SCHOOL, AND THE LETTER FROM JAMES SLOMAN HERE
Moreton Bay College principal James Sloman seeks extension to personal leave
Moreton Bay College principal James Sloman to meet investigators
Moreton Bay College board’s message to parents amid scandal
The controversial leader’s exit follows months of speculation over the reasons behind his long-term absence from the colleges since the beginning of the 2020 school year.
Mr Sloman, who has been under investigation since August last year for alleged bullying behaviour and who subsequently launched his own “stop-bullying” complaint against the colleges with the Fair Work Commission, also sent a letter to parents, saying his personal leave had been a “period of reflection, introspection and prayer”.
The Courier-Mail broke the story about the probe into Mr Sloman’s alleged “inappropriate, intimidating and belittling behaviour” in March.
Mr Sloman denies the allegations.
One parent said Mr Sloman’s departure from the Uniting Church-associated schools was “long overdue”, and frustrated families had been waiting too long for confirmation from the board about the future direction of the sister and brother schools.
“We feel like we have been in limbo, and our children’s learning has definitely been disrupted,” she said.
“This saga has been dragging on since letters of complaint were lodged with the board last year.”
Staff and parents who made complaints were made to sign documents to gag them from speaking to the media.
In September 2019, complainants were sent a letter referring to the “private” probe into Mr Sloman that began in August.
“The purpose of this letter is to ask for your participation in this process and to make sure that we manage confidentiality,” it said.
“In particular we ask you not to speak about the concerns raised or investigation other than to us, the board, to the appointed investigator Q Workplace Solutions, or to our lawyers, Clayton Utz.”
The letter was signed by three board members, including chair John Eisenmenger, who resigned in January this year.
The Courier-Mail understands several current and former staff have been receiving treatment for mental health issues.
Since 2015 when Mr Sloman was appointed, enrolments at Moreton Bay College have dropped, according to latest available figures.
There have also been allegations of scholarships being freely handed out to counteract falling enrolment numbers.
In last year’s OP results, 31.3 per cent of eligible girls at MBC achieved an OP 1-5, down from 34.8 per cent in 2018.
At MBBC, 18.8 per cent of eligible boys received an OP1-5, plummeting from 41.4 per cent in 2018.
Mr Sloman, who was living on campus with wife Angeline and their two sons, previously was headmaster at Mansfield State High in Brisbane, Pimlico State High in Townsville and Moranbah State High in Central Queensland.