Parents of students at Pulteney Grammar School have defended its leadership following a scathing petition

Despite a petition calling for sackings and an independent review into its leadership, these Pulteney Grammar parents have backed their head of school.

Parents of Pulteney Grammar School students have defended the school following the release of a petition, which took aim at the school’s leadership, and an independent review of the organisation.

The school’s leadership came under fire last week and will be the subject of the review, detailed in a letter to parents, which has involved collecting “confidential feedback” and interviews with school board members, staff, including principal Cameron Bacholer and “interested groups”.

But parents have backed the leadership of the school saying the petition has left the community “hurt”.

Parent of two students at Pulteney, Mark Perkins, said he was shocked when he received the email to notify the community about the review into school leadership.

“It was out of the blue,” Mr Perkins, 45, from Westbourne Park said.

“I felt puzzled and confused when I read the email.”

Pulteney Grammar School parent Mark Perkins and daughter Sophie. Picture: Emma Brasier

Mr Perkins said he felt his two children, Sophie, 13, in Year 7 and James, 9, in Year 4 were “well supported” by the school and he felt “listened to” as a parent.

Mr Perkins said he was hoping there would be parent input in the review.

Pulteney Grammar School Principal Cameron Bacholer. Picture: Tricia Watkinson

Karen Wang, who has a daughter at Pulteney in Year 3, defended the school.

“The parents only care if their kids are happy,” Ms Wang, 43, from Henley Beach said.

“My daughter loves the school.”

A grandparent of three children at the school, who didn’t want to be named, said the petition had been damaging to Pulteney.

“What’s happened here has been painful for everybody,” she said.

“The senior students are questioning everything and it’s hurting them.”

The grandparent said she backed the leadership at the school and “principals sometimes have to take roads that sometimes parents don’t agree with”.

The grandparent said the majority of teachers “are so dedicated” and “the head of the school does not make the school”.

The letter confirming the review, dated August 30, follows the release of a petition on the GoPetition website by self-described “members of the Pulteney community” demanding “the current heads of school be replaced immediately”.

The petition, which quickly garnered more than 100 signatures, listed concerns including the “departure or reassignment” of teachers “leading to a void of experience”, an “unreasonable expectation placed upon remaining educators” and changes to the school’s educational model such as the merger of its middle school and high school.

It also cites a “disconcerting misalignment between the fees charged, which place Pulteney Grammar School among the top 10 (schools) in South Australia, and the academic outcomes, with results falling outside the top 10 for ATAR (university entrance scores) and the top 30 for primary school academics”.

In the letter to old scholars and parents, Pulteney Board of Governors chairman David Reynolds – who is also the chief executive of SA’s Department for Trade and Investment – said the review was expected to be complete by mid-October.

A spokeswoman for the school declined to provide an update on the review.

Originally published as Parents of students at Pulteney Grammar School have defended its leadership following a scathing petition