Redland school Ormiston College accused of gender discrimination

A SEQ private school has been rocked by gender discrimination accusations with parents claiming boys’ sporting teams are repeatedly given more opportunities than girls.

Ormiston College at Redland City has been accused of gender discrimination.

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A prestigious school has come under fire with parents calling for urgent action to be taken on alleged gender discrimination in its sports programs.

In a letter obtained by The Courier Mail, concerned parents have called out the repeated dismissal of the girls’ sports teams at Ormiston College with the boys’ sports allegedly given more opportunities.

“The school’s executive leadership has demonstrated a longstanding practice of favouritism towards the boys’ rugby first team, evident in the annual pre-season dinner where they receive special recognition and accolades.”

“While this bias may have initially gone unnoticed due to the absence of a girls’ rugby team, the situation escalated two years ago when the boys’ first soccer team received similar privileged treatment. In stark contrast, the girls’ team was left without any form of acknowledgment or support,” the letter said.

In the letter, it claimed that in both 2023 and 2024, the boys’ first soccer team received gifts including shirts, unique training tops, backpacks and drink bottles as well a pre-season celebratory dinner with guest Matt McKay, a former Socceroos player and Brisbane Roars player.

“Shockingly, the girl’s team received nothing,” it said.

“When concerned parents inquired about this disparity in 2023, they were dismissively informed that there was insufficient time to organise a dinner for the girls.”

Matt McKay playing for the Roar in 2019 against Melbourne City. Picture: Getty Images

The letter said the disparity in treatment based on gender raised concerns about the school’s commitment to fostering a fair and inclusive environment for all students.

“Parent should not have to continually advocate for equality and fairness on behalf of the female students,” it said.

The letter claimed that the school had attempted to justify the differential treatment by stating that it was not feasible to hold 16 separate pre-season dinners for every sport.

“However, this argument is irrelevant to the core issue at hand: the fundamental principle of ensuring equal treatment and opportunities for boys’ and girls’ teams within the school sports programs.”

“These teams participate in The Associated Schools Competition (TAS) and I am sure the other schools participating do not show such bias. It is important to highlight that other sports teams in the TAS competition, such as boys’ and girls’ volleyball, boys’ and girls’ basketball, etc., are granted equal recognition and end-of-season celebrations.”

Asked why the girl’s soccer team were unable to attend the annual pre-season dinners, Ormiston College headmaster Michael Hornby did not comment but said it rejected any allegation of gender discrimination.

“The College prides itself on providing opportunities for all students to seek to achieve, across Academia, Sports and the Arts,” Mr Hornby said.

“In the many co-curricular activities available to students, there will be varying degrees of contributions from parents and the broader community.”

Mr Hornby said there was no differential treatment by the College on gender or other grounds and the College continues to be grateful and thankful for that support.

Ormiston College charges annual fees of nearly $17,000 for secondary students.

Ormiston is part of the TAS competition alongside the likes of St Pauls, John Paul College, Cannon Hill Anglican College and Canterbury College.