St Aidan’s Anglican Girls’ School staff exodus: Top Brisbane college rocked by explosive ‘no confidence’ email

An “alarming rate of resignations” at the $28,000-a-year St Aidan’s Anglican Girls’ School is being blamed on a toxic culture that’s sparked a vote of no confidence in the principal.

A number of teachers and administration personnel at St Aidan’s Anglican Girls’ School claim they are “deeply troubled” by what they perceive to be the “alarming rate of resignations”,

A mass staff exodus at one of Brisbane’s top private schools is being blamed on a “toxic workplace culture”, with a “vote of no confidence” in its principal made in an email purportedly sent on behalf of 49 current employees.

A number of teachers and administration personnel at St Aidan’s Anglican Girls’ School claim they are “deeply troubled” by what they perceive to be the “alarming rate of resignations”, with 39 senior leaders, teachers and support staff said to have left in the past year.

However, a school spokesperson said the staff turnover was in line with that of other independent schools and no formal complaint had previously been received.

An email to the school council purported to be written on behalf of 49 staff states they “have lost faith in the effectiveness of our school’s leadership”.

The email also claims principal Toni Riordan “fails to adequately address matters of bullying within the school despite numerous reports brought to her attention”.

“This neglect further exacerbates the toxic environment and undermines efforts to create a safe and inclusive learning environment for all students and staff.”

The Courier-Mail put a series of questions to Ms Riordan around the loss of staff, school culture and her leadership.

St Aidan's Anglican Girls' School principal Toni Riordan celebrates with high-achieving students (left to right), Sanuli Ranatunga, Lucy Bristow, Isla Williams, and Shreya Jayaram. Picture - Supplied

In response, a spokesperson for St Aidan’s said the school council had received an anonymous email with concerns about the school and principal and was taking them “very seriously”.

“In the last year the staff turnover has been in line with other local independent schools and departures include a range of usual reasons from retirement, career progression, relocation, work-life balance and pursuit of new opportunities outside teaching,” they said.

The spokesperson said the concerns raised were being reviewed in accordance with the Complaints Management in Anglican Schools procedures and “no formal complaints of this nature have been raised previously” with the council.

“St Aidan’s Anglican Girls’ School is one of Queensland’s top performing independent schools. The school and school council’s continuing priority is for the safety, care and wellbeing of our students, staff and families.”

The March 24 email, to school council chair Stephen Green and director Scott Douglas, is titled “No Confidence Vote re Toni Riordan as Principal at St Aidan’s” and requests “immediate action to address the concerns raised”.

Principal of St Aidan's Corinda Toni Riordan in 2018.

Mr Green has responded and offered to meet with the email’s authors who on March 26 declined, citing their wish to remain anonymous.

Meanwhile, former employees have told The Courier-Mail they agree with the allegations about resignations in the email, one saying they “want to see the wellbeing of staff made a priority” and the turnover of staff was “unacceptably very high”.

Ms Riordan was appointed principal in 2018 after serving as deputy under Karen Spiller (who moved to John Paul College before retiring in 2022). She previously held roles at St Laurence’s in South Brisbane and St Joseph’s Nudgee College in Boondall.

In July 2023, Kim Cohen was made interim deputy principal of St Aidan’s after she quit Saint Stephen’s College on the Gold Coast amid allegations of creating an unsafe workplace.

St Aidan’s staff were said to be “shocked” by the appointment.

The Courier-Mail contacted Ms Cohen for comment at the time but did not receive a reply.

Ms Cohen is now a head of school at the Brisbane CBD campus of Indie Schools.

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