Fight to save Seton College from closing only just starting with a committee coming together
Parents and students of a Brisbane private school are forming a committee to save the college from closing, which has educated thousands of children over the past 56 years.
Southeast
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A group of former and current parents and students have come together in an attempt to save a Brisbane private school from closing its doors.
Brisbane Catholic Education on Tuesday announced they would be closing Seton College at Mt Gravatt East in 2024 after a recent review of the school’s operations.
The college was first opened in 1964.
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The decision comes after more than 40 families left the high school, which has 224 students and caters to children with special needs, announced it would transition to an environment which would cater exclusively for students with disabilities.
Brisbane Catholic Education said today they had not yet considered how the site will be used beyond 2024. However, former and current students and parents have not given up hope of saving the school.
“A Save Seton College committee is being formed to help the fight to keep the place alive and it’ll feature mostly parents but is open for anyone who wants answers really,” current Seton College parent, Kylie Jensen, said.
“We started forming this as soon as the news came out last week.”
While BCE announced students in Year 8-12 would be able to finish their schooling at Seton and those in Year 7 will be able to complete Year 10 before receiving help in transitioning to another school, another exodus of students could hit the high school because of the decision to close.
“I wouldn’t expect it to happen immediately but there’s definitely a concern that down the track when the numbers dwindle that it becomes a question of what will the curriculum be like, the funding and resources and those types of things.
“Because my son is in Year 8 and when he is in Year 12, his group will be the only one left.
“If it goes the way I think they (BCE) want it to, I think there will be families leave after this.”
The current student, who started the Save Seton petition which now has more than 3000 signatures, said the school had done so much for her and deserved to stay open.
“This school supports its students so well and I am so thankful for all of the support and help I have been given over the years,” she said when she started the petition.
“It has taught me resilience, understanding my emotions, understanding people, how to keep happy friendships, what to do in certain situations and most importantly it has taught me to treat others kindly and with respect.”
Mrs Jensen said they wanted to keep Seton open because there are issues other schools just couldn’t deal with.
“One major issue is the size of schools these days for kids with these learning difficulties as well as the staff, where only five to 10 per cent of teachers will know how to help these kids compared to all staff at Seton,” she said.
“That’s not their fault but it’s just the reality.
“Because of the small size of Seton, it has a real sense of community, everyone knows my son’s name and that really helps these kids.”
But a BCE spokesman said they were doing everything they could to make the transition as smooth as possible for students.
“Parents and caregivers of the small number of students currently in Year 7 have been contacted to discuss an individualised learning program for their child,” he said.
“A senior education officer with knowledge of the school and its students has been appointed this week to support this work.
“Each family of a child in Year 7 has been offered assistance at a time of their choosing by the end of 2023 to find an alternative Brisbane Catholic Education school, or another school of their choice. The wellbeing of students is our absolute priority.
“Similar support with enrolment at another school of their choice has been offered to the small number of families who made application for Year 7 in 2021.”
Brisbane Catholic Education has 144 schools across southeast Queensland, educating more than 72,000 students from Prep to Year 12.
“We are fortunate to have schools spread across the southeast, enabling options for students to find the most suitable school,” the BCE spokesman said.
“Brisbane Catholic Education is committed to providing students, who remain at Seton College until 2024, the highest available standard of learning.
“Families can expect a personalised approach which addresses the specific needs of their son or daughter. We are planning for Seton College to remain fully operational until the end of 2024.”