Parents continue fight to save Seton College from shock closure
There have been tears as well as moments of anger and frustration but parents of a Brisbane private school have sent out an emotional plea to save the college from its shock closure.
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Tears, anger and frustration. That’s the emotional rollercoaster parents from a Brisbane private school have been through after the shock decision was made to close the college.
Brisbane Catholic Education recently announced they will shut the doors on Mt Gravatt East’s Seton College in 2024 after a recent review into its operations.
Seton College, a school which caters to children with learning difficulties and disabilities, has been operating since 1964 but the current Year 8 group will be the last cohort to graduate.
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The announcement left current and former parents and students reeling with one current student forming a petition to Save Seton, which now has more than 3500 signatures.
While parents have also formed a Save Seton committee.
An independent education union even called the decision from the BCE, a “sellout”.
However, in recent days, following several forums with the BCE, parents have sent an emotional plea out to save the school from closing for good.
“I do not know where my two boys would be if they weren’t at Seton College,” current parent, Nicky Reed, said.
“My eldest is in Year 11, he has learning and development delays and is intellectually impaired and he also has huge social fears while my Year 9 son has severe sensory issues and social fears and some behavioural issues due to the sensory problems.
“Both struggled in primary school, it breaks my heart to think back to what we went through.
“So we found Seton and had friends take their kids there, my mum actually looked at the website and said Tyler must go there.
“We met Mr Raju and I was so emotional walking out because I had told him everything and he said to us ‘he must come here, we have to help him’ they wrote his acceptance letter that day and we got it in the mail the next day.
“So no more fighting for justice at other schools or worrying about what that day will bring.”
All hope is not lost for the school with Speech and Language Development Australia saying they were interested in taking over the campus.
Pip Mallory, who has a son in Year 7, said during the enrolment process they were sold on a story of inclusivity and Seton providing an environment best suited to their child and children like him.
“We can’t understand how less than 12 months later we are being told enrolments are down and that all the research says this is no longer the case and being in a mainstream high school with 1200 plus kids is better for him,” she said.
“He has absolutely flourished over the past six months, he wants to go to school.
“He is no longer the odd one out he is an equal, he is included, something every child should feel and we have been able to remove anti-anxiety medication from his daily regain.
“We had such a sense of relief when his enrolment was accepted and his high school education secured at Seton but now we are faced with having to transition him back to a school that have acknowledged they are not the best fit.”
Nicole Armstrong, who has a son in year 8 at Seton, said she felt devastated other students would not get the same experience her son has at Seton College.
“We had chosen Seton because we wanted to give our son every opportunity to get a job after school and Seton offered a great program to help them achieve this,” she said.
“My son would not be able to cope in mainstream school. They can’t provide the smaller classes or the time to help our kids thrive like Seton can do.”
While the school isn’t set to close for another four years, Ms Reed was concerned it wouldn’t be the same.
“Yes I know my boys can finish but I worry about their experience,” she said.
“Seton cares about my kids, they belong there, they are happy there and I am so grateful for Seton College.
“It makes me sad and angry to think these people at BCE think it’s better to close it.”
A BCE spokesman said when enrolments were taken for Year 7 for 2020, they were hopeful Seton College would continue into the future.
“A total of 22 students accepted enrolment. In May 2019, BCE announced that Seton College would become a school exclusively for students with disability,” he said.
“In the weeks after this decision was announced, more than 40 families withdrew children from the school.
“Enrolment applications declined over the last two years, leaving cohort sizes for possible Year 7 intakes that would not allow for proper pathways for students throughout their secondary schooling.
“BCE decided that students in Year 7 could remain for more than three years to complete Year 10. Individualised planning will be provided to each family to help with the transition to another school for Year 11 in 2024.”