Carey Grammar announces students will begin return to school on May 25
Prestigious Victorian schools have outlined phased returns that will see many students in the classroom at least a week ahead of the timeline for public schools.
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Some of Victoria’s top private schools will bring back students well before their public counterparts in a move branded “risky and irresponsible”.
Prestigious schools including Trinity Grammar, Carey Baptist Grammar and Brighton Grammar have outlined phased returns that will see many students in the classroom at least a week ahead of the State Government timeline.
Public schools will stagger their return, starting on May 26 with prep, years 1 and 2, and years 11 and 12, followed on June 9 by years 3 to 10.
Independent Education Union general secretary Deb James said it was “not acceptable” for some private schools to reopen up to eight days before public schools.
“We believe that it is risky and irresponsible for independent schools to jump the gun and bring students back earlier than government and Catholic schools,” she said.
“There is sound reasoning behind the staged return for Victorian schools announced this week.”
Ms James accused some schools of putting funding before health, given 46 Victorian private schools stand to qualify for early funding from the Federal Government if half of their students are back by June 1.
“It is simply not acceptable to ignore official state government advice and put students, staff and the broader community at greater risk just for the sake of slightly earlier access to federal government funding,” Ms James said.
She said the union was impressed most schools had made “the principled decision to reject this irresponsible federal funding proposal”.
Trinity Grammar in Kew plans to have students from kinder to year 4 and years 10 to 12 back on May 26, with all other year levels back by June 1.
Headmaster Adrian Farrer told families the school’s timeline was “swifter than the government’s, allowing for more flexibility as needed”.
“It is clear that government schools will need a little longer to prepare for their communities to return,” he wrote.
Carey Baptist Grammar, also in Kew, will give its year 11s and 12s a one-day headstart on government schools, with classes restarting May 25, before the early learning centre, prep and years 1 and 2 return on May 26. Year 10 students will return on June 1, and the remainder will be back in a staged return by June 9.
Principal Jonathan Walter said the staggered return meant student numbers on-site would increase slowly over two weeks, giving parents, staff and students time to adjust to the new arrangements.
The school has not applied for early government funding.
Brighton Grammar written to parents outlining a similar approach, with preps to year 2 and years 10 to 12 going back on May 25, while years 3 to 6 and years 7 to 9 will return in phases from June 1.
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