Principal, deputy suspended at Wooranna Park school

The Wooranna Park Primary School community has been left shocked by the sudden suspension of its high-profile principal and his deputy.

Ray Trotter received an interim Victorian Institute of Teaching suspension. Picture: Jason Sammon

A high-profile principal and his deputy have been stood down from their cutting-edge primary school and suspended by the teaching watchdog.

Wooranna Park Primary School former principal Ray Trotter and his deputy, Janet Whittle, received interim Victorian Institute of Teaching suspensions but the reasons have not been released.

The Herald Sun understands there has been no criminal offending against children by either suspended teacher.

It’s also understood the pair weren’t automatically suspended, as the matter had to go to the watchdog’s board to determine if there should be an interim suspension.

Mr Trotter, a teacher for several decades and known for being a “pioneer” of the school’s specialist technology curriculum, also has a flexible learning centre named after him at Deakin University.

Several parents told the Herald Sun they were “shocked” by the suspensions.

“We were only told that Mr Trotter retired, not that he was suspended. He was a great principal for many years,” one said.

According to LinkedIn, Ms Whittle has been deputy principal since 2001.

An Education Department spokesman said decisions about the suspensions of registrations were made by the Victorian Institute of Teaching.

“All teachers in Victorian government schools must be registered with the institute,” he said.

The VIT’s investigation remains ongoing.