Staff at Greater Shepparton College keep watchlist of violent students
Staff and security at “out of control” Greater Shepparton College are so scared for their safety they are keeping a watchlist of violent students, as video of a brawl emerges.
Education
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Scared teachers and security guards at a Victorian “super school” are using a watchlist to stay alert to violent students.
Teachers at Greater Shepparton Secondary College say they are “unsafe” and “working in fear”, as issues at the problem-plagued school spiral out of control.
A Herald Sun investigation has revealed:
THE school was forced into lockdown after a student was seen waving an imitation firearm, prompting a terrified student to send a message to their parents saying “goodbye, I love you”;
A BOY threatened a female teacher, saying he would “smack her in the teeth”;
PARENTS have reported non-students dressing up in uniform to sneak on to school grounds for fights;
OFFICIAL incident reports detail a litany of physical and verbal attacks on teachers; and
ONE girl said she had been attacked 13 times since February.
There were at least four fights on the school’s grounds last week.
Staff and security guards are so afraid they keep a list of 18 students — including their names and photographs — to beware of.
The list was initially compiled to identify those who had been suspended over a mass brawl in February, which left several pupils injured.
But teachers, guards and contractors are continuing to use it so they can protect themselves from potential threats.
One person has been charged in relation to the February schoolyard fight, and another is expected to be charged on summons.
The college, which has 2400 students, was created last year when the education department combined four local schools in an attempt to lift lagging results.
Acting Premier and Education Minister James Merlino has acknowledged major challenges at the troubled school but is standing by the state government’s response to the problems.
Responding to reports in the Herald Sun about serious concerns from parents and teachers, Mr Merlino said violence would never be tolerated.
But he said the issues surrounding the school had plagued the area for years and that extra state government services were working to resolve these issues.
“This has been a challenge over decades,” he said.
“Poor student outcomes at the four secondary schools, poor student outcomes compared to other schools in regional Victoria and a level of dysfunction that had to be addressed.
“In the couple of years leading up to the merger there were 31 police call outs to secondary schools in Shepparton.
“We’ve provided additional staff, additional well being teams, additional Koorie education officers.
“It’s got all the support but I’m not going to stand by and do nothing and just accept decades of poor student outcomes.”
When asked if a major intervention was on the table, Mr Merlino said the state was providing all the support that was required to make the merger work.
“I’m not saying that there are not challenges as we move towards a brand new school, a magnificent school, that will open its doors on day one of next year,” he said.
“The school reflects the broader challenges in the Shepparton community.
“But it’s a damn sight better to tackle them head on rather than pretend they’re not there and just continue to do what has been done in Shepparton for two decades.”
Meanwhile, Victorian Opposition leader Michael O’Brien has accused the state government of ignoring the people of Shepparton.
Speaking in response to the Herald Sun’s exclusive investigation into the trouble-plagued school, Mr O’Brien on Tuesday said the government should’ve listened to the community about their concerns over the merger.
“There are serious issues here that the government seems to be just ignoring,” he said.
“They’re just saying it’s teething problems. It’s not a teething problem if you’re worried about being assaulted when you go to school, be you a student or a teacher.
“Parents shouldn’t have to worry about sending their kids to a school where they’re worried about violence. Teachers shouldn’t have to worry about going to work in a school where they’re worried about violence.”
Mr O’Brien said the people of Shepparton had been left with “no choices” after the four schools were merged into the one mega-school.
“It means if parents and students need to leave that school, there’s nowhere for them to go,” he added.
“The government has to listen to the people of Shepparton, admit they’re getting it wrong and fix it. It’s clearly not working.”
In recent weeks, concerns about violent attacks, teacher shortages, stress claims and allegations of racism have leaked out of the school.
But fed-up staff, parents and children last week told the Herald Sun the college needed major intervention.
Marnie Butcher, whose daughter Phoebe has been bashed, shoved and verbally abused 13 times since February, said violence at the school was “out of control”.
Parents had no other public school option for their children, she said.
“Having just one school means we have no other options and I just fear getting that phone call and it’s killing me,” Ms Butcher said.
“Someone is going to have to lose their life before anything happens.
“I hate seeing what she (Phoebe) is going through. We’ve been told that we have to pull her out but we have nowhere to send her.”
The state government is building a new $119m mega campus on the old Shepparton High site to house the school, which is currently operating on three campuses with years 7-8 and some 11-12 students at McGuire, years 10-12 at Wanganui and year 9 at Mooroopna.
The school has about 210 full-time teachers, but former teachers and parents say dozens have left since the merger.
A teacher at the school, who would not be identified for fear of losing their job, said teachers were being “pushed to the limit”.
“We are working in fear,” the teacher said. “There is no doubt about this. Teachers are being abused and threatened daily. My colleagues and I are taking sick leave because there is so much stress.” The teacher feared the problems would be even worse when all students were on the same campus: “We are really afraid.”
Mum Renee Williams, whose 15-year-old son Lochie has ADHD, said: “We started off year 7 at Wanganui and in year 8 we had the support team for his learning, he was doing so well.
“But since the school merged and Lochie entered year 9, he has struggled to learn anything due to not having that support he once did in the classroom.
“He’s also been the target of several bullies who try to pick a fight with him.”
Liberal MP for North Victoria Wendy Lovell said the combined super school had created “chaos” and “violence”, disrupting “the education opportunity of students”.
But Education Minister James Merlino said the four Shepparton schools were combined in a bid to lift lagging results and fix a “level of dysfunction”, including frequent police call-outs.
“Clearly there are some members of the community that are concerned about this project, it shows people care deeply about their kids’ education,” Mr Merlino said.
“This is a massive change — I understand that. But what we have seen over decades must be addressed.”
Parent Amy Hawking, who has two children, said her family was looking forward to the super school opening.
“Previously to get kids to even go to school in our area has been an issue,” Ms Hawking said.
“The kids will have a little bit of pride going there because there will be new and excellent facilities – they’ll be proud of their school.”
Acting executive principal Barbara O’Brien said the school acknowledged the transition was always going to be “challenging”.
“There have been some difficulties, but staff have been so passionate and there’s a lot of goodwill for them here to want to make it work,” Ms O’Brien said.
The school was now able to offer more VCE, VCAL and VET subjects, she said.
Last month’s imitation firearm incident was dealt with swiftly, she said.
Police confirmed an imitation firearm was seized and two boys, aged 13 and 14, were issued cautions.
Education Department schools and regional services deputy secretary David Howes said the watch list was created after the mass brawl in February to identify the students involved.
“It was important to identify students involved as it was appropriate for all staff involved to support those students,” Mr Howes said.
He said fights were “not new” within the school environment.
“These issues are not completely new, there have been instances well before the formation of the new school where police were called to the different campuses.”
He said security at the school’s McGuire campus had been reduced, despite four fights breaking out at the school last week.
The Herald Sun has also been told by staff there were no security guards patrolling the school on Monday.
“We don’t expect there to be security on site at the new school,” he said.
When asked what the school would do if students were “attacked” at the new super school, he said “the size of the school would ensure comprehensive support services were available.”
DISTURBING VIDEO OF VIOLENT BRAWL EMERGES
Shepparton students say fights have plagued the schoolyard for several years — but they claim when four local schools combined to become Greater Shepparton Secondary College last year, the fights became “too frequent” and “more violent”.
When the Herald Sun visited Shepparton last week, dramatic scenes unfolded on Thursday after a fight on the oval had erupted at the school’s McGuire campus.
One boy was seen being set upon from behind by a young girl and then punched in the head.
The school’s security was then seen chasing the students responsible as the group dispersed and fled from the school grounds.
Three other schoolyard fights also broke out last week, with students and staff telling the Herald Sun they had “had enough” of the daily cycle of violence, disturbance and fear.
Students waiting at the bus stop told the Herald Sun they felt “unsafe”, saying fights were becoming the “norm” at the school.
“This keeps happening — it’s a really unsafe environment,” one student said. Another added: “We just want to feel safe again”.
In February, disturbing footage emerged of a violent brawl at the school’s Wanganui campus, with boys seen climbing onto and over lunch tables to join the fight.
Some female students also appeared visibly distressed by the violence.
A teenager was taken to the Goulburn Valley Health hospital with head injuries after the mass brawl, which involved up to 10 youths.
Then, in March, another fight broke out at the McGuire campus, with dozens of students captured brawling on video, with one boy kicked to the ground.
The footage is then shared around on social media platforms, with parents saying the teens involved see it as a “badge of honour”.
“These attacks are not just one-off attacks, they’ve become worse since February last year,” one mother said.
“The problem is they’ve mixed all these students together and some have previously fought — they have given us no options but to suck it up.”
Parent Marnie Butcher said one attack on her daughter Phoebe, like many others at the school, was sparked by the 13-year-old just “looking” at other students.
“She has been punched in the face, slammed into lockers, kicked to the head,” she said.
“The school and the parents of these kids need to be held accountable. Enough is enough.”
THEY KICKED MY HEAD INTO AN ELECTRICAL BOX
A Greater Shepparton College student who was “ganged up on” and had her head kicked into an electrical box says she feels “unsafe" at school.
Students Phoebe and Chloe, both 13, have been the targets of several shocking fights, and say their anxiety spikes as soon as they walk through the school gates.
Phoebe says she has been physically or verbally attacked 13 times, including five bashings, on school grounds since February.
She says on March 22 another student kicked her head into an electrical box in an incident sparked by name-calling on social media.
“The girls started to have a go at me about something I supposedly said on social media,” she said.
“I’m sorry if I did say this, I can’t remember what I said to them.
“I just sat down because I felt sick and shaky and the next thing I know they’ve ganged up on me and kicked my head into an electrical box.”
Phoebe said a boy had also punched her in the face because she was “looking at him wrong”.
She said she was banned by teachers from going on the school oval because it was not covered by security cameras.
Another student, Chloe, 13, reported being kicked in the head in February last year in an unprovoked attack.
“I was really scared, this girl was from a different school and the problems really started when we all merged,” she said.
Chloe said she also recalled the terrifying moment when her school was forced into lockdown after a student was seen waving a BB gun — that “looked liked a real gun”.
At first she thought it was “just another drill” but after 45 minutes she began to panic.
“We knew someone had a gun but we didn’t know if it was real or fake,” Chloe said.
“People I knew were crying. Hiding under tables, the teachers acted fast and took all the right precautions.”
Fearing for Chloe’s safety, her dad, Hayden Bray, says the school’s escalating violence has left him “on edge”.
“Someone’s going to get killed or something serious is going to happen. It’s a worry,” he said. “I’m on edge every day. No one is communicating the fights to us, it’s getting swept under the carpet. They need to provide us with another academic and trade option.
MUM SLAMS COLLEGE OVER SUPPORT
A furious mother whose son was placed on Shepparton super school’s watchlist has blasted the college for failing to provide students with enough support.
The mother, who pulled her son from the school’s Wanganui campus earlier this year, said she was “shocked” to find he had been named and photographed on the list.
“My son is no angel but he had no behaviour support plan done for him, he had no support at all,” she said. “When the schools merged, my son’s main support network including staff and friends were moved onto another campus.
“He had no one that he could trust that he knew and he was being provoked, bullied and taunted by other students while staff looked on.”
She said her son was involved in a vicious school brawl in February, during which he was “attacked by a large group”.
“He was attacked by a large group of students and it was terrible. That was it for me,” she said.
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