Brisbane dad claims his son was assaulted on two occasions by teachers at Gold Coast’s Somerset College

A Brisbane father has pulled his two children out of an elite Gold Coast school after he claims his son was physically assaulted by teachers on two separate occasions.

The father claims his son was assaulted twice by teachers at Somerset College.

A Brisbane father has pulled his two children out of an elite Gold Coast school after he claims his son was physically assaulted by teachers on two separate occasions.

The father, who asked to remain anonymous, told The Courier-Mail his son was first allegedly assaulted in 2024 before he was tightly grabbed on the wrist a second time by a teacher on Tuesday for having his phone out to do school work at Somerset College.

He said it caused his son tissue damage.

“On Tuesday, he was on his phone, but was given permission to be on his phone, and the teacher grabbed him by the wrist and arm and shook him,” the man said.

“It was just the teacher’s assumption that he wasn’t doing his work when he was literally editing his video for the class, which all the students were doing at the exact same time.”

In March last year, the father claimed a similar incident had occurred with his son.

“He had been playing soccer that day, it was like Friday afternoon sport, someone from the other team tripped and landed on him, and his hamstring was sore because the other kid was twice the size, so he told the teacher, and the teacher said, you’ll be fine, just walk it off.

“But he wasn’t, and he was like, limping a little bit. It wasn’t a serious injury, but it was enough that he probably couldn’t carry his bag or he needed help. So he called his brother, and while he was in the process of calling his brother. This teacher came over and snatched the phone out of his hand and grabbed him by the wrist and shook him violently.”

The dad said he was told the teacher was pursuing other opportunities and would not be returning to the school.

The father claims his son was grabbed hard on the wrist on two separate occasions by teachers at Somerset College.

A police spokesman said detectives from the Gold Coast District Child Protection Investigation Unit (CPIU) were investigating an alleged assault at a school in Mudgeeraba on June 17.

“Investigations remain ongoing, and no further details are available at this time,” the spokesman said. No charges have been laid.

While the police spokesman confirmed a report was received in March 2024 relating to an incident, they said that matter does not relate to an alleged assault by a teacher.

A Somerset College spokesman confirmed “an allegation involving a teacher and student was made in 2024” and a second, unrelated allegation had recently been raised.

The spokesman said both incidents were “handled according to College procedures”.

“Somerset College does not condone inappropriate behaviour in any form,” the spokesman said.

“However, until the current investigation concludes, it would not be appropriate to comment on the specifics of the case.”

The father said his son was “traumatised” by the most recent alleged incident.

“He didn’t want to go back to school ever again,” he said.

“He doesn’t trust the education system. He doesn’t trust people in power as in teachers and those who have a duty of care to uphold the legislative responsibility to provide that duty of care.”

Following questions from The Courier-Mail, Somerset College sent an email to the school community reassuring parents “the College is taking this matter seriously and is responding in accordance with our established policies and procedures”.

The email asked the community to “to approach this situation with care and respect for due process” and discouraged “public commentary”.

“Let us be clear: Somerset College does not tolerate any behaviour that compromises the safety or wellbeing of our students,” the email said.

A spokesman for the college said they could not comment on whether the teachers involved in the incidents were still employed at the school due to privacy reasons.

They also said, as the most recent allegation was still under investigation, they could not comment further on the matter.

“We are aware of the family’s decision to unenrol their children. The College respects this choice and is continuing to investigate the concerns raised.”

The spokesman also confirmed the school’s policy was that phones could be used under “direct teacher supervision for educational purposes” but had to remain out of sight during class time.

The annual tuition fee for Somerset College is $21,801 a year for grade 7 to 10 students.

Originally published as Brisbane dad claims his son was assaulted on two occasions by teachers at Gold Coast’s Somerset College