Knife drama at violence-plagued Greater Shepparton Secondary College

In another concerning incident at the trouble-plagued Shepparton super school, teachers were forced to confiscate knives from a student.

Teachers have confiscated dangerous knives at a trouble-plagued Victorian school.

Sources say at least four knives were confiscated by teachers at Greater Shepparton Secondary College on Wednesday.

Several parents told the Herald Sun the school had been plagued by fights, with two shocking brawls in recent weeks.

The Herald Sun has ­revealed issues at the college, including schoolyard fights, teachers working in fear and the school forced into lockdown after a student was seen waving an imitation firearm.

The education department insisted a student brought a set of ornamental knives used for display purposes to the school on Wednesday.

The Herald Sun has been told the student had no intent to, and did not use them in an aggressive or violent manner.

The department said the knives had blunt edges and represented only minimal danger.

To avoid any risk of harm, the decision was made by college staff to hold them for the parents to collect.

More than 2000 students from four merged government schools have been crammed into the one mega site in Shepparton this year.

The father of a year 9 student said his son was forced to break up one of the fights, on August 5, that he claims left a student with head injuries.

“The fights haven’t stopped, it’s been ongoing,” he said.

“We’re sick and tired of sending our children to school and worrying about their safety. Why should children be witness to this much violence on a daily basis?

“It’s clear the super school is not working.”

Another mother, whose daughter is in year 9, said she was “fearful” of sending her two children to school.

“My daughter has told me that at least four girls in her class carry knives,” she said.

“They are still filming the fights and uploading them to social media. As parents we are very concerned.”

Children as young as 8 have been caught wielding knives and other weapons at Victorian schools.

Security at the bus stop outside the school. Picture: Jason Edwards

Liberal MP for Northern Victoria Wendy Lovell said the people of Shepparton have put up with Andrews Government ignoring the problems at this school for far too long.

“It’s time for the government to take some action to ensure that children are safe in this school environment,” she said.

As the Herald Sun reported in July, there are 22 reports weekly of violent and aggressive behaviour against students and staff in Victorian state schools. Children as young as eight have taken knives to school in order to threaten their peers.

Police were called to more than 200 of the 2016 serious incidents reported at schools in 2019-20, the data reveals. There were 426 reports of ­assault or aggressive behaviour towards teachers in that two-year period.

Earlier this year, the Herald Sun uncovered multiple bullying pages, created by Greater Shepparton College students, which encouraged students to play a “guess who” game by guessing the identity of the victims by listing the person’s nationality and other images of their characteristics.