Alleged private schoolboy abusers return to boarding house

A group of senior students removed from a prestigious regional private school’s boarding hall because of the alleged abuse of their younger schoolmates have been allowed to return to the residential facility.

Families with children at Ballarat Grammar have been told this week to expect a “staged re-integration” of the boys, believed to number up to 12, into the school’s Dart House boarding block, with at least one family reacting immediately by removing their son from the school.

The move to return the boys, who had been staying at an off-campus house the school owns in the town and attending classes as day students, comes after Ballarat Grammar principal Adam Heath apologised last week to the school community for the impact of the scandal, pledging “zero tolerance” for misconduct.

The year 11 and 12 students had been removed from Dart House after allegations surfaced in February of systemic assaults against younger boarders in the house, committed as part of a culture of punishment and hazing. Police were called in to investigate.

Two boys have been expelled after an investigation by the school, key staff members have stepped down and the state regulator, the Victorian Quality and Registration Authority, has placed Ballarat Grammar’s boarding licence under review.

Ballarat Grammar principal Adam Heath has apologised to the school community over the “strapping” scandal.Credit: Ballarat Grammar.

Heath told parents on Monday that Melbourne-based workplace conflict specialists, the Zalt Group, had been hired “to facilitate a thorough and structured restorative process involving both the students who remained in the boarding house and those who were temporarily accommodated elsewhere”.

“The Zalt Group have advised that the students are ready to return safely and respectfully to their boarding community, and we will begin a supported, staged reintegration of these students back into the boarding house,” Heath wrote.

One parent, who asked not to be identified, told The Age that his son had been terrified at the prospect of the return of the seniors to Dart House. The family had decided to take the boy out of Ballarat Grammar altogether for a new school, the parent said.

It is the latest sign of parent unrest after a “Coalition of Boarding Parents” wrote to Ballarat Grammar’s board in February, placing the blame for the scandal firmly with the school and demanding accountability from the institution.

Families with children at Ballarat Grammar have been told to expect a “staged re-integration” of the boys.Credit: Joe Armao

An anonymous parent took to online chat forum Reddit at the weekend, alleging that younger students were being pressured by the school into meetings with their alleged abusers – without informing parents.

“It’s not a mediation, it’s a confrontation to manipulate the child into changing what happened and [lessen] the bullying,” the parent wrote.

But Heath defended the process on Wednesday.

“The school undertook a consultation process led by professional experts and worked closely with the families of all students involved, including both senior and younger boarders,” he told The Age.

When asked about speculation in the school community that he had offered his resignation to the board and was to begin a sabbatical in the coming weeks, Heath said neither was true.

“I can confirm I am not taking sabbatical leave and have not offered my resignation,” he said.

“I will continue leading the positive change under way in the boarding environment, and I am fully committed to rebuilding trust in our community and ensuring our boarding program is the safe and supportive experience our students deserve.”

Heath wrote to families of up to 270 boarders at Ballarat Grammar on Friday, addressing the intervention of the Victorian Quality and Registration Authority.

“We continue to take the issues identified in the boarding environment with the utmost seriousness,” the principal wrote.

“We are now focused on rebuilding your trust and moving forward. We know the impact this has had on our school community, and we apologise for this.”

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