Boarding licence under review at private school after abuse scandal

The upmarket regional private school at the centre of a “strapping” abuse scandal could be forced to close its boarding houses after the state government’s education regulator launched an official review of its registration as a residential facility.

The Victorian Registration and Quality Authority (VRQA) confirmed on Thursday that it had opened a review of Ballarat Grammar’s boarding houses, using its powers under the Education and Training Reform Act, and will determine if a commitment to student safety “is embedded in their leadership, governance and culture”.

The school community has been in turmoil since February when 10 senior boarding students were sent home, accused of the systemic abuse of younger boys at Grammar’s Dart House residential facility.

Two seniors have been expelled, and another group of boys were removed from Dart House and are being housed in an off-campus property which the school owns in the town, as Ballarat police continue to investigate assaults alleged to have been committed at the boarding house in 2023 and 2024.

Numerous men have come forward in the wake of the allegations, recounting stories of brutal hazing and assaults at the hands of their fellow boarders at Ballarat Grammar, going back to the 1950s.

Ballarat Grammar principal Adam Heath met with VRQA officials in March.Credit: Ballarat Grammar.

This masthead reported on Wednesday that the head of Dart House, Alex Sylvan, had stepped down from the role and would be leaving the school, while his assistant head, A.K.M. Azad, was also leaving his Dart House role but would stay on as a teacher at Grammar.

The VRQA began making inquiries in the days after The Age first revealed the allegations against the boys. The VRQA officials travelled from Melbourne to Ballarat in March and spoke to Grammar principal Adam Heath and the chairwoman of the school’s board, Sarah Lia, and received additional information.

After opening its review, the authority is expecting the first tranche of evidence from the school next week as it asks the school to prove that children boarding there are safe.

The legislation gives the VRQA the power to conduct the “specific” review of a boarding provider if the authority believes “there are matters concerning the safety of students boarding at the premises that require urgent action”.

Potential sanctions, if the school is found to be non-compliant with child safety standards, include conditions on its registration, but the authority also has the power to cancel Grammar’s registration, ending more than a century of boarding tradition there.

“The review will focus on the ongoing compliance of the school boarding premises with particular minimum standards including the care, safety and welfare of students, governance, the Child Safe Standards and student behaviour management,” a VRQA spokesman told The Age.

“The Child Safe Standards require that all schools and school boarding premises ensure that child safety and wellbeing is embedded in their leadership, governance and culture.”

Ballarat Grammar has been contacted for comment.

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