Ballarat Grammar parent sues school for allegedly failing to protect son from bullying, abuse and ‘strapping’

A father of a Ballarat Grammar boarding student is suing the prestigious school for allegedly failing to protect his son from a sustained culture of bullying, abuse and “strapping”.

Ballarat Grammar is being sued over allegations it failed to protect a student from bullying, abuse and ‘strapping’.

The father of a Ballarat Grammar boarder is suing the school for allegedly failing to protect his son from a sustained culture of bullying, abuse and “strapping” during his first few years of high school.

According to County Court documents obtained by the Herald Sun, the embattled private school has been accused of breaching their duty of care to the 13-year-old student between 2022 and 2023.

The father of the alleged victim, who this masthead has chosen not to identify, filed a lawsuit against Ballarat and Queen’s Anglican Grammar School last month.

A parent is suing Ballarat Grammar for allegedly failing to protect his son from a sustained culture of bullying.

According to court documents, the student was enrolled and attended the school as a boarder.

It was during his time in the boarding house, including a short stay orientation in 2022, that he was subjected to “various acts of abuse and bullying”.

One allegation included in the documents relates to an incident on February 3, 2023, where the boy sustained a “significant burn” as a result of a deliberate act perpetrated by a fellow boarder.

The boy’s father claims Ballarat Grammar school was or should have been aware of the culture known as “strapping” which was perpetuated by students, against students, at the time of the offending.

He also claims the school failed to stop the culture from festering, therefore failing in their duty of care to students.

As a result of the alleged negligence, the boy’s father claims his son sustained injury, loss and damage, yet the specifics of the impacts are not detailed within available court documents.

This masthead contacted the father of the student who said they would refrain from providing a comment at this stage.

When asked if they were aware of the lawsuit, a Ballarat Grammar school spokesperson said they had a policy of not disclosing any details relating to individuals, an obligation they were bound to under Australian Privacy Principles.

Ballarat Grammar has been prohibited from enrolling or accepting any more students into its boarding house.

The lawsuit comes after Ballarat Grammar was recently prohibited from enrolling or accepting any further students into its boarding house.

Interim conditions were put in place by the Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority (VRQA) in October, who called out the boarding house for a “pervasive culture of bullying and student-to-student abuse”.

The conditions require the school to report back to the VRQA monthly and notify the authority within 24 hours of any incident or complaint.

The VRQA notice read: “Whilst the VRQA acknowledges that Ballarat Grammar and its Board have undertaken significant work to seek to address the non-compliances identified by the VRQA during its review, Ballarat Grammar has not yet demonstrated compliance with all of the minimum standards, including full compliance with the Child Safe Standards.

The school was investigated earlier this year over claims of multiple assaults against younger students perpetrated by senior boarders.

At the time, the school said it was unclear when the behaviour, specifically strapping, had started or how widespread it had become.

Originally published as Ballarat Grammar parent sues school for allegedly failing to protect son from bullying, abuse and ‘strapping’