This masthead first revealed in February that up to 10 senior boarders were accused of routinely physically abusing their younger schoolmates at one of the school’s boarding houses, with two boys eventually expelled and about 12 others moved off campus for several months.
Numerous men came 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.
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Much of the alleged violence took place at night, when there was no adult supervision in the boarding houses. The school has hired security guards this year to protect the younger children as they sleep, and CCTV cameras have been installed.
The school has conducted reviews and investigations and senior staff have stood down, but while the VRQA acknowledged the school had made efforts to change, Ballarat Grammar had not yet shown that it was compliant with the standards.
VRQA chief executive Stefanie Veal confirmed on Friday that the conditions had been imposed.
“Schools and school boarding premises must ensure children are safe and feel safe.”
In a statement from the school’s board issued on Friday, Ballarat Grammar issued an official apology to recent victims of recent and historical abuse at the institution, which traces its history back to the 19th century.
“The Board and Leadership apologises to all members of our current and past community for the impact caused by these events,” the statement read.
“We accept the seriousness of the findings and the impact on students, families and the wider school community. The care, safety and wellbeing of students and staff is the highest priority of our school.”
Parent were told in the letter that the school was working hard to comply with the VRQA’s requirements and that more updates would follow “as part of our commitment to transparency, accountability and continuous improvement”.