Deputy Principal
Expectations
Over the course of the last two weeks, I have taken the opportunity to speak to all the students across the College in their year meetings. I have spoken to them about a number of things.
Firstly, I spoke to them about our expectations.
We are very clear with our expectations as can be seen in Shining the St Patrick’s Way. This document, which we implemented last year, is very transparent about the expectations for each of the young men that we educate. It does not change from their first day of Year 5 to their last HSC exam in Year 12.
That means we expect them to:
wear their uniform with pride both within the school grounds and when they are out in public
to have appropriate haircuts and as they get older, be clean shaven
to act appropriately on public transport including not using inappropriate language, hanging off rails on buses and trains, using their opal card, and offering their seats to members of the public
treat each other with respect
always act with integrity
use their gifts and talents to always do their best both inside and outside of the classroom.
Secondly, I spoke to them about showing respect to our staff here at the College.
On several occasions this year, I have had staff members report inappropriate actions from students towards staff. I reminded all our students that if a member of staff asks them to do something, they should comply and do what is asked of them. I have not come across a situation where a member of staff has asked a student to do something that is unreasonable. If a student thinks it is unreasonable, I remind them that they can see their year coordinator, the Director of Middle School, Director of Senior School or me. We are always happy to talk to them. I also reminded them that if one of their peers is asked by a member of staff to do something, gathering in a group and surrounding a staff member is intimidating behaviour and will not be tolerated under any circumstances. They do not need to get involved in situations that do not involve them. They also cannot stand around in a group while a discussion is taking place between a teacher and another student and intrude into the personal space of that discussion. If that member of staff feels intimidated, then I will treat it as intimidation. Students cannot argue that they did not intend for their behaviour to come across that way. Claiming ignorance or claiming not to understand is not an excuse and will not be tolerated.
Thirdly, I spoke to the students about sexual harassment.
We have also received reports from staff regarding sexualised comments and inappropriate noises made by some students. Let us be clear - the eSafety Commissioner in 2021 found that around 28% of children aged 9-12 had seen sexual content online, and almost half of them had seen it more than once. Other studies point to boys aged between 14-17 years being the most frequent underage consumers of pornography. As parents/carers have given their children access to phones with internet connections, all this material is accessible. When students who then watch this content or watch reels on social media and then come into the College and repeat noises or sayings or have inappropriate conversations with staff, I made it clear to all the students that sexual harassment is a serious issue, and the College will not tolerate it. For our younger students, I reinforced that if they do not understand something they have seen or heard, then they should not repeat it or imitate it. For our older students it becomes a lot more serious; they are making conscious decisions to effectively break the law. Any student found to be sexually harassing a member of staff will be stood down immediately. Again, claims of not understanding or not having intent are not grounds for leniency.
Can I please ask all our parents and carers to work with us on these matters - educating your son is a privilege that we do not take lightly. However, we must work in partnership so we can allow everyone in our community’s light to shine.
Adrian Byrne
Deputy Principal