Principal Team Editorial
Like me you may have recently come across an article in the Herald-Sun (10 May 2023) titled, The Private Schools worth paying big bucks for.' This article, which in my view, completely misses the mark on what’s important when considering secondary schools, makes the following claim, 'Elite private schools continue to dominate Victoria’s list of best VCE results.'
Haileybury College Principal, Derek Scott, is quoted as saying, 'We are proud of their (students) commitment and strong work ethic'; Korowa Principal, Frances Booth, says, 'At the heart of it, I think it is the strong academic relationships between staff and students which help them work together effectively to achieve so well'' and finally, Huntingtower Principal, Andrew Houghton, attributed the school’s glowing results to 'high quality teaching, a supportive community and students who are kind, respectful and strive for excellence in all they do'.
Don’t get me wrong, this may all be true, but it’s amazing that the premise of the article (paying big bucks = great outcomes) is not reflected in the comments by any of the principals!
As a proud Principal working in the public education system, let me push back strongly on the notion that you have to pay big bucks to get great outcomes.
As a proud Principal working in the public education system, let me push back strongly on the notion that somehow, independent schools have a higher proportion of students that are committed with a strong work ethic!
As a proud principal working in the public education system, let me push back strongly on the notion that if you send your children to a high fee paying independent school that you’re more likely to end up with someone who is kinder and more respectful.
The notion that you get better outcomes because you pay more money is false.
The article itself explains that select entry government schools (and plenty of other government schools, I would add), also continue to post outstanding academic results, clearly at only a small fraction of the cost.
There is in fact a greater correlation between socio-economic/parent education levels and academic outcomes than private school and academic outcomes. Paying big bucks does not automatically translate into harder working, kinder students who get greater outcomes. That’s nonsense!
Parents are absolutely entitled to choose to send their children to whichever school they like and, for many parents, a school with a religious alignment is their preferred option. And fair enough. But don’t let anyone fool you that the only way to great ATAR outcomes or kind kids with a strong work ethic is via a second mortgage at a high fee paying school.
Public schools like ours accept all students, regardless of their financial circumstances, abilities, religious affiliations etc. We, too, have outstanding teachers and great communities that develop well-rounded students with bright futures and multiple pathways including academic and vocational! And we do all that without parent’s needing to pay $35,000 a year.
Parent Contributions
Some families may have heard that at the cross country last week, a student that previously has only had mild asthma quickly went from mild asthma symptoms to needing immediate care and an ambulance.
Once again, our amazing nurses took control of the situation and provided an exceptional level of care until the ambulance came and took the student to hospital for further treatment. Other schools would of course have first aid trained staff on hand to handle a situation such as this, but as the Principal of 1499 students and over 170 staff on any given day, this reminded me of how grateful I am that the we have two amazing fully registered nurses on staff who attend events like these and are ready to provide expert care to our school community.
This is where our Parent Contributions are spent, and I would like to sincerely thank the families of 627 students who have made their Parent Contributions and signalled their desire to want more than the standard at Wantirna. I would like to encourage the remaining families who haven’t yet to get onto Compass and make their payment.
You may recall College Council made the decision to completely simplify Parent Payments in 2022, and then again in 2023, by having one single amount and no additional charges for electives. Council will be considering a budget for 2024 soon and, at this stage, I fear we will have no choice but to reduce our elective choices in 2024 due to the lower than budgeted uptake of the Parent Contributions. We will of course still offer the core curriculum, which is funded by the State Government, but some of the subjects that require additional resources may be limited, as we redirect funds to other commitments, such as our school nurses.
We encourage all parents to please pay their voluntary Parent Contributions, payable through Compass. Please don't hesitate to contact the General Office if you require a tailored payment plan.
Please Note
During the next four weeks I will be stepping into the role of my boss as acting Senior Education Improvement Leader (SEIL) for Knox. Carrie Wallis will be acting Principal during this time.
Kevin Murphy
Principal