‘We own you’: Taunts, student exits and scholarship fears in private school merger

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Families at a high-fee girls school fear they could be left without lucrative scholarships and classes have been decimated to fewer than 10 students following an announced merger with its co-educational neighbour.

Shelford Girls’ Grammar parents said the school has given them until Monday to decide whether to stay for its final year in 2024, despite many not being able to tour the Caulfield Grammar campus during school hours.

Caulfield Grammar and Shelford Girls’ Grammar.Credit: Simon Schluter

The angry parents, who don’t want to be named in case it affects their children, said they’ve been left unsupported and uninformed following the announcement, which has prompted the exit of many students and teachers.

The small, 125-year-old high-fee private school in Melbourne’s inner-east announced on November 16 it would merge with the 3228-student Caulfield Grammar School in 2025.

Shelford girls have since reported altercations with Caulfield Grammar students on public transport, with some being told “we own you now”.

Parents claim the merger is more a takeover and have accused the Shelford board of failing to act on any proposals to save their beloved campus.

Shelford Girls’ Grammar principal Pauline Cutajar and Caulfield Grammar principal Ashleigh Martin.

The families have set up a petition online, saying they’re concerned for the mental health and wellbeing of the Shelford students and calling on the school’s board to “negotiate better outcomes” for the girls.

Shelford charges about $37,000 in fees for year 12 – comparable to Caulfield’s $40,500 – but the school had offered bursaries and fee discounts to many students. None of those will be retained in the merger.

Parents have been warned that existing scholarships will be reassessed in accordance with Caulfield Grammar’s criteria, leading many to believe their scholarships will be lost.

In a joint statement on Friday, the schools said “CGS is undertaking to verify and honour Shelford scholarships and has expedited all inquiries received to date”.

One Shelford mother, who asked not to be named, estimated there could be fewer than 10 girls left from her child’s class.

“There’s been no pastoral care,” she said. “People have been crying. It feels very hostile. I need to secure a future for my girl and don’t have enough information.”

Students entering VCE next year have been told their subjects are assured, but parents have since received conflicting messages from Caulfield Grammar staff about whether those subjects would be offered at their campus in 2025.

The schools confirmed on Friday unit 3 and 4 Shelford subjects would run at Caulfield in 2025 to ensure VCE continuity.

One student said the entire year 12 cohort would apply for derived scores next year because of the extra stress.

The student said they had been told they needed to leave a legacy as the final Shelford year 12, which increased the pressure.

“It’s really devastating,” she said. “It’s our final year and half the school isn’t going to be there to even witness it.

“I’m just trying not to think about it as much as I can. If I do, it’s a spiral.”

The schools said Caulfield Grammar had been notified of the public transport incident and any behaviour not in the best interests of students was “concerning and will be treated seriously”.

They said Shelford had run an information session and wellbeing services for staff, students and families since the announcement, and the school’s executive and board had made themselves available to meet with families.

A tour of Caulfield Grammar had been run from 4pm on November 27 and two more were being held on December 11 and 13.

They said they had set a December 4 enrolment cut-off to allow time to prepare for the 2024 school year but would “work towards a suitable resolution” with any family that missed the deadline.

The mother of a student who will leave Shelford next year said Caulfield Grammar had refused her requests for a tour during school hours to properly inform her decision.

She said while Shelford staff were doing an amazing job, there was ambiguity over the school’s ability to offer a similar environment with reduced student numbers next year.

“No one could give us a clear picture of what 2024 looked like,” she said.

“What has been negotiated by the board, I genuinely don’t think it’s in the best interests of the students.”

The schools said Shelford had a “slightly elevated” level of teacher attrition over recent months, but have made new appointments and would be fully staffed in 2024.

“At this stage, Shelford is expecting a majority of students to return in 2024 and will run class sizes commensurate with similar-sized independent girls’ schools,” the statement said.

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