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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.<\/p>\n
Shelford Girls\u2019 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.<\/p>\n
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Caulfield Grammar and Shelford Girls\u2019 Grammar.<\/span>Credit: <\/span> Simon Schluter<\/cite><\/p>\n The angry parents, who don\u2019t want to be named in case it affects their children, said they\u2019ve been left unsupported and uninformed following the announcement, which has prompted the exit of many students and teachers.<\/p>\n The small, 125-year-old high-fee private school in Melbourne\u2019s inner-east announced on November 16 it would merge with the 3228-student Caulfield Grammar School in 2025.<\/p>\n Shelford girls have since reported altercations with Caulfield Grammar students on public transport, with some being told \u201cwe own you now\u201d.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Shelford Girls\u2019 Grammar principal Pauline Cutajar and Caulfield Grammar principal Ashleigh Martin.<\/span><\/p>\n The families have set up a petition online, saying they\u2019re concerned for the mental health and wellbeing of the Shelford students and calling on the school\u2019s board to \u201cnegotiate better outcomes\u201d for the girls.<\/p>\n Shelford charges about $37,000 in fees for year 12 – comparable to Caulfield\u2019s $40,500 – but the school had offered bursaries and fee discounts to many students. None of those will be retained in the merger.<\/p>\n Parents have been warned that existing scholarships will be reassessed in accordance with Caulfield Grammar\u2019s criteria, leading many to believe their scholarships will be lost.<\/p>\n In a joint statement on Friday, the schools said \u201cCGS is undertaking to verify and honour Shelford scholarships and has expedited all inquiries received to date\u201d.<\/p>\n One Shelford mother, who asked not to be named, estimated there could be fewer than 10 girls left from her child\u2019s class.<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s been no pastoral care,\u201d she said. \u201cPeople have been crying. It feels very hostile. I need to secure a future for my girl and don\u2019t have enough information.\u201d<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n The schools confirmed on Friday unit 3 and 4 Shelford subjects would run at Caulfield in 2025 to ensure VCE continuity.<\/p>\n One student said the entire year 12 cohort would apply for derived scores next year because of the extra stress.<\/p>\n The student said they had been told they needed to leave a legacy as the final Shelford year 12, which increased the pressure.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s really devastating,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s our final year and half the school isn\u2019t going to be there to even witness it.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m just trying not to think about it as much as I can. If I do, it\u2019s a spiral.\u201d<\/p>\n The schools said Caulfield Grammar had been notified of the public transport incident and any behaviour not in the best interests of students was \u201cconcerning and will be treated seriously\u201d.<\/p>\n They said Shelford had run an information session and wellbeing services for staff, students and families since the announcement, and the school\u2019s executive and board had made themselves available to meet with families.<\/p>\n A tour of Caulfield Grammar had been run from 4pm on November 27 and two more were being held on December 11 and 13.<\/p>\n They said they had set a December 4 enrolment cut-off to allow time to prepare for the 2024 school year but would \u201cwork towards a suitable resolution\u201d with any family that missed the deadline.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n She said while Shelford staff were doing an amazing job, there was ambiguity over the school\u2019s ability to offer a similar environment with reduced student numbers next year.<\/p>\n \u201cNo one could give us a clear picture of what 2024 looked like,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat has been negotiated by the board, I genuinely don\u2019t think it\u2019s in the best interests of the students.\u201d<\/p>\n The schools said Shelford had a \u201cslightly elevated\u201d level of teacher attrition over recent months, but have made new appointments and would be fully staffed in 2024.<\/p>\n \u201cAt this stage, Shelford is expecting a majority of students to return in 2024 and will run class sizes commensurate with similar-sized independent girls\u2019 schools,\u201d the statement said.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n