9 October 2023
RESPONSE TO RECENT MEDIA COVERAGE
Disappointingly, the College has been unfairly and inaccurately represented in the media over the weekend.
It is unfortunate that the media and others continue to misunderstand the purpose and mission of our College, of our integrated education and wellbeing approach.
Arethusa College is an accredited independent Special Assistance School.
As a condition of our accreditation, we cannot and do not charge tuition fees. That sets us apart from other independent schools.
Our school receives the majority of its funding from the Federal and State Governments. This is in recognition of the diverse needs faced by our students.
As a registered charity and not-for-profit institution all money that comes into the College must be invested back into the school. Our financial records are independently audited each year and like all schools, our College is required to meet state and federal legislative and regulatory requirements regarding education provision, student and staff safety, compliance and governance.
We are very grateful for the overwhelming support of our community, school families, staff and referral agencies. As always, we exist in the service of young people and their best outcomes. The only way we achieve this is through our spectacular staff. Supporting them, their wellbeing and professional development is paramount to everything we do.
Below is the comprehensive statement we supplied to The Sunday Mail.
As a learning organisation we are always open to improvement and encourage parents and staff to raise any concerns they have directly with us so that we can address them respectfully and constructively.
We are immensely proud of our College, our staff and our students – students who deserve every opportunity to find and make their place in this world.
By way of background and to provide the context of our school, Arethusa College is an accredited Special Assistance School (SAS).
The purpose of our College, and the small but fast-growing number of SAS independent schools like us, is to work with children and young people whose challenging life circumstances have made it difficult for them to achieve success in a mainstream school setting. There are currently 41 independent and Catholic Special Assistance Schools operating across 81 campuses in Queensland.
Our students are referred to us by other schools, community services and welfare agencies.
Many of our students have been excluded from multiple educational settings. Their education has been interrupted, sometimes for years. In addition, these young people have often experienced significant levels of trauma, violence and disadvantage.
Growth
Unfortunately, the traditional school model isn’t working for an increasing number of children and young people, particularly post COVID and the resultant well-documented increase in mental health issues being experienced by young people.
Arethusa College’s growth, and that of other Special Assistance Schools like us – we are not alone – over the past few years in particular, is the result of skyrocketing levels of community demand for different types of schooling that are better equipped to deal with the increasingly complex needs of young people.
We have opened four campuses since 2020 – which accounts for our higher capital expenditure over this period. The majority of this expenditure is funded by loans with some supplementary government funding.
We now operate seven campuses serving more than 1,200 students around south-east Queensland. Our average campus size is about 180 – 200 students.
We wouldn’t be here if there wasn’t a need. And there is a great need for our type of integrated education and welfare model of service delivery.
Governance and complaints
Like all schools, our College is required to meet state and federal legislative and regulatory requirements regarding education provision, student and staff safety, compliance and governance. Our financial statements are audited annually, including all recurrent and capital expenditure by the College.
We cannot open a campus unless we receive approval from the Non-state Schools Accreditation Board (NSSAB).
This includes having policies and procedures in place to handle complaints made to, or against the school.
Our staff and parents are made aware of these avenues to raise concerns directly with the College and are encouraged to do so.
As a learning organisation we are always open to improve what we do and how we do it, in order to best serve the needs of our students.
Disappointingly, over the past few years the College has been the target of a campaign of false, misleading and vexatious claims. We have responded to every concern and allegation providing documented evidence to explain the full circumstances of a matter or to refute untruths.
This concerted attack on our College is deeply upsetting. It consumes resources that should be directed to our students and unnecessarily impacts the wellbeing of our dedicated staff.
We are unashamedly proud of the work our College and staff do to encourage and engage vulnerable young people in communities across south-east Queensland. We are fierce advocates for our students. Sometimes we are the only ones.
We know the immense potential and worth of our students. We are an education community in the business of transforming lives. It’s not easy. It can be messy, and it takes time to earn and build trust. But we are patient, and our compassionate and dedicated staff walk the journey alongside our students, believing in them and encouraging them at every step and misstep.
School culture and change
Change in any workplace can be challenging for some staff.
We embarked on a program of change in 2017 that we are still on. We reset our thinking about our College. Up to that point our College had been misunderstood, judged, and labelled – just like our students.
So, we raised the bar for ourselves and our students. We adopted a new mission: to Believe in our students, until they do; to Expect great things of them, and for them; and to Celebrate them every day.
Instead of asking students to “fit into school”, we fit school to them. We work closely with our students, their families and carers, to assemble the expert support they need, on campus or through external agencies, to address the underlying reasons why they weren’t engaging in learning or were experiencing behaviour issues.
Arethusa College has worked hard to build a school that our students, staff and parents can be proud of. It’s not easy work, but it’s incredibly rewarding, particularly witnessing the transformation and progress so many of our students undergo during their time with us.
Sometimes our school won’t be the right fit for staff, students or parents. They may not agree with our education philosophy or approach which is outlined in our enrolment and employment agreements.
Staff
Like all schools, recruiting and retaining teaching staff is a challenge, even more so for our College based on the complex needs and journeys of our students. We are upfront about this with potential teaching and non-teaching staff.
However, it’s important to understand that our teaching staff do not work in isolation. They are supported by a large team of specialists who have wide-ranging experience and expertise in supporting young people. We employ a broad range of teachers, specialist teachers, social workers, youth workers, psychologists, counsellors, education support workers and inclusive education staff.
Therefore, it’s misleading to simply look at student to teacher ratios. The student to total full-time equivalent staff ratio in our College is about 6:1, which is consistent with other independent Special Assistance Schools. It has also remained around this level since 2017.
Our processes, policies and structures are carefully designed to support the wide-ranging and complex needs of our students. Every student has an individual education plan that reflects their own goals and creates a pathway for them to achieve success. Those with behaviour or mental health concerns will also have an individual behaviour plan.
Safety
The safety and wellbeing of our students and staff is paramount. We have a security guard at every campus and multiple staff are trained in de-escalation techniques.
Our students are highly vulnerable young people, many with histories of disadvantage and trauma. Self-harm, violence and addiction can be part of their stories. The difference in Arethusa College is that we address these issues openly and honestly without stigma. Our students quickly learn that our staff are safe and supportive adults.
Like all schools, we don’t accept violence, but we understand why some students lash out, as was the case in the incident that you have referenced.
We investigated this incident, interviewing all parties involved. We separated the students into different parts of the school, while also providing counselling and additional support around building self-regulation skills. There have been no repeat issues relating to the two students involved.
When we are made aware of concerns regarding student or staff safety we take immediate and appropriate action to safeguard the individual and the rest of the school.
However, if any safety concerns remain, we have a range of strategies on which to draw. For example, if a student comes to school in a state of heightened stress or anxiety, they are immediately seen by our mental health and wellbeing team. Other measures include removing students from group situations, adapting their program, visiting them outside school and working with other agencies.
Lisa Coles
Arethusa College Executive Principal