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The Scots College Council has thrown its “resolute” support behind principal Dr Ian Lambert, revealing that boys as young as 10 have now been briefed on the sexual assault charges laid against three of their peers.
In a joint statement sent to the prestigious school’s community on Tuesday evening by college chairman the Reverend Glen Pather and Lambert, leadership confirmed staff had spoken with all students in year 5 and above in an “age-appropriate way” following public fallout over the police investigation.
“We understand that staff and parents want to know what has been said to students, what support is available and what the college teaches about consent, dignity and relationships,” the email read.
“All students in Year 5 and above have now been spoken to about this matter in age-appropriate ways and in settings suited to their stage of development. In every case, additional support has been offered.”
However, one parent who spoke to the Herald on condition of anonymity said the talks focused heavily on warning students against speaking to the media or commenting publicly.
“It was the perfect opportunity to talk about consent and what it means, but focus was on public image,” they said.
Responding to broader scrutiny over its culture, the school defended its curriculum, stating it has taught age-appropriate consent and sexuality education from kindergarten to senior school for at least 15 years.
The action follows the revelation that a Scots College old boy sent messages to a group chat in which he called the 14-year-old victim of the alleged assault by three students a “willing participant” in the attack, and labelled the students involved “deadshits”.
Arthur Tzaneros resigned from his position as boss of freight giant ACFS Port Logistics after the comments were published by this masthead on Monday.
The email sent to parents did not explicitly reference the incident, but said “sexual violence is never acceptable”.
“Behaviour of the kind alleged is entirely inconsistent with the standards and values of the College. Commentary that minimises sexual violence, blames or targets another person or speculates about the young people involved is also unacceptable.
“The College does not claim that education can remove every risk or guarantee every individual choice,” the letter read. “We do, however, accept our responsibility to teach these standards clearly, consistently and over time.”
The statement also emphasised that the alleged incident occurred away from the school and outside school hours, noting the college did not witness it and learned of details only through police and media reports.
There are growing calls for an overhaul of the embattled Bellevue Hill college’s leadership amid criticism of its handling of the alleged sexual assault of a 14-year-old girl and what they say are deep-rooted cultural issues within the school community.
However, the council defended the school’s leader, writing that he leads with its “full authority and support”.
“Council fully supports his leadership for the remainder of his tenure as Principal and shares responsibility with him and the Executive team for the decisions arising from this matter,” it said.
School leadership also warned the community against public speculation and sharing material online, cautioning that online commentary “can cause significant harm and may have serious consequences”.
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Emily Kowal is a Walkley award-winning education reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect via email.From our partners
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