Principal’s Blog – 17 September 2020

Dear Parents, Students and Staff

The ACT Election is looming and the corflute signs on the side of the road are a visible reminder of the candidates’ desire to get our attention. The pundits say it might be close. The promises are delivered daily to maintain our interest and gain our vote.

Our Director and representatives from CE have met with the major political parties to advocate for fair funding for students in Catholic schools. This information is available on our website under the Community tab. I draw your attention to the details enclosed to assist with your decision making.

We are grateful for the contribution we receive from both the Commonwealth and ACT Governments. The combined amount makes up approximately $11,000 of the $17,900 it costs to educate each child per annum (based on 2019 data from the My School website). Obviously, the less Government provide the more parents need to contribute.

Whilst we do our best to support families who are not as fortunate as others financially, the cost of schooling is increasing, and many families are finding it more difficult to meet the sacrifice necessary to have their child attend SFX. The College, as a business, is being very prudent in minimising costs and is constantly looking at cost effective resourcing without compromising on quality or opportunity for the students.

Next week the College will undergo a process of Registration, which is basically an audit of the programs, policies and procedures. We have just had a financial audit, a facilities audit and a VET audit conducted by external experts. Due to the COVID-19 restrictions, the next part of the process will focus mainly on compliance. The external panel will be looking through all the documentation in Week 10 of this term.

The investigation of a complaint previously communicated is nearing completion. The external investigator reported to me that the findings will be submitted to CE and the ACT Ombudsman as both were informed of the complaint initially, as required. Whilst protecting the complainant and complainee, I must respect the confidentiality of all concerned. I am not able to expand further on the complaint to ensure that procedural fairness and natural justice is undertaken. There is no compromise to student safety at school in the complaint.

Stay safe and let’s remain vigilant in our hygiene practices.

Best wishes

Paul Carroll
Principal