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Colmont School collapses leaving questions unanswered

The North Central Review
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Colmont School collapses leaving questions unanswered

By Colin MacGillivray and Lauren Duffy

Tears, hugs and raw emotion marked the departure of Colmont School students from years three to 10 on Friday, with students, families and teachers left with few answers about the Kilmore school’s closure.

Late on Wednesday it emerged administrators were appointed to oversee the school after it became financially insolvent, with administrators electing to close the school to all but year 11 and 12 students by Friday.

It left the families of more than 300 students scrambling to find their children a new school within days.

Colmont, which changed its name from The Kilmore International School on July 1, is one of less than 20 schools in Victoria offering an International Baccalaureate, IB, program in lieu of VCE.

Parents were in disbelief at hastily arranged meetings on Wednesday and Thursday night, with some refusing to accept that the school would close.

Principal Peter Cooper attended the meetings but did not address the families.

In fact, many families were not informed of the initial Wednesday meeting, and the first they heard of the school going into administration was an email from State Government school regulator the Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority.

Administrators from insolvency firm Vince and Associates said they would keep the school open for year 11 and 12 students until they could secure alternative study arrangements.

The school reportedly needed at least $4 million to get through this year – and administrators said the school was ‘going to run out of cash within eight weeks’.

More Colmont news here

In recent weeks, the school’s board members had approached local MPs, state and federal education departments, and banks in hope of finding a resolution.

The school, which is registered as a charity with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission, ACNC, recorded a loss of $620,836 in 2020, the last year it submitted a financial report.

As well as a $2.1 million downturn in revenue from 2019 to 2020, there was also an increase in scholarship assistance – from $16,122 in 2019 to $685,934 in 2020.

The 2020 deficit was despite receiving $2,022,600 in JobKeeper grants, taking the total Federal Government funding for that year to $5,795,685.

Reports on the ACNC website show the school employed 98 full-time equivalent, FTE, staff in 2019, costing $8.8 million, but in 2020 employed 67 FTE staff, costing $9.27 million.

A financial report for 2021, which should have been filed by June 30, was marked as overdue by the ACNC.

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Colmont’s board of directors chairman Rod Dally said the primary factor behind the school’s financial insolvency was COVID-19, which resulted in the loss of many international students.

“The root cause of this is the locked borders and losing a substantial number of students who couldn’t come back because of COVID-19,” he said.

“Although we’ve been working hard to recoup the finances, we weren’t able to this year. About 50 of our students went home and didn’t come back, and that killed our finances. We’ve been working actively to try and correct that.

“A lot has happened in the past 12 months, but the critical factor by a long shot was COVID-19.”

Mr Dally, who has been on the school’s board since 2014, said he was devastated for the school community.

“I’m really struggling at the moment, but I’m not struggling for me – I’m struggling for the students and the families that are involved in the school,” he said.

“There are upwards of 450 families who are involved in this including the staff, the teachers and the students.

“It was never supposed to turn out this way, but unfortunately it has. We’re trying to come to grips with what’s happened.”

Mr Dally said there was ‘no financial mismanagement’ on the part of the board.

However, The Age has reported the school’s finances to be more complicated, and on top of international border restrictions due to COVID-19 that resulted in less boarders, the school board spent much of the past two years in a legal battle against historic, third-party contracts.

When sold in 2019 by the school’s founder Ray Wittmer, it meant the school’s land, buildings and associated intellectual property, such the licence to use the TKIS name, was owned by companies based in China.

The Age reported the contracts included $500,000 to use the TKIS name, and $1.6 million for ‘student services’ to a group of companies created by Mr Wittmer but then sold to a Taiwanese businessman Chien-Long Tai and his wife Yuyu Chen.

The school severed both contracts at an estimated cost of more than $1 million in legal fees and compensation, and then announced in April it would change its name, with plans to leave its current site.

Mr Wittmer did not want to speak on the record when contacted by the Review last week.

But he told The Age ‘the decision to dump the student services agreement failed to save the school money and instead contributed to its collapse’. He said the main cause of the school’s closure was financial mismanagement.

Administrator Ian Grant said he and fellow administrator Paul Langdon were yet to establish what led to the school’s collapse.

“We’ve been appointed since Tuesday and we’re not looking at how the school got to this circumstance yet,” he said.

“We’re prioritising year 11s and 12s and how we can keep their schooling going through really difficult circumstances.”

He said reports that parents had been asked to pay school fees in advance for next year as late as Wednesday afternoon were concerning.

“That’s something I’ll follow up and those people should contact our office,” he said.

“We’re looking at funds that were paid before our appointment and what we’ll do with those. Funds paid after our appointment will definitely be quarantined and there should be no further correspondence from the school.’

Mr Grant said administrators and teachers were united in their aim to support students.

“When you take over a business in voluntary administration or liquidation and tell employees the difficult news that they’re most likely losing their jobs, they don’t usually respond as well as the teachers here have responded,” he said.

“The teachers aren’t caring about their own personal employment as much as the welfare of the kids, which is amazing to see.”

Parents were told by the school’s administrators via email on Friday that pre-paid school fees and security deposits were being reviewed to assess if they could be returned, but gave no guarantee.

Yearly fees range from $9565 for grade three students to $16,260 for year 12s, and $35,350 for international students.

Editor’s note: The site of the old St Patrick’s Primary School site opposite Assumption College is not associated with Colmont School, and current works are unrelated.

State, federal politicians call for answers on Colmont School closure

The North Central Review
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State, federal politicians call for answers on Colmont School closure

By Colin MacGillivray

Politicians have called for answers after Colmont School went into administration last week.

Federal Member for McEwen Rob Mitchell described the school’s closure as ‘extremely concerning’ and called on administrators to make the causes of its insolvency public.

He criticised the school’s handling of the closure, with many parents left in the dark until Wednesday night or Thursday morning.

“Obviously our first concern is the welfare of the students, but there are a lot of questions that need to be answered,” he said.

“Parents, rightly, should be concerned about what’s happened and will be asking what the hell is going on. We need to know what has been happening behind the scenes. That question has got to be raised with the administrators.

“I think first and foremost the administrators have a duty to be clear with parents about what is happening, keep them updated and answer their questions.”

Member for Euroa Steph Ryan said the closure came as a shock and called on the State Government to provide support.

“I have written to the Education Minister to urge the Victorian Government to do all it can to support students and families in this trying time as they face difficult decisions in the days ahead,” she said.

“The Andrews Government must not allow an ideological opposition to private schools get in the way of doing what is best for students and families who are the victims of this distressing situation.”

Ms Ryan said Colmont’s closure would put a spotlight on State Government funding for schools in the region, with many students expected to join nearby schools.

“Broadford Secondary College is already close to capacity and prospective students for next year are being turned away,” she said.

“Colmont’s closure means the Victorian Government needs to urgently commit the funds needed to improve Broadford’s facilities and provide for growth.

“Despite the region’s rapid population growth, the Andrews Government has also shown no interest in progressing with a public secondary school for Kilmore.

“The reality is that the most recent Victorian budget failed to deliver a cent to Kilmore and Broadford despite their exponential growth and place within a crucial growth corridor.”

More Colmont news here

Premier Daniel Andrews pledged support for Colmont on Thursday but said the State Government’s options were limited because it was a private school.

Administrator Ian Grant of Vince and Associates said as of Thursday afternoon the government had not contacted him to arrange support.

He said the school received funding from the state and federal governments but was turned down by both when it requested additional money earlier this year.

“The school was running out of funds and sought additional funding from the commonwealth and state governments, as well as finance from banking institutions and private lending,” he said.

“As additional government funding and finance was not forthcoming, the board of directors could not continue because the school was insolvent, or likely to become insolvent.”

A Department of Education and Training, DET, spokesperson said the State Government funded more than 1550 government schools and was a minor funder of non-government schools.

He said the Federal Government provided most non-government school funding.

The Review understands Colmont received about $14,000 per student in federal government funding in 2020, with other secondary schools in the region including Catholic school Assumption College receiving $11,000 and government school Wallan Secondary College about $3000 per student.

Mr Mitchell agreed the State Government needed to review education provision in the region.

“Ultimately, the priority now is getting students back into education. I think there is a need for the Victorian Government to do a demography check and see if we’re serviced with enough schools for students in the region and what the education needs are,” he said.

In a statement, State Member for Northern Victoria Jaclyn Symes said every Victorian child had the right to enrol at a designated local government school, or another government school of their choice provided it had the space to accommodate them.

“The announcement of the Colmont School being placed in administration is disappointing and the impact on our community it upsetting, I feel for the staff, students, families and our broader Kilmore community,” she said.

Kilmore community reels from Colmont School’s closure

The North Central Review
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Kilmore community reels from Colmont School’s closure

The Kilmore and wider community were left in shock, and then saddened when news broke of Colmont School’s quick closure.

The school that most would best know as The Kilmore International School had forged a key part of the shire, not only as a major employer and school for local families, but it’s involvement with many community organisations.

Over 30-plus years, the school and its large contingent of internationa boarders had made a welcomed injection in the local economy.

But they will also be remembered for the countless hours of voluntary work that students and staff had put back into the community.

Mitchell Shire Council chief executive Brett Luxford said Kilmore was losing part of its economic, education and social fabric.

“Council is devastated by the closure of Colmont School and the impact it will have on students, families and staff, the local community and our regional educational offering and economy,” he said.

“We understand this is going to be a difficult time for the students, family and friends affected by the school’s closure. This will also have significant knock-on effects for our local community.

“We are working with our education partners, including Assumption College Kilmore and St Patrick’s Primary School, to assist students and families who have been displaced because of the closure of Colmont.”

Mr Luxford said council would work with administrators to provide what support it could.

Local businesses owed money

Administrators Vince and Associates sent out a letter with initial information for creditors on Thursday night.

The letter says the debts of the company Colmont School Ltd were ‘frozen’ from when administrators were appointed on July 26.

The first meeting of creditors who can show proof of debt and information to substantiate their claim will be on Friday.

Administrator Paul Langdon writes in the letter that he would also call a second meeting in due course.

All possible creditors of the company were listed in the letter included many businesses based in Mitchell Shire.

The letter also says the appointment was referred to the administrators by Ashfords Accountants, which followed with a telephone meeting with the school’s board, the school’s principal Peter Cooper and business manager, and a member of the accountants on July 15.

Mr Langdon was advised the company had ‘experienced financial difficulties and was seeking funding. In the event that funding was not received, the school would run out of cash and would close’.

On July 21, Mr Langdon met via Zoom with the school and two members of Ashfords Accountants to further discuss the financial difficulties and the option of voluntary administration.

Mr Langdon provided the board with documentation and information on how to place the company into voluntary administration on July 25, before being appointed on July 26.

More Colmont news here

‘Best performance of the season’ for red-hot Wallan Magpies

The North Central Review
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‘Best performance of the season’ for red-hot Wallan Magpies

By Colin MacGillivray

Wallan officials are hailing the team’s win in Macedon on Saturday as their best of the Riddell District football season.

The Magpies put their former bogie side to the sword in a thumping 23.11 (149) to 4.1 (25) win, jumping out to a staggering seven-goal lead only 13 minutes into the first quarter.

The synergy between Wallan’s midfield and spearhead Matt Perri was on full display, with Perri booting six majors in the first term and nine for the day.

Sean Morris continued a streak of strong form with five goals of his own, and Corey Grindlay booted four in what assistant coach Spencer Mathieson termed a complete team performance.

Mathieson said it had been years since the Magpies tasted victory against the Cats in Macedon.

“It was a great result. It was probably the best half of footy and one of the best games we’ve played all season, considering the opposition,” he said.

“In our last five meetings I think we’d only beaten them once. We beat them earlier in the season but before that they’d beaten us a few times in a row, so to go there and win by 20 goals was fantastic.”

Mathieson said the final score belied Macedon’s competitiveness, with the Cats midfield asserting itself after the first quarter.

“Macedon did get a fair bit of footy after the first 15 minutes. They settled down a bit and got a few numbers back to help out,” he said.

“They had some footy in their forward line and won clearances because they’re still a good side, but our back line was fantastic. We kept them to five scoring shots, and you’d take that every day of the week.”

Wallan will host Woodend-Hesket this weekend looking to atone for a draw earlier in the season and keep its dreams of a top-two finish alive.

“It’s a must-win for them to hold their spot in the top five and we need to redeem ourselves,” Mathieson said.

“They played very well [last time]. They jumped us and were 38 points up at quarter time. We didn’t play the usual type of footy we can play and they just had the footy and we couldn’t get it.

“We can’t do that again because we know they’ve got some really good players and everything to play for, so we need to start well this week.”

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Lancefield’s Dylan Holden and Romsey’s Luke Newnham contest a loose ball amid a pack of players at Lancefield Park.

Romsey also recorded a big win at the weekend, downing rival Lancefield 16.22 (118) to 5.1 (31) at Lancefield.

The Tigers were well held until the final quarter, in which they scored four goals to the Redbacks’ seven.

Romsey’s Nathan Rayment played his best game of the season and Corey Pertzel and Matt Burkett played customarily strong games, while reliable defender Michael Tinkler swung forward to kick three goals and Dean Walsh booted four.

For Lancefield, Joe Slattery was again among the best players, Ben Bryant kicked two goals and Mathew Higgins returned to the line-up with a strong performance.

Romsey will return home to host Melton Central on Saturday, while Lancefield travels to take on top side Diggers Rest.

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Ella Stoward leaps to receive a pass during the Tigers’ 53-34 win against the Redbacks – their second victory of the season.

Netball

Lancefield’s A Grade netballers celebrated their second win of the season on Saturday, beating Romsey 53-34 on their home court.

Tarnee Hammond was on fire for the Tigers, converting 43 goals at an 84 per cent clip, while Kira Baldwin and Amanda Bruce created a strong defensive tandem.

Wallan’s A Grade netballers further entrenched themselves in the top two of the competition with a hard-fought 31-29 win against Macedon.

The Cats made life difficult for Wallan goal shooter Chloe Meulenmeesters, but the team worked hard to limit Macedon’s scoring opportunities, holding the home team to eight fewer shots at goal.Wallan can guarantee itself a second-place finish at worst with a win against Woodend-Hesket this weekend, while Romsey plays Melton Centrals and Lancefield travel to Diggers Rest.

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Lancefield goal keeper Amanda Bruce attempts to put off a Romsey opponent as she shoots for goal on Saturday.

Colmont teachers left ‘devastated’ for students and without answers

The North Central Review
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Colmont teachers left ‘devastated’ for students and without answers

By Colin MacGillivray

Amid the collapse of Kilmore’s Colmont School, teachers were left with only one question – why?

School staff said they were just as blindsided by the school’s closure as parents and students, only finding out late on Wednesday that administrators had been appointed.

Year 10 coordinator Joanne Treanor said staff were ‘devastated’ for the school’s students, and angry at the lack of transparency surrounding the closure.

On Friday Ms Treanor said teachers were still unsure of who would be able to remain at Colmont to support year 11 and 12 students as they transitioned to other schools.

“We haven’t had any information whatsoever forthcoming to say what it’s going to look like,” she said.

“I don’t know whether that will come from the administrators or the existing deputy principals. It is just a waiting game at the moment.”

Colmont’s international baccalaureate, IB, program coordinator Deanna Krilis said the teachers were determined to rally behind the remaining students.

“I want to reassure families that the year 12 staff in particular are working really hard to support year 12 students who are in the final stages of [the IB] program,” she said.

“We’re working on VTAC applications, final submissions, completing coursework and everything else so that when they do move to a new IB school they’re only focusing on their final exams next term.

“That’s the priority for the year 12 teachers. We’re hoping we get a bit longer with them, but we’ve not been told how long we actually have.”

More Colmont news here

Fewer than 20 schools in Victoria offer the IB program as an alternative to VCE, and Ms Krilis said many had thrown their support behind Colmont.

“The IB schools community has been incredible in their show of support and offers to help in any way possible, even if it means arranging buses and putting on staff or having online arrangements for subjects they don’t run, just to get our students through to a successful standard,” she said.

“The IB world is so powerful and so caring. We really do pull together.”

Ms Krilis blasted the school’s handling of the closure, saying the staff felt ‘betrayed’ by the school board and leadership.

She said teachers were waiting for answers alongside families.

Colmont year five and six coordinator Julie Daniells said when she was told of the school’s closure her first thoughts were of her students.

“[The first thing that goes through your head is] how can something like this happen, and what’s going to happen to the kids?” she said.

Ms Daniells praised the students as ‘the most resilient, amazing group of people’.

“I don’t know if the gravity of it has hit them yet. It will at some point, but if they can maintain where they are at the moment, that’s a good thing,” she said.

“They have the most amazing, phenomenal staff looking after them at the moment – we’ll see them get through.”

The Independent Education Union, IEU, said in a statement they would continue to work with members at Colmont to offer support.

“We’re devastated for staff, students and their families. Too many kids will be searching for a place to continue their schooling on Monday, and too many staff members will be looking for new jobs – not an easy task in a regional area,” they said.

“We are working with relevant authorities and our … members at Colmont. We’ll be meeting members at the school to ensure they have support and advice during this difficult period.”

Independent Schools Victoria, ISV, chief executive Michelle Green said the advocacy body would work with school regulator the Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority, as well as the Department of Education and Training, to find alternatives for Colmont’s students.

“Our immediate priority is to do anything we can to ensure disruption to students’ education is minimised,” she said.

“This sudden news is distressing for the students, their families and their dedicated teachers, and for everyone concerned about school education.”

Ms Green said ISV only recently became aware of the extent of the financial difficulties facing the school.

“While we were aware that the school board was seeking financial support in recent weeks, we did not know the extent of its financial difficulties. The school’s efforts, supported by ISV, to secure short-term financial support were unfortunately unsuccessful.”

Colmont families’ anger at school closure

Max Davies
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Colmont families’ anger at school closure

By Max Davies

Families and staff are being forced to look for alternatives for their children’s education following last week’s announcement that Colmont School has been placed into administration.

With the school now in the third week of term three and year 12 students less than two months from mock final exams, parents are calling for efforts to be made to allow students in years 11 and 12 to continue at the school for as long as possible in a bid to minimise disruptions.

Colmont School closed for students from years three to 10 on Friday.

Parent Cheryl Abela told 7 News on Thursday she felt there should be some support available to students after a difficult few years.

“These kids have gone through enough COVID,” she said.

“The state and federal governments need to come together and say ‘hey, what can we do to help these kids, not throw them under another bus’.”

Families were given two days to find a new school after the sudden announcement on Wednesday evening, and all staff not involved with years 11 and 12 finished work at Colmont on Friday.

Head of year five and six and parent of a year 12 student Julie Daniells told 9 News staff were angered at the school’s response.

“We’re angry that someone knew that this was happening,” she said.

“There are people who knew and they did nothing but squander what little we had left.”

Year 12 parent Natalie Grimmer said the school was a unique environment that would be difficult to replace or replicate.

“I just think it’s really sad because it’s such a special school, it’s such a special place. There’s just nothing like it anywhere so I think we have to fight really hard to keep that going,” she said.

“These kids can’t just move to somewhere else, it’s just not the same.”

More Colmont news here

Ms Grimmer said greater transparency between the school and families would have been beneficial.

“There’s a really strong community here who are prepared to put in, prepared to do anything they possibly can, and they need to get the chance to do that,” she said.

Year 12 parent Jane Lamb told 3AW it would be difficult for students in years 11 and 12 to switch to a VCE school after becoming heavily involved with the IB at Colmont.

“We have to find a school that can take them but the subjects some of the students are studying are not available at a lot of the schools, and in some cases not available at schools in Victoria,” she said.

“We’re just trying to work through our options at the moment and it’s very difficult because there’s a lot of unknowns still.”

School captain Leo Halford-Molinaro said year 12 students felt they were in a relatively strong position to handle the situation, though there had been a lot of emotion for everyone involved.

“I think when you get news like this you can either laugh or cry, and it’s been a lot of both of those,” he said.

“As year 12s, we’ve got this hope that we’re so close to the finish line that we can get over it ourselves whatever happens so we’ve got a little bit more confidence I think, but not so much for the year 11s so they were hit pretty hard.”

Mr Halford-Molinaro said year 12 students had been told they had a minimum four weeks at the school remaining, and hoped most people would be able to use that time to finish any remaining coursework before going elsewhere to undertake exams.

“Obviously revision and exams will be at a different school, whether we all have a group move to somewhere that will accept all of us or we all go to different schools,” he said.

“I think the most likely option is groups of us go to the IB schools in Melbourne, and revise from home and come in to do exams. We just need a place to do exams really.”

Lancefield teenager Bathurst bound

The North Central Review
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Lancefield teenager Bathurst bound

A Lancefield teenager is set to make his V8 Supercars debut, driving as part of a team that received a wildcard entry in this year’s Bathurst 1000.

Jaylyn Robotham, a 19-year-old currently driving in his second season in Super2 – a stepping-stone series before V8 Supercars – will drive for Matt Chahda Motorsport, MCM, alongside teammate Matt Chahda in this year’s event in October.

Robotham scored his maiden race win earlier this year, crossing the line first in the season-opening round at Sydney Motorsport Park.

Robotham’s father David, a baker in Lancefield, said it was rewarding to see how far his son had come.

“We are delighted that Jaylyn will fulfill his dream of racing at the great race, the Bathurst 1000, later this year as part of the MCM wildcard team,” he said.

“Jay has worked so hard for this and we are working closely with the team at MCM to make his debut a success.”

Mr Robotham thanked MCM team principal Amin Chahda for his support and trust in Jaylyn, and for allowing him to share an important drive with his teammate, who will also make his V8 Supercars debut at Mount Panorama.

Amin said the team had high hopes and was looking forward to the race.

“We are excited to have a young dynamic driver like Jaylyn partnering with Matt, as they both make their debut on the Mountain,” he said.

“We have followed Jay’s progress for some time and believe he will deliver on the day.”

Matt said he was keen to drive alongside Jaylyn in his first race in main game Supercars.

“Jay is a formidable competitor in Super2,” he said.

“His attention to detail, his driving style and overall attitude to life makes him a great choice as my teammate.”The Bathurst 1000 will be the 11th round of the 2022 V8 Supercars season and will be at Mount Panorama from October 6 to 9.

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Robotham with future team mate Matt Chahda.

TKIS spirit shines through on school’s final day

The North Central Review
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TKIS spirit shines through on school’s final day

While Colmont might have been its official name for a few weeks, the colours and spirit of The Kilmore International School shone through at an all-school assembly on Friday.

Teachers, students and parents gathered on the White Street campus at 3pm to celebrate and commiserate as more than 30 years of history drew to a close.

There were few dry eyes as teacher Julie Daniells read classic Dr Seuss book Oh, the Places You’ll Go!, while fellow staff member Airom Camua-Uyehara sang soulful renditions of the Andra Day song Rise Up and Katy Perry’s Roar – a tune that had students up and dancing.

After the final bell many children stayed behind to farewell their teachers, with many sharing tears, embracing and taking pictures together.

Parents and other family members also took time to thank teachers for their efforts to support the students.

The colour red was prominent, with staff members electing to wear red clothing in recognition of The Kilmore International School, rather than Colmont’s colours of blue and white.

One parent told staff that The Kilmore International School name would live on.

“I’ll never be able to think of it as Colmont,” they said. “It’ll always be TKIS to me.”

More Colmont news here

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Colmont School staff member Airom Camua-Uyehara sings a tearful goodbye to students from years three to 10.
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Teachers spoke to students at their final assembly, giving them words of hope and encouragement for their futures.
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Students and staff dance to Katy Perry’s Roar.
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Teachers and students braced during a final assembly.
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Friends enjoyed each other’s company at the school for a final time.
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Teacher Sandy McNamara with students Ira, Viaan and Adam at Colmont School’s final assembly.
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Eknoor Ratoul, Parvathy Sreena Rajesh, Simrat Singh and Brahmleen Kaur smile through the tears on Colmont School’s final day.

Protestors fight to keep Colmont School open

The North Central Review
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Protestors fight to keep Colmont School open

By Colin MacGillivray

Colmont School students and families gathered in front of the school yesterday morning to protest its closure and call for administrators to accept bids to save it.

Colmont students were at the forefront of the protest, with grade six student Regina saying the school meant ‘everything to us’.

“I hope people recognise that our school is worth saving. Our education means a lot to us, and the school is very important to the whole community,” she said.

“If you can do something, anything, please help to save this school.”

Parent Eugene Koh expressed disbelief at the school’s sudden closure and said it would have knock-on effects for all of Kilmore.

“It’s not just the school, it’s the community and the people who have moved here for the school. It’s the businesses who depend on the school,” he said.

“There is no good substitute for [The Kilmore International School]. This is a school with a longstanding history and a track record of excellence.

“Excellence is not something that develops overnight. We are not going to have a replacement in 10 years, and perhaps not even in 20.”

Protest organiser Armit Verma said a group of parents intent of keeping the school running were exploring legal avenues to doing so.

“We are looking at all the options available to us, and a class action will be one of those options,” he said.

“There are a lot of other people who have interest in this school and want it running, including the landlord who owns the property. My understanding is that they are in talks with legal teams to see how we can get administrators to accept offers so the school can keep running.

“My understanding is that as of now the administrators intend to liquidate the school and wrap up everything. There have been offers made to the liquidators and all those offers have been rejected. We don’t know why.”

Protestor Keon Chong said parents simply wanted answers.

“[We were] given such short notice with no care for what’s going to happen to the kids in the following weeks. That’s why they need to be here [protesting],” he said.

“As parents we need to show them what to do when things like this happen to them.

“Any financial difficulties have signs. It doesn’t happen overnight. Who are the people who saw what was happening and let the whole thing slip until it was beyond manageable?”

Helping hand from Colmont’s neighbouring schools already under pressure

Max Davies
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Helping hand from Colmont’s neighbouring schools already under pressure

By Max Davies

Secondary and primary schools in Mitchell Shire, and in Melbourne, have made efforts to extend support to families and students at Colmont School after the school’s sudden closure.

Assumption College, Broadford Secondary College and Wallan Secondary College have indicated they would attempt to take in students where possible, however spaces are limited for high school students from year 10 and below.

Mitchell Shire primary schools have also stated they will try to assist Colmont students in years three to six where possible.

Colmont School was one of less than 20 schools in Victoria offering the International Baccalaureate, IB. Students at Colmont did not study the Victorian Certificate of Education, VCE – the course available at most schools in Victoria.

Students and families in years 11 and 12 currently undertaking the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program, IBDP, will need to travel to a Melbourne-based school, such as Ivanhoe Grammar School – the nearest school to Kilmore offering the IBDP – in order to continue with the program.

Preshil in Kew also offers the IBDP and has indicated they would try to support Colmont students in years 11 and 12 where possible, however both schools are more than an hour’s drive from Kilmore.

Options for secondary schools closer to the Colmont School campus in Kilmore include Assumption College, Broadford Secondary College and Wallan Secondary College, however all three offer VCE.

A letter from Assumption College sent to Colmont parents on Friday said the school had received 85 applications for immediate enrolment, and 15 to join year seven in 2023.

“At this stage, we have determined to offer interviews to about half of those students, based on the criteria [a] Catholic; [b] family connection to Assumption and [c] live in our local area. Unfortunately we have determined we cannot accommodate everyone who has applied to us,” it read.

The letter says interviews of prospective students and parents will take place early this week, with those offered a space to start Monday, August 8.

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Assumption will have an asynchronous learning day on Friday, where most students will learn remotely at home, giving staff the opportunity to plan for the changes in enrolments.

Broadford Secondary College principal Tania Pearson said the school would be open to accepting Colmont families, however spaces were limited.

“We’ve already received some calls about enrolments but we have limited spaces in only a few year levels, so if we can take some of them we will but we are very close to capacity,” she said.

Assumption College and St Patrick’s Primary School both remained open late into the evening on Thursday to allow Colmont families the opportunity to get information about enrolment on short notice.

Our Lady of the Way in Wallan said in a Facebook statement they have received enrolment enquiries on Thursday and Friday but were unable to provide a concrete solution at the time of writing.

“We understand this is a very stressful time for the families and staff,” they said.

“To those families, our response may not be immediate, please understand that we are working tirelessly behind the scenes with [Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools, MACS] to find a solution and offer support.

“As soon as we are able to provide an answer we will share it with those involved and our community.”

MACS executive director Jim Miles said Catholic primary schools in the area, including St Patrick’s, Our Lady of the Way and St Mary’s in Lancefield would be willing to try and offer support if they could.

“Our Catholic schools stand ready to support these children and families wherever possible,” he said.

“This is a challenging and upsetting situation and I encourage families to contact any Catholic school convenient to them to discuss how they might be able to assist.”

Other schools in the mix include Salesian College, Ivanhoe Grammar, Hume Anglican Grammar, Aitken College and Braemar College, while some parents raised the prospect of home schooling for the rest of the year.

Hume Anglican principal Bill Sweeney told The Age the school had fielded many calls from Colmont parents last week but most were looking for a primary school place, for which Hume had no capacity.

By Friday, it had offered places to 12 Colmont secondary students.

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