School rejects ‘poaching’ claim

By Shaun Inguanzo
STUDENTS accepting scholarships to Haileybury College’s Girls College will need to leave their current school before the year is out.
The revelation follows claims strongly rejected by Haileybury that it is ‘poaching’ girls from neighbouring schools to fill years nine to 12 of its girls college.
Haileybury College refused to give further comment beyond a statement on a The Age article last weekend which claimed it offered a number of scholarships to girls from private schools such as Killester College in Springvale and St Margaret’s School in Berwick to ‘poach’ students.
This week Killester and St Margaret’s both confirmed to Star that students would be leaving to take up scholarships at Haileybury.
Killester College principal Leanne Di Stefano said she was not sure that Haileybury was poaching students, and she said the school had respect for neighbouring schools looking to bolster numbers.
However, Ms Di Stefano was concerned about Haileybury’s larger-than-normal intake.
“Next year that will have a larger ripple effect on schools in the area,” she said.
Also worrying Ms Di Stefano was news that students accepting scholarships would not complete their school year with Killester.
“I understand year 10 and 11 students will be starting at Haileybury in October,” she said. “I think this will cause a bit of disruption to their education, but the full story hasn’t been explained to me by Haileybury.”
St Margaret’s principal Doctor Helen McDonald said 20 of the school’s students had been offered scholarships with Haileybury.
Dr McDonald did not comment on whether she felt Haileybury was poaching.
Haileybury principal Robert Pargetter said The Age took “particular delight in promoting a negative perception of independent schools” in its article.
“The Commencement Scholarship Program was advertised in the school newsletters, in the local press across the Haileybury catchment areas and on the website,” he said.
“No students were approached directly, all applications were through the registrar, and all those admitted went through a rigorous process of interview, with family, examination of academic records and other information, counselling on subject choice, and an individualised orientation program which is still continuing.”
Mr Pargetter said the girls and their families had chosen to leave their former schools.
He said students cited a number of reasons, including large and noisy classrooms, restrictions in VCE subjects and lack of focus on specific tertiary pathways, for the change.
“We have been very surprised with the way some schools have treated with hostility students and families that are leaving, and we are doing all we can to support these students,” Mr Pargetter said.
“In the end Haileybury felt its primary obligation was to the students at this school, and those who made legitimate requests to come to this school.”