Girl taken to hospital after bashing at Yirara College

By ERWIN CHLANDA
 
There was an “altercation” between female students at Yirara College on Thursday last week requiring hospital treatment for a student, according to the principal, Roger Ashcroft.
 
He says: “Police were immediately called and arrived within approximately 10 minutes.
 
“As is standard and required procedure at any school, the college was locked down during the incident as a precautionary measure.
 
“One of the female students involved in the altercation required medical attention in the outpatients section of the Alice Springs hospital.
 
“The situation was managed entirely appropriately by Yirara College and the police,” Mr Ashcroft says.
 
“As a consequence of the unacceptable behaviour, the female students involved were temporarily sent home to their families.
 
“Yirara College does not tolerate behaviour such as this and those involved will face the consequences of their actions.”
 
A member of the injured girl’s family member says she suffered a broken nose.
 
She has been taken out of the college and enrolled in a community school. The family is now looking for another boarding school to send her to.
 
The family member, whose identity we are not disclosing to protect the girl’s anonymity, says her parents expected to speak with Yirara staff but that did not take place.
 
He believes about 10 students were in the brawl, from Central Australia.
 
We are seeking comment from the police and Senator Nigel Scullion whose government provides the college’s major funding.
 
A spokeswoman for the NT Department of Education, when asked to comment, said: “As Yirara College is an independent school, this enquiry will need to be referred to the school board or principal.
 
“The Federal Government is the primary funder of all non-government schools in the Northern Territory.”
 
 
UPDATE 5:15pm
 
A spokeswoman from the NT Department of Education provided the following response to questions from the Alice Springs News Online:-
 
[1] Is any NTG money paid to Yirara, and if so, how much and for what.
 
The Federal Government is the primary funder of all non-government schools in the Northern Territory. The latest information publically available about school funding can be found at the My School website.
 
[2] As far as the curriculum is concerned, what influence or power does the NTG have? 
 
All schools are required to implement the Australian Curriculum. The Northern Territory Board of Studies (NTBOS) provides high quality advice on curriculum, assessment, reporting and certification for all students in the Northern Territory from Preschool to Year 12.
 
[3] Does the NTG oversee the standard of teachers and the principal?
 
Under the Education Act 2015, non-government school registration requirements include; the schools’ staff must be of good character, a criminal record must be obtained for each member of staff and teaching staff must be registered with the Teacher Registration Board of the NT. All non-government schools undergo a routine assessment every five years to ensure they comply with these requirements.