Victorian teaching regulator conducts unannounced raids on Fitzroy Community School campuses

Authorized officers from the Victorian Institute of Teaching carried out unannounced raids on Fitzroy Community School’s North Fitzroy and Thornbury campuses at about 11 a.m., looking for teachers without proper registration and confirming that sufficient staff supervise pupils. The inspections follow reporting of historic sexual-abuse claims, a sexualised culture, and reports of violent physical discipline at the alternative primary school.

Sisters Gretel and Kirsten, who raised the allegations, have lodged a civil claim in Victoria’s Supreme Court. The regulator previously suspended co-founder Faye Berryman and her son Nick, while former principal Tim Berryman is still being investigated and a third teacher faces a physical-abuse probe. Recent resignations include former principal Craig Dowell and board members Clare Myers and Peter Behrendorff; acting principal Miranda Frankel, linked to the co-founder’s family, has communicated the situation to parents. Enrollment has dropped sharply, prompting the federal Education Department to consider the school’s “fit and proper” status.