Six expelled from $20k school for ‘hazing’

An exclusive investigation by The Daily Telegraph revealed up to 16 Year 7 students at the $20,000-a-year school may have been targeted by a group of students in Year 9.

It’s believed many of the young students who were bullied over three days in October have yet to tell their parents.

Some of the alleged hazing stunts include young students being locked in fire hydrant cupboards and belted to the extent that they were left with bruises and severe welts.

Some were also forced to bark like dogs, and lick other student’s shoes.

Another incident allegedly involved the Year 7 students being taken to a separate classroom that wasn’t monitored by CCTV cameras, where one student had a swastika drawn on his wrist, while others were filmed saying derogatory phrases like: “I’m your b***h”.

One mother of a Year 7 student involved in the alleged attack said it was a “systemic problem with all the private schools”.

“Although it’s terrible, I’m more relieved he’s one of the Year 7 boys than the Year 9 boys,” she said.

Another father said the school’s principal, Graham Leddie told parents he had “never seen anything like this in his eight years at the school”.

Speaking on Ben Fordham Live, 2GB radio host Ben Fordham denounced the “serious” actions of the older students.

“You’ve got a bunch of gutless wonders in Year 9 picking on kids a lot younger then them,” he said on Thursday morning’s radio program.

“Can you imagine being 13, going to school and having these boys two years older than you round up you, belt you with a belt, lock you inside a fire hydrant (cupboard) and make you lick shoes and bark like a dog.”

According to Mr Leddie, the school suspended the students believed to have been involved as soon as the incident was revealed. While the incident was reported to NSW police, authorities believe the school handled it appropriately.

“The College moved quickly and sent a clear message that whether we treat someone with respect or disrespect – there will always be a corresponding outcome that they are responsible for,” he told the Telegraph.

“The choice is up to each person to determine what outcome they want their actions to have, and they must live with the consequences of that.”

Located in Sydney’s affluent Eastern Suburbs, annual tuition fees at the institution total an estimated $20,455 a year for Year 7 students, and increase to $21,255 for Year 9 students. Tuition for senior students are estimated to hit $22,555.

According to the school’s website, additional fees for camps, excursions and incursions can add up to an additional $2500 per year, while uniform fees cost an additional $1500.

In 2021 Waverley College was one of the many private boys schools which were named in testimonies of women who claim they had been sexually assaulted by fellow students, as part of Chanel Contos’ Teach Us Consent petition.

The project saw all states and territories introduce a new curriculum which will be implemented from 2023, and teach students about consent, coercion, power imbalances and gendered stereotypes in sexual assault.