A 12-year-old Indian-origin student at one of Sydney’s independent schools has been expelled after attending a national tennis tournament, sparking outrage from his family.
Aarav, a budding tennis talent and high-achieving student, was at the first day of Tennis Australia’s invitational age championships when he learned he would not be allowed to return to Redeemer Baptist School in North Parramatta.
His parents, Lavanya and Hari, said they were shocked by the school’s decision, pointing out that Aarav had only missed two days of school this year for tennis. They told A Current Affair:
“I requested he be excused for this week and they came back with … we are withdrawing his enrolment and expelling him from the school.”
Headmaster Russell Bailey defended the decision, citing the school handbook, which requires parents to seek advance permission for absences for sporting or other non-school activities. He told A Current Affair:
“We will revoke an enrolment if a parent repeatedly fails to follow the school’s requirements and does not work with us in the interests of their child’s education.”
Aarav’s parents described their son’s dedication, saying he balances schoolwork and intense tennis training, often finishing school at 3.30pm before heading to the courts until 8.30pm.
“He works incredibly hard both in the classroom and on the court.”
Despite the setback, Aarav has already secured enrolment at a new school for next year. The young athlete dreams of one day winning a Grand Slam, inspired by his tennis idol Carlos Alcaraz.
Full statement from Russell Bailey, headmaster at Redeemer School (Source: A Current Affair)
As a place of education, our parent orientation and School Handbook reinforce ACARA’s common goal for children to attend school 90% of the time.
We require parents to seek advance permission when their child requires absence for sporting events or other activities that are not school-related – and this allows us to work with families to minimise any impact on education.
We have supported students with this approach as they have competed in high-level competitions across a range of inter-school, statewide, national and international competitions including in archery, golf, gymnastics, athletics, computing, football, music and science.
There are a number of inaccurate remarks in your questions, but unfortunately Privacy Laws prevent us from discussing individual students.
However, in general terms, we can say that we will revoke an enrolment if a parent repeatedly fails to follow the school’s requirements and does not work with us in the interests of their child’s education. At that point, there is no requirement to pay further fees.
Given our expectations are clear from the start, this happens very rarely, and it is a very sad and disappointing outcome for everyone.
Support our Journalism
No-nonsense journalism. No paywalls. Whether you’re in Australia, the UK, Canada, the USA, or India, you can support The Australia Today by taking a paid subscription via Patreon or donating via PayPal — and help keep honest, fearless journalism alive.
