Brindabella Christian College

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Brindabella Christian College
BCC Sports & Performing Arts Centre-2.jpg
Location
Brindabella Christian College
Charnwood and Lyneham, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory

Australia
Coordinates 35°14′57″S149°07′43″E / 35.249052°S 149.128533°E / -35.249052; 149.128533
Information
Former nameO’Connor Christian School
Type private co-educational early learning, primary and secondary day school
MottoWisdom, Integrity, Service and Excellence
Religious affiliation(s) Non-denominational Christian
Established1980;45 years ago (1980)
FounderMr David Button
PrincipalPeter Reuben
Years Early learning and K–12
Age range3–18
Enrolmentc. 1000
Campus
  • 46 Lhotsky Street, Charnwood
  • 136 Brigalow Street, Lyneham
Campus type Suburban
Color(s)Navy, red and white
Affiliations
  • Christian Schools Australia
  • Association of Independent Schools ACT
Website www.bcc.act.edu.au

Brindabella Christian College (BCC) is a private non-denominational Christian co-educational early learning, primary and secondary day school, located in the Canberra suburbs of Charnwood and Lyneham, in the Australian Capital Territory, Australia.

Contents

History

The school was established in 1980 as O’Connor Christian School [1] , as an educational outreach of the O’Conner Uniting Church. Originally focused on Kindergarten to Year 6, the school grew to cover Years 7 and 8, which required the relocation to the current premises at Lyneham in 1982. In 1998, the school split from the O’Conner Uniting Church, and established itself as the current name, Brindabella Christian College. In the years following, the growth of the school continued, allowing it to cater for the years through to Year 12.

Differentiating Factors

The school differentiates itself from others, through continually achieving ATAR results in the top percentile of ACT schools [2] [3] , which is heavily promoted on public transport advertising [4] , and to which the school attributes its' student enrollment growth year-on-year [5] .

In 2024, it was discovered [6] that the school had not been paying mandatory employee superannuation entitlements [7] , in some cases, going back up to 5 years. The Independent Education Union took the matter to the Fair Work Commission [8] , however despite reassurances from the school board, overdue superannuation amounts are still owing in early 2025 [9] .

In August 2024, the then-principal of the school, Keturah Jones, resigned [10] from her position. It was noted that this was the ninth principal to resign from the school over 9 years, all of which have been attributed to a toxic workplace culture brought on from the school board for this duration [11] [12] .

In January 2025, the school saw a dramatic drop in both staff and student numbers [13] , in part due to the ongoing superannuation and workplace issues. The board chair reports a drop of 200-250 enrollments [14] from the previous year.

In February 2025, the Australia Tax Office sought to wind up the school [15] over an outstanding tax debt that has grown year-on-year to $8 million, while also failing to meet their mandatory repayments as agreed in the previous year. At the same time, staff were not paid [16] , and superannuation payments are still outstanding [17] . The Department of Education has also informed the school that they will not receive federal funding [18] , as the school hasn't submitted their mandatory financial reports for the past 2 years [19] , and the board has previously shown [20] to be financially unfit to run the school.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Our History - Brindabella Christian College". n.d. Retrieved 28 February 2025.
  2. ↑ "Top High Schools in ACT 2024". n.d. Retrieved 28 February 2025.
  3. ↑ "Brindabella Christian College achieves their highest ATAR results ever". 16 December 2022. Retrieved 28 February 2025.
  4. ↑ "If you have to ask, you probably can't afford a Canberra bus ad". 15 July 2023. Retrieved 28 February 2025.
  5. ↑ "Brindabelle Christian College Enrollment Counts from 2023 and 2024" (PDF). n.d. Retrieved 28 February 2025.
  6. ↑ "Private school's staff not paid super for nine months". 1 February 2024. Retrieved 28 February 2025.
  7. ↑ "Two new fights launched against Brindabella Christian College for unpaid super, alleged DA breaches". 14 May 2024. Retrieved 28 February 2025.
  8. ↑ "Union files Fair Work dispute against Brindabella Christian College". 9 May 2024. Retrieved 28 February 2025.
  9. ↑ "Don't let Brindabella Christian College reopen without assurances, reform group urges ministers". 23 January 2024. Retrieved 28 February 2025.
  10. ↑ "Brindabella Christian College principal resigns". 12 August 2024. Retrieved 28 February 2025.
  11. ↑ "WorkSafe investigates Brindabella Christian College as staff speak out". 4 October 2019. Retrieved 28 February 2025.
  12. ↑ "Brindabella Board resignation highlights ongoing grave concerns over school governance". 6 March 2020. Retrieved 28 February 2025.
  13. ↑ "Exodus at Brindabella Christian College Charnwood campus raises term 1 questions". 18 January 2025. Retrieved 28 February 2025.
  14. ↑ "Brindabella fears being another Calvary, alleges government wants to create super-school precinct in Lyneham". 26 February 2025. Retrieved 28 February 2025.
  15. ↑ "ATO launches court action against Canberra private school owing 8 million as government considers its own regulatory action". 21 February 2025. Retrieved 28 February 2025.
  16. ↑ "Some Brindabella Christian College staff not paid amid ATO court action". 23 February 2025. Retrieved 28 February 2025.
  17. ↑ "Media Release: Unpaid wages: Union takes Brindabella Christian College to Fair Work Commission". 26 February 2025. Retrieved 28 February 2025.
  18. ↑ "Brindabella future in doubt as federal govt moves to strip funding". 27 February 2025. Retrieved 28 February 2025.
  19. ↑ "Annual reporting Brindabella Christian Education Limited". n.d. Retrieved 28 February 2025.
  20. ↑ "Proprietor Found Unfit by the Federal Education Minister". n.d. Retrieved 28 February 2025.


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