Kimberley College, Carbrook
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| Kimberley College, Carbrook | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
 | |
| Coordinates | 27°40′49″S 153°14′04″E / 27.68017°S 153.23454°E |
| Information | |
| School type | Private |
| Motto | With Courage and Compassion |
| Established | 2000 |
| Principal | Glenn Johnson |
| Teaching staff | 50 (2023) |
| Grades | Prep to Year 12 |
| Enrollment | 742 (2023) |
| Website | Official site |
Kimberley College is an independent coeducational primary and secondary school located in the Logan City suburb of Carbrook, Queensland, Australia.[1][2] It is administered by Independent Schools Queensland, with an enrolment of 742 students and a teaching staff of 50, as of 2023.[2] The school serves students from Prep to Year 12.[1][2]
The school was established on 1 January 2000,[3] being founded by Paul Thomson, who served as the principal until he was dismissed in May 2018 for mismanaging the school's funds.[4] The original school was located in Mount Cotton but moved to its current location on Kruger Road in 2003.[5]
In 2017, less than two percent of students at the school were taking the NAPLAN test due to parents having the knowledge that they could withdraw them under philosophical or religious grounds.[6] While the principal denied actively encouraging withdrawals, he acknowledged that NAPLAN can cause significant and unnecessary stress for students.[6]
In 2018, after a financial audit was conducted by the school's board, it was revealed that the foundation principal, Paul Thomson had taken roughly $800,000 from the school, which approximately $700,000 of it was spent on vacations for him and his family.[4] The school community was divided on the issue, with separate online petitions being created, some for the principal to be dismissed and others for him to be kept.[4]
After a through police investigation on the matter was conducted, which was sparked when the Education Department alerted police in August 2018, it was revealed that the principal gave himself "$221,000 in backpay, spent $819,000 on luxury overseas trips and accrued $197,000 on the school's credit card."[7] After raids were conducted through July and August of 2019, which seized documents, computers and mobile phones, the former principal, along with his associates, were arrested and charged by September.[7][8][9] It was reported that approximately $4.6 million was taken from the school between the period of 2012 and 2018.[8] As of March 2023, court proceedings were still ongoing.[10]
Demographics
In 2023, the school had a student enrollment of 742 with 50 teachers (48.6 full-time equivalent) and 26 non-teaching staff (24.1 full-time equivalent). Female enrollments consisted of 415 students and Male enrollments consisted of 327 students; Indigenous enrollments accounted for a total of 2% and 9% of students had a language background other than English.[2]