NSW Education Department issues grovelling apology for blaming principal for ‘better breeding’ slur

The NSW Department of Education has issued an apology after blaming a principal for saying ‘better breeding’ is required in order to improve students’ grades.

Department officials claimed earlier this week an acting principal at Lithgow High School had been in a meeting with the director of educational leadership in September 2020 when they made the accusation.

They were asked by the director: ‘What will it take to move students from Band 4 to Band 5 in each HSC course?’ to which they replied ‘better breeding’. 

The remark, which was recorded in the minutes of the meeting, has been unearthed by One Nation MP Mark Latham, the Daily Telegraph reports. 

However, on Tuesday the department backtracked. 

It was forced to apologise to the unnamed ex-principal, explaining that meeting minutes from different schools had somehow been muddled up.

The former relief principal who was blamed for saying Lithgow High School’s grades could lift with ‘better breeding’ has been given a public apology – but the identity of the principal who did say it remains a mystery

Lithgow High School (pictured) was exonerated by the education department’s apology which said the school’s former relief principal was not responsible for the ‘better breeding’ remark

‘The Department has apologised to the former relieving principal for the inference that they were in any way involved in the matter,’ the department told the Daily Telegraph on Tuesday.

It admitted that the minutes containing the offending comment did not even relate to Lithgow High School.

Notes from a meeting with another school were ‘inadvertently included’ with files given to parliament.

One Nation MP Mark Latham, who uncovered the remark, now claims the high school principal who did make the remark remains in their job and has faced no consequences over the ‘slur’. 

He also sledged the department as ‘incompetent’ over the messy episode. 

The identity of the official who made the remark remains a mystery.

‘How incompetent is NSW Education Department?’ Latham tweeted on Tuesday evening.

‘Now [they are] saying they put the wrong document in the upper house Call For Papers. The “better breeding” slur is from a high school principal near Lithgow who, seemingly has stayed in her job untouched since the slur was made 18 months ago.’

One Nation MP Mark Latham (pictured) condemned the ‘slur’ as ‘nasty, elitist and condescending’ and doubled down on his criticism, calling the education department incompetent

In its apology issued on Tuesday, the department did not say which school the ‘better breeding’  suggestion related to or who said it.

The context for the initial outrage was that whoever made the comment was asked by another senior education official: ‘What will it take to move students from Band 4 to Band 5 in each HSC course?’ 

They replied ‘better breeding’ – and it was recorded in meeting minutes.

NSW One Nation Leader Mark Latham stumbled upon the comment when reviewing documents about a School Excellence Policy, following a parliamentary call for papers.

He condemned the ‘slur’ as ‘nasty, elitist and condescending’ to the people of Lithgow as well as the students enrolled at the school.

Mr Latham said the ‘nasty’ slur was the last thing the Lithgow community needed as it entered an economic transition following a loss of jobs in the mining sector. 

‘Is this really how schools in Lithgow are being run? With elitist, condescending, nasty reflections on the breeding of this working class community? he said.

‘These are leaders who are supposed to have effective ways of improving school results – yet instead they are sneering at the school community by saying there’s something wrong with their breeding.’

NSW Education Minister Sarah Mitchell (pictured) said she was ‘shocked’ that such a statement had come from a staff member

The Department of Education responded to concerns by launching a formal investigation into the comments. 

Underneath the initial response of ‘better breeding’ the relieving principal goes on to suggest grades could be improved by choosing the correct maths course. 

‘We have the small numbers to allow students to push themselves to achieve mathematically in a higher course,’ they wrote. 

‘This means we achieve bands 3 and 4 in Advanced courses rather than bands 5 in the Standard course. This gives our students more scope to access university courses.’

NSW Education Minister Sarah Mitchell said she was ‘shocked’ that such a statement had come from a staff member. 

Initially the department of education said the comment came from a former relieving principal at Lithgow High. 

‘The Department unreservedly apologises for the comment, which was inappropriate and doesn’t reflect the standards we expect of our principals,’ a spokesperson said. 

‘The comment was made by the then relieving principal, who is no longer in the role or teaching at any school.

‘The matter was immediately addressed by the local director. It has been referred to the department’s Professional and Ethical Standards Unit.’

Lithgow High School is also exonerated by the department’s apology. 

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