Melbourne’s worst-performing VCE school closed over child safety concerns

A private international college that recorded Melbourne’s worst performance in last year’s VCE exams has been stripped of its licence to run secondary courses because of child safety concerns.

The Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority last week stripped Ozford College of its licence to enrol international secondary students, alleging the school, on Queen Street in the CBD, had failed to meet child safety standards.

Ozford said it became stuck in “regulatory quicksand” and was left with no choice but to close its high school operation permanently after the authority cancelled its registration.

More than 50 students, mostly from mainland China, had to be found new schools at short notice as a result of the authority’s move.

Ozford offered year 10, 11 and 12 study to overseas students who came to Australia unaccompanied by parents or guardians. The students were accommodated with local homestay families.

The VRQA said the school was “not meeting its obligations for the accommodation, support and welfare of students” and was “also not meeting the Child Safe Standards”.

The regulator did not supply details of the failures it alleged against Ozford.

The college calls itself an “innovative Australian educational institution”, but it recorded the lowest VCE median study score – just 19 against a statewide average of 30 – of any school in Melbourne last year.

Fifty-four overseas students enrolled in years 10, 11 and 12 had to scramble to find alternative schools as a result of the authority’s decision. The authority said it was working with the state Education Department and the Commonwealth to support them in finding new schools.

Ozford continues to run tertiary courses for postgraduate and undergraduate students, as well as an English language centre.

VRQA chief executive Stefanie Veal said child safety was non-negotiable.

“The VRQA will not hesitate to act where a school fails to ensure the safety and wellbeing of its students,” she said.

Ozford principal Rong Liu said in a statement that the school would close as a result of the regulator’s decision, with eight teachers to lose their jobs.

“All students have been successfully placed at other providers, and unused tuition fees repaid,” Liu said.

“The sad outcome is that a successful, thriving, Victorian small business operating in this state for 24 years was enveloped in what amounted to regulatory quicksand and a consequent inability to operate successfully.”

Jason Wang from education agency One You Education, which helps students from mainland China to find schools in Australia, said the situation had been stressful.

“We need to do a lot of explanation to parents. Some parents want to fly over; some are blaming us,” he said. “Parents were frustrated, and we are still waiting on the news about refunding and what we do after that. We can’t do much.”

Weihong Liang, president of the International Students Representative Council of Australia, said minors living away from their parents or legal guardians were vulnerable.

Liang said he had heard concerns about some homestays – not related to Ozford – failing to provide an adequate standard of care for school-aged students.

“I have also heard concerns about bullying in some secondary school accommodation settings, including gender-related violence affecting international students. These are issues that are discussed informally among students,” he said.

The number of overseas school student visas granted by Australia is in long-term decline, with 16,961 issued in 2007-2008, and 9074 in 2024-25.

Brett McGeorge, of Australian Education Assessment Services, which runs tests for prospective international school students, said there were about 300 overseas school programs registered around the country – most at private schools and a small percentage at registered training providers.

The market is shifting from mainland China to more students from South Korea and Taiwan.

McGeorge said Ozford’s closure “tarnishes the industry”, to an extent.

“I’m not sure that would be a huge impact, because the number of students going to a school like the one that we’re potentially talking about is quite small,” he said.

McGeorge said the closure served as a reminder that Australia’s regulatory bodies were actively working to protect local and international students.

But he said the international school sector punched above its weight in terms of boosting the economy, with students paying hefty secondary school fees as well as bringing in tourism dollars thanks to family visits.

“Particularly if they’re going to private schools, tuition alone these days at the top private schools can be $60,000 to $65,000 and then boarding on top of that, looking at almost a $90,000 to $100,000 proposition per student,” he said.

“In most cases, they’re doing that over four or five years, then they’ve got parents and friends visiting them and coming and staying and injecting tourist dollars into the economy.”

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