St Joseph’s Primary School Yarra Junction: Devastating reason why grandparents were banned from classroom

Young pupils were left distraught after their grandparents were banished from their classroom during a Catholic primary school event.

Grandparents were invited to bring ‘something old they have at home’ to show off groups one and two at St Joseph’s Primary School in Yarra Junction on Melbourne’s eastern suburbs last Friday.

In photos shared on social media, visitors showed the children how “technology and the world have changed over time” as they displayed old photos, phones, cameras, clocks and even a unicycle.

But a small group of furious grandparents claimed they were treated like ‘criminals’ on arrival because they were not in possession of a Working With Children’s Check (WWCC).

The grandparents showed old photos, phones, cameras, clocks and a unicycle to the students of groups one and two

One woman, who has previously attended other school events, said her granddaughter almost “burst into tears” when she was called into the office and told that “Grandma” was not allowed in the classroom.

“Then we sat in the staff room and video-recorded the items while my grandchild explained what it was about, and then she went back to the classroom and I went home. It was very disappointing,” she told the newspaper Herald Sun.

Another woman told the publication she felt “a little empty” after taking the day off only to find out she couldn’t attend her granddaughter’s class.

“I can understand if it’s one-on-one when you’re on a field trip, because you’re taking them to the bathroom and stuff, but we were in a room full of people… and there were tons of grandparents there,” she said.

Both grandmothers admitted that there was a note on the back of the invitation stating that they needed permission to attend the event.

But both believed that ‘better communication’ was needed from the school.

It is understood that 29 other grandparents have registered with the required permission to attend Friday’s event.

Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools says it has taken its responsibility for keeping schools safe “extremely seriously”.

The Catholic Schools of the Archdiocese of Melbourne have defended the decision by St Joseph’s Primary School in Yarra Junction

While a spokeswoman acknowledged there was confusion over what was expected of volunteers and visitors, she insisted schools must meet child safety standards and limit risks.

“We recognize the disappointing experience of the four grandparents who were unable to attend Grandparents Day and are attempting to call these families,” she said.

She added that staff can ask anyone on school grounds to hold a WWCC.

Nearly 30 grandparents were given the green light to attend last Friday’s event (photo)