We, the Grade 3 Parents of Telopea Park School, are strongly against the unexpected decision to move Michael Ellis mid-year to another grade.

Michael is an extremely experienced and exceptional teacher who has had a remarkable effect on his students. The children this decision unnecessarily and negatively affects are distraught. We fully support the rights of teachers returning from maternity leave. However in this case, we struggle to understand the logic of why continuity of teaching should be disrupted in two grades instead of one.

We note that Michael is particularly appreciated for his experience with students with learning disabilities, difficulties and differences. As such, we are concerned about the potential adverse impact of this decision on the most vulnerable in his classes, particularly in regards to the reasonable adjustment requirements as outlined in the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) Education Standards.

We also point out Michael also works extremely well with his colleague Frederique and neither of them support this decision.

In light of this, we ask that the school reconsiders its decision to relocate Michael to another class, taking into account continuity in care and education.