School Sexual Abuse Lawyers
Many survivors tell us they have spent years wondering whether they remember enough to seek legal advice. You do not need to have a complete account of what happened before reaching out.
Even a single memory can be enough to begin a conversation.
You may remember the name of a school, teacher or sporting coach. You may recall a classroom, school camp or simply a feeling that something was not right. You do not need to remember every date, detail or person involved for us to begin assessing your circumstances.
Arnold Thomas & Becker currently act for more than 700 survivors and are investigating allegations involving over 400 schools across Australia. Even if your school is not part of an existing investigation, you are still welcome to contact us.
Experienced legal support for survivors of abuse in schools
If you experienced institutional abuse while attending any school, you may have legal rights and options to pursue recognition, accountability and compensation.
Arnold Thomas & Becker have extensive experience representing survivors of institutional abuse in schools, including government, private, independent, religious, boarding, and other educational settings. Our team works to ensure your voice is heard and that compensation reflects the profound betrayal caused when the school systems fail in their duty of care.
Arnold Thomas & Becker provides free, confidential legal advice to victim-survivors and their families. Our experienced Institutional Abuse Law team will listen without judgement, explain your options clearly and support you at a pace that is right for you.
Call 1300 333 300 or complete the confidential enquiry form below.
Understand your legal options
If you or someone you know experienced child sexual abuse in a Victorian government school, you do not have to work out the next step alone. Our legal team is available to talk to you on a confidential basis about your options.
Survivors of institutional child sexual abuse may be entitled to claim compensation for the lifelong impact of abuse.
In Victoria, there is no limitation period for civil claims relating to child sexual or physical abuse perpetrated upon a victim when that victim was a minor (under the age of 18 years) at the time the abuse occurred.
Some survivors may have applied for redress or seek an apology. Before accepting any offers such as redress, it is important to seek legal advice.
Support is available
If this page has raised difficult emotions, please consider contacting someone you trust, your health professional or a specialist support service. A list of support services for victim-survivors and family members is available on the Victorian Government’s Systemic Review webpage.
If you or another person is in immediate danger, contact emergency services.
What happens when you contact us?
Your initial conversation with our team is completely confidential. We will listen to your experience, answer your questions and explain:
- whether you may have grounds to pursue a civil compensation claim;
- which organisation or institution may have legal responsibility;
- what historical records or documents may still be available;
- whether previous complaints or investigations may be relevant;
- how a civil compensation claim differs from the National Redress Scheme; and
- the steps we can take to protect your privacy throughout the process.
It’s ok to ask for help…
Many survivors delay seeking legal advice because they believe they need proof before speaking with a lawyer. You do not.
If you have questions about something that happened to you at school, we are here to listen and explain your options.
The large number of people coming forward was initially influenced from increased disclosures following the royal commission into institutional response into child sexual abuse, but has increased in recent years as more and more people are standing up for themselves and demanding to be heard.
Kim Price, head of Arnold Thomas & Becker’s abuse practice says, “I don’t believe we’ve seen the true number as yet. From my experience in dealing with survivors of abuse we know that many don’t report it, and if they do it can be years or even decades later. When first hear about abuse at a school, our investigations often reveal there are multiple victims of a single predator – we think there are a lot more out there that we still don’t know about.”
School should be a place where children feel safe. Unfortunately, for thousands of Australian students, this has not been the case. Instead, we are hearing from students from across the country that they have been subjected to sexual abuse by teachers and other members of school staff.
We are working on cases from as far back as the 1960s and as recently as this decade. The number of cases we have handled against schools makes us one of Australia’s most experienced school abuse lawyers. We have represented thousands of survivors and have detailed information about the schools, teachers and staff involved in current and former claims and can call on a large number of witnesses who can help to validate new claims.
If you have suffered abuse in an Australian school, we are here to listen to you and advise you on your rights. You many be eligible for compensation, which could be in the millions.
Before entering a class action, seek independent legal advice as it may not be in your best interests.
A reminder about the National Redress Scheme
We also remind survivors to make certain that they seek legal advice before considering the National Redress Scheme, which is likely to provide inadequate compensation. Cases through the National Redress Scheme are capped at $150,000 and we have obtained over $2M for some of our clients.
Arnold Thomas & Becker have launched a class action for survivors of institutional sexual abuse who received compensation from the National Redress Scheme for Institutional Child Sexual Abuse and were advised by Knowmore Legal Service. For more information, visit our Knowmore Class Action page.
Client Outcomes
- $1 million payout for a former student whose teacher forced him to strip naked during “sex education” classes at a school for the deaf
- $1.5M was awarded to a client who was abused by Christian Brothers at a private school on many occasions
- $1.5M was paid to a client who was raped by Father Pidoto from Xavier College in Melbourne
For more institutional abuse settlement outcomes, visit our Client Outcomes page.
How to make a claim
The first step is to contact us. You can do this via our online form below, or by contacting us on social media or on the phone. Any information you share with us will be treated as confidential.
Take a stand against abuse and talk to an abuse lawyer today on 1300 333 300.
Schools we have investigated/are investigating
Victorian Schools
Arnold Thomas & Becker is currently investigating allegations involving hundreds of schools throughout Victoria. Below is a selection of Victorian schools. To view the complete list, please download our full Victorian Schools PDF.
📄 Click to download the complete list of Victorian Schools (PDF)
View the 100 Victorian schools
- Altona East Primary School
- Annex and Wylar School
- Apollo Bay High School
- Aquinas Boys College in Ringwood (Christian Brothers and Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools)
- Ardeer High School (State of Victoria)
- Assumption College, Keilor
- Avondale Heights Primary School
- Bacchus March Secondary College
- Bairnsdale West Primary School
- Ballam Park Technical School
- Ballarat Clarendon College (Formally Ballarat College)
- Ballarat East High School
- Ballarat East Primary School
- Ballarat Grammar School
- Bandiana Primary School
- Barwon Downs Primary School
- Bayside Christian College
- Bayswater High School
- Bayswater North Primary School
- Bayswater Primary School
- Beaumaris Primary School (VIC)
- Bell Park High School, Geelong
- Bell Street Primary School in Preston
- Bellarine Secondary College
- Bellfield Primary School
- Belmont High School
- Bendigo Technical School
- Bendigo Violet Street Primary School
- Berengarra School
- Billanook College
- Biosdale Consolidated School
- Boronia Heights Primary School
- Box Hill Primary School
- Brandon Park Primary School
- Brandon Park Technical College
- Braybrook Primary School
- Brighton Grammar
- Brighton Technical School
- Broadmeadows High School
- Brunswhick High School
- Brunswick High School
- Brunswick North Primary School
- Brunswick West Primary School
- Budgeree Primary School
- Burwood East Primary School
- Calder Rise Primary School, Keilor
- Camberwell Grammar School
- Cantebury Girls Secondary College
- Castlemaine Secondary School
- Cathedral College
- Cathedral College, Melbourne
- Catherine McAuley College (VIC)
- Catholic Regional College, St Albans
- Caufield Grammar
- Caulfield High School, Caulfield
- Caulfield Secondary College, Caulfield
- Chandler Primary School
- Chanel College
- Chisolm Christian College
- Chisolm Street Primary School
- Christ the Priest Primary School
- Christian Brother’s College, St Kilda
- Christian Brothers College, Warrnambool
- Christian Brothers Parade College
- Christian Brothers School
- Clayton North Primary School
- Coatesville Primary School
- Coburg High School
- Coburg Technical School
- Cohuna Consolidated Primary School
- Cohuna Secondary College
- Coolaroo Primary School
- Copeprfied College
- Corpus Christi Primary School
- Coveneant College
- Cowra High School
- Cowra Public School
- Craigieburn Primary School
- Cranbourne North Primary School
- Dandenong High School
- Dandenong Primary School
- Darley Primary School
- De La Salle College
- Debney Meadows Primary School
- Delacombe Primary School
- Derinya Primary School
- Dominic Early Learning Centre
- Doveton Tech School
- Dromana Primary School
- Drummond Street Primary School
- Drysdale Primary School
- Eaglehawk Primary School
- East Brunswick Primary School
- East Ringwood Primary School
- Eastwood Primary School
- Echuca Primary
- Elisabeth Street Primary School
- Emerald Secondary College
- Emerson Special School
- Emmaus College
- Erinbank Secondary School
- Essendon Grammar
- Eucharist Primary School, St Albans
- Fawkner Technical School
Looking for another Victorian school? Click to download the complete list of Victorian Schools (PDF) .
Schools in Other Australian States
Arnold Thomas & Becker is also investigating allegations involving schools across South Australia, New South Wales and Tasmania. Select a state below to view a selection of schools. For the complete list of schools, please download our PDF.
South Australian Schools
- Adelaide Secondary School of English
- All Saints Parish Primary School, Portland
- Andamooka Primary School
- Antonio’s Catholic School
- Blackfriars Priory
- Cabra Dominican College
- Campbelltown Primary School
- Challa Gardens Primary School
- Croydon High School
- Elizabeth North College
- Goolwa Primary School
- Grange Primary School
- Hackham West Primary School
- Hectorville Primary School
- Ingle Farm Primary School
- Kidman Park Primary School
- Kilkenny Primary School
- Kirton Point Primary & High School
- Marist Brothers Thebarton
- Marryatville High School
- Mitchell Park High School
- Modbury South Primary School
- Moonta Primary School
- Oakbank Area Primary School
- One Tree Hill Primary School
- Our Lady of Mount Carmel
- Parafield Gardens High School
- Playford High School
- Pulteney Primary School
- Regency Park Primary School
- Rostrevor College
- Roxby Downs Area School
- Sacred Heart College
- Sacred Heart Middle School
- Salt Creek Primary School
- St Bosco’s Primary School
- St Brigid’s School
- St Mary’s Catholic School
- St Paul’s College, Gilles Plains
- St Thomas More Primary School
- Strathmont High School
- Taperoo Primary School
- Wirreanda High School
- Woodcroft Primary School
- Woodend Primary School
- Xavier College, Gawler Belt
New South Wales Schools
- Airds High School
- Barellan Central School
- Blacktown Primary School
- Cabramatta East Public School
- Christian Brothers College, Rose Bay
- Christian Brothers, Sydney
- Christian Brothers, Wollongong
- Colyton Primary School
- Diocese of Armidale
- East Hills Public School
- Fairbridge Farm School
- Granville South High School
- Gunnedah High School
- Henschke Catholic Primary School
- John Ernest Spinks School
- Marist Brothers College
- Moriah High School
- Narrabri Catholic School
- Nimbin Central School
- Oatlands Primary School
- Our Lady of Mercy College
- Padua Catholic High School
- Pennsville High School
- Quakers Hill Primary School
- Rooty Hill High School
- Saint Leo’s College
- Sisters of the Sacred Heart, Bowral
- St Agnes High School
- St Catherine’s School
- St Francis De Sales Regional College
- Trunkey Creek Public School
- Tumut Catholic Church
- Wagga High School
- Warida Primary School
- Wentworth Public School
- Whalan High School
Tasmanian Schools
- Bellerive Primary School
- Bridgewater Primary School
- Brooks High School
- Campbelltown District High School
- Delmont Primary School
- Devonport Primary School
- Geilston Bay High School
- Goodwood Primary School
- Hobart City High School
- Launceston Preparatory School
- Marist Regional College
- Newton High School
- Queechy High School
- Rosetta High School
- Sacred Heart Primary School
- Scotch Oakburn College
- St George Town Primary
- St Mary’s District School
- St Patrick’s College, Launceston