There’s a fight to save a successful elite gymnastics program in Perth’s south that’s been operating for more than 20 years.

Parents at South Coast Baptist College in Waikiki learnt via email that the elite gymnastics academy will be closing earlier this month.

More than 60 students will be affected by the closure, with some attending the school specifically for this program.

In October, 49 of its students qualified for the Gymnastics WA Junior State Championships and the school has produced national trampolining champions. In 2023, the school celebrated the opening of its gymnastics centre delivered in part via a $950,000 Australian Government Capital Grants Program funding grant.

In its most recent email to parents, principal Dawn Clements clarified it was only the elite wing of the program being closed.

“This affects the 68 students doing gymnastics at the elite level who will need to access a club outside of school if they wish to continue with elite-level gymnastics,” she wrote.

“The mighty minis will most definitely continue and other co-
curricular (without trampolining) and the primary curriculum gymnastics will continue. These programs will continue but without the high-impact trampolining.”

In another letter from the board, costs were cited as a reason for closing the program. The school’s fees start at $6600 for a student in Year 10.

“The board has been monitoring the extremely high costs of operating the gymnastics academy program since its commencement,” the letter read.

“Costs related to the running of the multi-purpose building and the equipment were considered separately to the operational costs of the program.

“The operating costs of the Gymnastics Academy refer to the extremely high expenses incurred by the high staff-to-student ratio, overtime expenses, weekend double-time expenses, extra staff for safety, the nuanced qualifications required to coach at the elite level and other costs relating to membership fees and competition/participation expenses.”

Sophie Halfpenny has created a Change petition to save the program, which has gathered more than 2000 signatures.

She said her daughter dreamed of representing Australia at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

“This academy has provided her with the training, guidance, and community needed to make that dream a reality,” she wrote.

Nicki, another parent whose child attends the program, spoke with 6PR about the closure.

“No one was consulted at all, and I think that’s been the shock because we’ve got kids in this program that are hoping and have real opportunities to be at the next Olympics,” she said.

The school told the Sound Telegraph it wouldn’t be commenting on the closure until next week.