The school is obviously very unimpressed, and they hit back by suggesting that Ms Haynes was aggrieved over a legal dispute involving her younger sister. The media’s interest in the story is “unfortunate”.

As this relates to a matter before the courts, it is not possible for us to comment on the specifics other than to say this relates to a disagreement about disciplinary action taken against a number of students following an incident of alleged bullying.

Ms Haynes, 18, admitted her sister left the school, but the details have not been made public.

About half way through this year at a time when my family and I needed Ravo the most, it let us down.

I know there have been rumours and gossip about my sister leaving the school and I’d rather not add fuel to the fire but would prefer to say the people I trusted and respected made an unjustified, cruel and incorrect decision.

I’ve spent a lot of this year speaking about the achievements and successes of Ravo, but I’m going to do something a little different this year – be honest.

There are still a lot of great things about it, but there are also a few that aren’t. There’s nothing wrong with realising that what you love isn’t perfect.

For a large part of this year I was hurt, betrayed and very much began to hurt certain things and people within this school.

I’m 18 years old, I’ve spent 72% of my life at school, 50% of it at Ravenswood and about 95% of the past week stressing about this speech.

I’ve spent a lot of this year speaking about the achievements and successes of Ravo, but I’m going to do something a little different this year – be honest.

Once I became school captain, everything I wrote had to be sent and censored by those higher up than me. I thought that this was something normal as all Ravo captains had to do it, but what I learned is not all school captains had to do it.

I was never trusted to do the right thing which was kind of silly because if I wanted to say something audacious like I do today I could always have sent someone another speech.

Earlier this year I was speaking at an open day. I was selling the school, as I loved to do, because I loved everything about Ravo. I thought I’d be really clever and include the school motto in there so I concluded my speech with: ‘Ravo isn’t perfect, but we’re always towards better things’.

I sent this to those in charge of me and received a reply: ‘Great speech but change the ending. No parent wants to hear their school isn’t perfect’.

Now I’m sorry to all the parents here today, but Ravenswood isn’t perfect, and I’m sure you already know that. Nothing is perfect and nothing should be expected to be perfect.

If the school can’t admit it isn’t perfect how can they expect adolescent girls to realise perfection is unattainable.