Katanning’s Braeside Primary School Principal Geoffrey Noel MacNicol charged with child sex offences

A principal at a WA primary school has been charged with child sex offences. Geoffrey Noel MacNicol — the principal of Braeside Primary in Katanning — had his teaching registration cancelled as he faces two counts of indecent dealing with a child under 13. The alleged offences occurred during school holidays in January and in the metropolitan area. A school letter in Term 1 told parents that retired principal Wayne Press was temporarily replacing Mr MacNicol because the former headmaster was “unable to continue in the position as principal” due to “confidential reasons”. Education Department director general Jay Peckitt told The West Australian the case “involves a matter” that led to the former principal’s teacher registration being cancelled by the Teacher Registration Board of WA. “The former principal of Braeside Primary School has been unable to continue in his position at the school,” Mr Peckitt said. “An experienced interim principal has started at the school in his place. “Staff and students are being supported through this transition, and those supports are available to the school community for as long as it is required.” Mr Peckitt said the matter was currently before the courts, “which makes it inappropriate to make further comment”. The Teacher Registration Board of WA is required to cancel a person’s registration if they have received an interim negative notice under the Working with Children Act. Such a notice must be issued to a person charged with sexual offences against a child. The charges faced by Mr MacNicol do not suggest the allegations are proven. The accused is innocent until proven guilty in court. Mr MacNicol — who was also previously a deputy principal at Katanning Senior High School — is set to appear before Joondalup Magistrates Court for legal advice on March 14. The temporary principal, Mr Press, told parents that he would be focused on providing “steady leadership and support to ensure continuity for students, staff and families”. It is understood Mr MacNicol is an Australian Defence Force veteran and moved to Katanning in 2020. A message from the former principal stated that Mr MacNicol felt “honoured and privileged to be part of an educational institution where every stakeholder is a learner and every day is an opportunity to learn and discover”. “I believe in upholding high standards with an absolute commitment to strive to understand and improve the educational process, using team strategies, while wholly centering on student achievement,” he wrote. Mr MacNicol was a frequent poster on Katanning’s community Facebook page, where he would often inform the public about break-ins and vandalism at the primary school. In one post he advised the “canteen has been trashed” and that those responsible “may have been covered in flour”.