Sydney's elite Cranbrook School is backing its headmaster, who organised a payout for a sexually abusive Geelong Grammar teacher to retire early.
Geelong Grammar paid Jonathan Harvey his entire 2005 salary to retire a year early after a child sex abuse allegation and then principal Nicholas Sampson thanked him for his "outstanding service".
Cranbrook's school council said on Monday Mr Sampson continued to have its full support after the child abuse royal commission's two-week inquiry into five decades of abuse at Geelong Grammar.
"Further, council commends the candid and reflective approach taken by the headmaster in providing his testimony to the royal commission," it said.
The inquiry heard Geelong Grammar staff member BLW told Mr Sampson in 2004 his brother had been abused by Mr Harvey in the 1970s.
It heard Mr Sampson suggested it would be sensible for Mr Harvey to retire early and that it was possible doing so would avoid a formal complaint.
Mr Sampson said the $64,348 payout of Mr Harvey's 2005 salary was not a "sweetheart deal" but an attempt to honour the confidential victim's wishes to have the maths teacher removed.
He said he would have handled things very differently knowing what he knew now.
"I can say to those people who suffered I personally regret some of the things I did and I certainly wouldn't do them again," he said last week.
In a statement to the Cranbrook school community on Monday, Mr Sampson said he responded openly and frankly to the commission.
"I was open about the inadequacy of previous practice, by talking about what we, and I, have learned about this complex area in recent years and apologising if my handling of any matter could have been better."
Mr Sampson has denied telling BLW Mr Harvey was an evil and dangerous man who had slipped through the net for many years.
Mr Harvey did not admit sexually abusing BLW's brother when confronted in 2004 but later pleaded guilty and was jailed in 2007 for 10 months with another 22 months suspended.
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