On Thursday, Theodore Primary principal Kerri Clark wrote to families announcing her decision to accept a role within the ACT education directorate.

"With deep sadness, I must let you know that ... Friday will be my last day at Theodore," she wrote.

"I have accepted a principal role in the curriculum branch of the directorate. I feel truly grateful for all the opportunities to get to know the students, staff and parents ... Deb Martens will continue as acting principal of the school until further notice."

The Canberra Times was unable to reach the school or directorate for comment after receiving a copy of the letter from parents after 5pm on Thursday.

Support was ramped up at the school last month following revelations in The Canberra Times that concerns about serious incidents at Theodore stretched back more than a year and were known to the government, but playground attacks appeared to be escalating.

The paper has also learnt of complaints about continuing violence in at least seven other chools where children were strangled, beaten or otherwise injured but the directorate has refused to answer questions on specific incidents.

More than 500 people, most of them parents, have since signed a petition calling for an external expert to review the handling of violence across all ACT schools.

Education Minister Yvette Berry has instead ordered a government review, led by a committee of experts, which will examine existing school processes rather than auditing specific schools or incidents.

While the committee will have some degree of autonomy over the review, it will not have the authority to investigate schools, instead using an unknown number of past incidents as case studies. It is also unclear if it will hear directly from those affected by violence, though it will examine accountability in a system of school-based management.

"Our schools are overwhemingly safe places," Ms Berry said.

"The idea is this is looking at systems that have [already] been implemented based on expert advice. It is not an independent inquiry where a report will come about that points fingers at individuals or schools or families."

But multiple families have hit back at the minister, saying raising the alarm on violence in schools was never about demonising teachers, who they described as "excellent" and in need of more resources and support.

Many students affected were still afraid to go to school or receiving treatment for anxiety after procedures put in place to protect them failed or weren't followed, they said. Some had stopped telling their school about incidents altogether. One boy said "Nothing ever happens. I don't matter."

In a letter read to the ACT Assembly by the Canberra Liberals on Thursday, parents stressed the push for an inquiry was not a witch hunt.

"While our main focus is those incidences of violence against children we also recognise and are equally saddened and upset regarding the incidences perpetrated against teachers and principals," the letter, read aloud by Mark Parton, said.

Parents called on politicians to vote with their conscience not along party lines, saying an inquiry was a chance for all stakeholders, including students and teachers, to be heard.

The Australian Education Union, which has been supporting staff at Theodore, said there was now less acceptance of violence in ACT schools as government reforms encouraged more teachers to report. The union backed the government's review, warning a public inquiry would unfarly tarnish schools.

University of Canberra psychologist Vivienne Lewis said the consequences of bullying could be devastating.

"There has to be a no tolerance approach to sexual harassment and violence," Dr Lewis said.

"[Schools] need to have very strict rules as to what happens if you’re caught behaving in this way. Address it early...talk about what is happening, believe the victim, contact the parents involved and act."

Education sociologist at the Australian National University Mary Lou Rasmussen also stressed it was vital that students were believed and had clear pathways to report violence or harassment at school.

"Young people might see there's a policy in place but don't see it being carried out," Professor Rasmussen said.

"It can't just be something on the books, they need people they can go to who have their back, they need to see consequences."

But she added it was important not to label or place the blame squarely on the shoulders of children lashing out. A whole-of-school approach - in line with the new positive behaviour model currently being rolled out in ACT schools - was important, she said, as children looked to adult behaviour as a model for their own.

For that reason, she said governments needed to be wary that the push to standardise responses didn't go too far.

A suite of new measures are now being rolled out at Theodore Primary under directorate oversight, including improved supervision on the playground.