One of Victoria's oldest private schools is investigating allegations of a bullying culture.

Ballarat Clarendon College school board chair Mark Patterson has sent a letter to parents in response to a newspaper article that alleged “a slimy and creepy culture with endemic racism, sexism, and misogyny” at the campus.

An anonymous email was reportedly sent to the school on August 16 with complaints concerning “the behaviour of some members of staff”.

Reports say up to 20 staff at the school were alleged to be involved in bullying that had an “enduring and sometimes devastating” effect on other staff, creating “genuine misery” and presenting “a serious, ongoing risk to the wellbeing of both staff and students”.

“The allegations in the letter were largely high level and generally did not provide the level of detail necessary to allow a proper investigation by Clarendon,” Mr Patterson wrote.

The school says it has requested further details about the alleged incidents, including dates, but no response has been provided yet. 

Even so, an independent investigator has been brought in to make further inquiries that will be reported to the board.

Worksafe Victoria is also making inquiries into the matter.

Mr Patterson said the board had been “disappointed” to see the allegations aired in media reports, rather than being presented to the school. 

“We believe that the governance of the school is both robust and focused on meeting our moral and legal obligations and this will be true in the handling of this situation,” he said.