Brownie's back: Emotional deputy principal returns to work

An emotional deputy principal has greeted students outside Trinity Grammar as he returned to work months after being controversially sacked.

In a scandal that sent the elite Melbourne school's community into chaos, Rohan Brown was fired in March after video emerged of him giving a student a haircut before his school photo.

But students refused to let the much-loved teacher go quietly, staging protests at the school to "Bring back Brownie."

He returned to work today after an independent review found that the school council didn’t have the requisite authority to sack him.

Students and parents turned out in droves to greet the much-loved deputy headmaster who has been with the school for nearly 30 years.

"There is an apology I need to make," Mr Brown breaking down in tears.

"We all make mistakes, and I've made one.

"I'm so pleased to be back and hopefully that will make the school stronger and resilient.

"The boys have been wonderful, the staff have been magnificent."

"There is a bit of me here and there is a bit of the school in me," he said.

The student whose received the haircut also greeted him this morning, with Mr Brown commenting that his hair looked fine.

Mr Brown said it was "pretty obvious" he would be hanging up the scissors and not cutting anyone else's hair.

Students staged several protests since his firing, with many taping brown tape around their arms in support of Mr Brown.

Students said the punishment for Mr Brown didn’t fit the crime.

The entire school council also said they would progressively step down over their handling of the sacking.

Trinity Grammar charges $18,280 for pre-kindergarten per year, which gradually increases each year until Year 12, where parents pay a whopping $33,680 per year.