Scotch College Adelaide principal John Newton to resign next year

He’s led one of SA’s most prominent private schools since 2015, but family ties are calling Scotch College's principal home from the “village” on the hillside.

The principal of Scotch College, John Newton, will resign at the end of 2022, completing an eight-year tenure.

By then, the school’s $27m Wellbeing and Sports Centre will be open and he will leave behind record and stable enrolments.

“It’s a big decision after 33 years in the business and travelling across the world to here from the UK,” he said.

“It’s always an emotional moment because you fall in love with a school.

“There is an energy that inspires you, when you come to a place like this. The setting, the culture, the history, the warmth of the community: it’s been remarkable.”

Dr Newton and his wife Catherine will return to the UK to be closer to his parents, now in their 80s, and their four adult children.

The school will conduct a worldwide search for a successor, school council chairman Todd Roberts said.

“Dr Newton’s broad vision and boundless energy have delivered a legacy encompassing record enrolments, a thriving academic environment, and a strong sense of social awareness and responsibility at a local and global level across Scotch,” Mr Roberts said.

Scotch College Adelaide principal John Newton with students Ris Mosel and Amelia Waters.

Dr Newton said he hoped to have an overlap with the new principal but he would stay for the full year. Scotch salaries are not public but are benchmarked to the sector, he said.

He was looking forward to the opening of the new Wellbeing and Sports Centre, which overlooks the city from Torrens Park.

“The real challenge now is activating it and make sure it fulfils the vision,” he said.

“We set out for it to be a big statement about the centrality of wellbeing to education.

“It’s a big piece of innovation. It’s meant to be building which impacts everybody across the school and the community around the school as well.”

Artist’s impression of the $27 million Wellbeing and Sports Centre designed by architects Hames Sharley.

Dr Newton, 57, said he would most remember the people in the “village” of Scotch.

“Lots of stories, lots of individual successes, lots of positive impacts from a wellbeing point of view,” he said.

He hoped Scotch students felt inspired to “use your education and your strong wellbeing to make the lives of other people better”.

With a doctorate in organisational culture, his school experience and work with business leaders in SA, Dr Newton aims to become a consultant in the UK.