Cranbrook School’s previous council almost secured the resignation of headmaster Nicholas Sampson twice in 2022, which it planned to first blame on the death of his brother in a car accident in Britain and then three months later came close to an amicable agreement, which he subsequently reneged on.

Mr Sampson was offered six months’ notice and an extra year’s salary, or the equivalent of about $1.5 million, to leave the prominent Sydney private school, according to a source familiar with the discussions and a confidential timeline provided to The Australian Financial Review.