‘Demand is there’: Sydney private high school opens doors to years 5 and 6

A private high school in Sydney’s inner west will enrol years 5 and 6 students within the next three years, saying the move will ensure the college’s “long-term viability” while meeting rising demand for coeducation.

In a letter to parents on Tuesday, Iris Nastasi, principal of Rosebank College, said the high school would expand to take a year 5 cohort from 2027 and year 6 classes from 2028.

Rachel Crewe with her daughter, Claire, who is in year 8 at Rosebank, and her son, Leo, who is enrolled at the school from year 7. Credit: Louie Douvis

“This significant development marks a unique milestone, making Rosebank the only co-ed independent Catholic school in the area to provide continuous education from year 5 through to year 12,” Nastasi wrote.

One of the oldest independent Catholic schools in the state, Rosebank College in Five Dock became a fully co-ed school more than a decade ago and charges about $14,300 for year 12.

The decision by the college board to expand into primary comes as more single-sex public and private schools switch to coeducation. At least five Catholic systemic schools have become co-ed in the past decade.

High-fee inner west boys’ private school Newington College is embarking on a controversial plan to admit girls from next year, while another elite boys’ school, Cranbrook in Bellevue Hill, will be fully co-ed by 2029.

Nastasi told parents that by opening Rosebank from year 5, “students can build a strong sense of belonging and continuity, while smoothing the transition” between primary and high school. The college will add up to 90 students in the two new year groups and says it plans to draw from its existing waiting list.

“There is already a pattern in the inner west where students change schools at the end of year 4, and parents have been asking Rosebank to be part of this,” she said.

Enrolments at Rosebank College have grown from about 1300 to 1450 students in the past six years.Credit: Edwina Pickles

Michael Blake, principal at all-boys St Joseph’s College in Hunters Hill, said while his school was not considering co-ed, the option of including primary years at the college “had been explored at various times and remains an ongoing consideration”.

Blake said the boys’ year 7 to 12 college had previously included a primary school at its campus for almost 80 years up to 1959.

Enrolments in private schools have continued to rise, with some parents opting to move their children to independent schools from year 5 to lock in places before high school starts. Year 5 has long been the second-biggest intake of students transferring from other schools to the independent sector, behind year 7.

The most recent enrolment data shows NSW independent schools had 1600 more students enrolled in the year 5 of 2023 compared with year 4 in 2022. This is up from a decade before, when the intake was 900 new year 5 students.

Rosebank College was founded in 1867 and is one of seven Good Samaritan Education schools in NSW; most are all-girls high schools, including St Scholastica’s College in Glebe. The school was an all-girls college before admitting boys in senior years in the late 1980s.

“In addition to the social, emotional and educational benefits for students, the change also ensures the school’s long-term viability,” Nastasi said.

She said years 5 and 6 would eventually have three classes each, and students would have access to the facilities, music and sport programs at the senior school.

The school, which has about 1440 students, said that while two primary years would be added, the overall student body “would not increase significantly”. It will continue to have a year 7 intake.

“We know demand is there in stage 3. While it’s not the main reason for the change, this will help keep us in the fee structure we are now and protect the future of the school,” Nastasi told the Herald.

“We want to keep the college as a mid-fee school. School costs are becoming more expensive – insurance and sports fees have doubled.”

For years there have been few co-ed options in the inner west of Sydney. Catholic boys’ college De La Salle in Ashfield recently merged with adjacent girls’ school, Bethlehem College, to become a co-ed school catering for students from kindergarten to year 12.

Last year, the state government announced families living in the inner west would have guaranteed access to a co-ed public high school under an overhaul of 20 catchment areas.

Rosebank lifted fees almost 11 per cent this year, and 13 per cent the year before, although it remains under $14,000 for years 7 to 10.

Nastasi said another benefit of enrolling from year 5 was that the school would have more detailed data on literacy and numeracy results ahead of year 7. “It will be easier work out whether there are any gaps before high school, and then we will build the year 7 program around that. We would know our students earlier.”

Rachel Crewe, whose daughter, Claire, is in year 8 at the school, said she hoped her son, who is in year 2, will eventually enrol at the college.

“I think my son would benefit going in year 5 to help him transition into high school easier, and have access to sports programs before high school. We also really value a co-ed experience for both children,” Crewe said.

A spokesperson for the NSW Education Standards Authority said two secondary schools have applied to add years 5 or 6 in the past year.

There are about 20,000 students attending private schools in NSW that charge between $10,000 to $15,000, while the bulk of growth in the sector – and enrolments – is in lower-fee schools. More than 65,000 students are enrolled at NSW schools with fees of more than $20,000 a year, while at least a dozen schools charge more than $45,000.

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