The future of some of Sydney’s top-achieving public high schools is uncertain as the NSW government pushes ahead with co-education options citywide.
The government is considering major changes to five northern beaches schools including the conversion of powerhouse Balgowlah Boys into a co-ed school, doing the same with Mackellar Girls and possibly allowing local students to attend Manly Selective until year 9.
One of the options being considered would be to make Mackellar Girls co-ed.Credit: Nick Moir
The state government’s plans come as several private boys’ schools also plan transitions to co-education. Cranbrook in Bellevue Hill will admit girls from 2026 and Newington in Stanmore plans to become co-educational by 2033, a decision that has prompted outrage from a group of alumni.
As part of Labor’s commitment to expand co-ed schooling, catchments for public schools in the inner west and south-west of Sydney will be expanded for 2025 enrolment, as announced earlier this year. In the east, Randwick Boys and Girls high schools will be merged from next year, which triggered a major backlash from female students.
On the northern beaches, some school staff say they have been blindsided by the proposal, and the local MP James Griffin has demanded the government instead focus its attention on repairing the ageing and dilapidated schools in the area.
Parents will be surveyed about their views on the matter from Monday, with the survey form instructing them that “this is not a voting exercise”.
Mackellar Girls principal Christine Del Gallo said, in her 17 years at the school, she had never had a parent say they wished their child had access to co-ed education. Mackellar is the sister school to Balgowlah Boys and is part of the Northern Beaches Secondary College network.
“I think the whole concept is ill-founded,” she said.
“They’re both really top-level schools. Part of the reason why they’re so successful is because they are single sex and make sure they provide the best opportunities for girls and boys in their education.”
Parents at all five Northern Beaches Secondary College secondary schools as well as local feeder primary schools will be asked for their opinion on four options.
“If you ask primary parents, someone who has a 10-year-old in year 3, ‘Would you like your child to go co-ed school?’ they’re likely to say ‘Yes’ without considering they have the opportunity of attending two of the best academic schools in NSW,” Del Gallo said.
Secondary Principals’ Council president Denise Lofts said the community must be genuinely consulted about any changes.
Last year Balgowlah Boys was among the top comprehensive public schools in the state in HSC English, even outperforming high-fee schools including Ascham, Cranbrook and Abbotsleigh.
Neighbouring Manly boys school St Paul’s Catholic College will have a new senior co-ed cohort next year.
Manly MP James Griffin said the government must prioritise infrastructure upgrades to schools around Manly. Credit: Dominic Lorrimer
Griffin noted the consultation, but questioned where the funding commitment was to pay for the school upgrades required at Balgowlah.
“Balgowlah Boys needs to be upgraded, full stop. That’s what needs to be done before consultation on a possible dramatic change to the school population,” he said.
Opposition education spokeswoman Sarah Mitchell said the government did not have a consistent plan for implementing the commitment for all families to access a co-educational high school option.
“What we are seeing is an ad hoc approach, with school communities on the northern beaches being blindsided with discussions about cutting selective school places and getting rid of high-performing single-sex public schools,” she said.
“Principals, teachers, parents and students have every right to be annoyed by this approach, particularly given that at no point before the election did the Education Minister give any indication that these sorts of massive changes were on the cards for these schools.”
Australian Tutoring Association president Mohan Dhall, however, welcomed the move to reduce the number of places in Manly’s selective school and offer more places to local students who did not sit the entry test, saying it could be a blueprint for the rest of the state.
“If you can experiment in a small part of Sydney it could be a model for doing it more broadly,” he said. “It [would be] politically fraught if you started with James Ruse. Here you’re not sparking a community backlash.”
A Department of Education spokesperson said the consultation aimed to gather the views of the wider northern beaches community on co-education, and to determine the best way to deliver strong public education for future generations.
“The findings will be released and shared with the community,” they said.
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