St Paul’s principal Paul Browning wanted learning program to be part of severance package

The request by the sacked principal of St Paul’s School for the inclusion of a $450,000 learning program in his severage package can now be revealed.

The axed principal of the prestigious St Paul’s School asked to take a world-first $450,000 student learning tool as part of his severance package so he could monetise it himself.

Paul Browning – spectacularly sacked this week by the Anglican Church, which oversees the running of the Bald Hills school – asked the diocese to give him all of the intellectual property and assets of the tool, which was developed at St Paul’s during his 15 years as headmaster.

Dr Browning, who left the school on Friday amid an unprecedented outpouring of support from parents and students fighting for his reinstatement, requested the Realms of Thinking tool so he could “commercialise it independently as my new employment prospect”.

In a letter on August 21, 2023 – a copy of which was sent to The Sunday Mail – Dr Browning wrote to Bishops Cameron Venables and Jeremy Greaves (chair of the Anglican Schools Commission) and Tim Reid (general manager, Anglican Church Southern Queensland), requesting a two-hour meeting to discuss his proposal.

St Paul’s former principal Paul Browning. Picture: Supplied

No meeting ever occurred.

Dr Browning also asked “that no announcement about the (St Paul’s) council’s dismissal be made until this meeting has taken place, to protect their reputations as well as that of the Diocese”.

Bishop Greaves sacked the entire council on August 17, claiming it was no longer working harmoniously – something council members have told The Courier-Mail is “rubbish” as they unanimously recommended Dr Browning’s contract be renewed for another five years from 2024.

The sackings of the headmaster and council have infuriated parents, who claim the Church “blindsided” them and failed to properly communicate either decision.

In the letter, Dr Browning said he would form an independent company with Gabrielle Kempton, presently director of the Centre for Realms of Thinking at St Paul’s.

The tool – which encourages students to think more creatively – has been rolled out across the coeducational Pre-Prep to Year 12 school, and helped St Paul’s win numerous national education awards.

Dr Browning proposed an agreement in which their new company would licence Realms of Thinking back to St Paul’s for free for at least the next five years.

“Based on the proposed fees and charges for use of the product, this amounts to a saving of $451,000.”

He said part of intellectual property belonged to Ms Kempton and “if Gabrielle decided to withdraw her IP then Realms of Thinking would be useless to anyone, including St Paul’s School and the Diocese of Brisbane”.

St Paul’s School at Bald Hills in Brisbane’s north. Picture: Lyndon Mechielsen/Courier Mail

Dr Browning said the rest of the IP belonged to the Corporation of the Synod of the Diocese of Brisbane but without Ms Kempton’s IP it had “no actual value except for the benefit to teaching and learning at St Paul’s”.

“I am proposing to you that the Corporation of the Synod of the Diocese of Brisbane transfer the ownership of all the IP and assets, including the digital platform, that are Realms of Thinking to an independent holding company ... owned by Gabrielle Kempton and myself,” he wrote.

“As owners, Gabrielle Kempton and I will have exclusive use of the IP and will be able to commercialise it as we see fit.”

In the letter, Dr Browning also requested he be allowed to see out his contract (until the end of the year “for the sake of the Year 12 cohort and the school”.

This did not happen.

Dr Browning said on Saturday “Realms of Thinking is a world-first practice for teaching and measuring creativity” and “far too important not to share with schools around the world to ensure young people are equipped with the skills they need to thrive in the AI era”.

“We have four world-leading education experts lined up to speak at a yet-to-be announced conference titled, Creativity and Character: Educating for the AI Era. These professors come from Cambridge, Oxford, Winchester and Melbourne Universities – such is the support globally for Realms of Thinking,” he told the Sunday Mail.

In earlier communication with parents on Friday, Bishop Greaves said a disagreement around policies and procedures and differences in the vision for the school, including around the commercialisation of Realms of Thinking, led to Dr Browning’s dismissal.

He denied it was about “disagreement over the funding of compensation for sexual abuse survivors”, as insiders have repeatedly told The Courier-Mail.

Hundreds of students and parents gathered to protest against Paul Browning’s sacking.

“Until now I have been reluctant to break the confidence of contract negotiations and attempted to maintain discretion for the parties concerned, that being Dr Browning and the Anglican Church. But events have moved on.” Bishop Greaves said.

He said disagreement around policies and procedures and fundamental differences in vision for the school led to the dismissal of Dr Browning, including around the commercialisation of Realms of Thinking.

He denied the reason for Dr Browning’s dismissal was “disagreement over the funding of compensation for sexual abuse survivors”, as insiders have repeatedly told The Courier-Mail.

Dr Browning was named School Principal of the Year (non-government) in the 2018 Australian Education Awards, predominantly for rebuilding a culture of trust following the damning findings of the 2017 Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse over the school’s past inaction against pedophile counsellor Kevin Lynch and pedophile music teacher Gregory Robert Knight.

Unlike Brisbane Grammar School, also lambasted by the Royal Commission, St Paul’s chose to refund the tuition fees of victims, with the backing of the Anglican Church.

The sacking of Dr Browning prompted passionate protests at the school.

However, in late 2018 the Church decided the fees refund was to be paid directly by the school.

Former St Paul’s council member Allan Hird said Dr Browning then proposed monetising Realms of Thinking to other schools to use the funds to pay for sexual abuse claims so parents wouldn’t be slugged higher fees to cover the compensation.

Mr Hird said the Church shut down the idea, which had been approved by the Diocesan council subject to getting the nod from the Education Department.

Bishop Greaves declined to comment on the August 21 letter.

There has been an outpour of support to reinstate Dr Browning including from former school captain Sameel Deoji.

He wrote on social media: “If it weren’t for Dr Browning’s influence I would not be who I am today.”

Mr Deoji said the school taught him resilience, provided a safe environment to make mistakes and helped him pursue his entrepreneurial dream.

“I am eternally grateful for everything Dr Browning has done,” he wrote.