Clovelly Public School principal begs parents to ‘resist’ being swindled by swanky private schools

Parents of Year 4 students in Sydney’s east are abandoning their local public schools as they fight for a handful of places in elite secondary schools — despite the $75k price tag. See the stats.

A public school principal in Sydney’s swanky eastern suburbs is pleading with families not to be hoodwinked out of tens of thousands of dollars by the elite private schools coaxing parents into transferring their kids early, causing Year 5 students to exit the public system in droves.

Panic over placements at top schools among Clovelly Public School parents has seen the number of students leaving the public system after Year 4 increase significantly.

In 2022, 31 students left Clovelly after Year 4, up from 20 students the previous year.

In a memo to the school community, Mr Jackman urged parents to “resist the pressure and marketing the private sector places on families”.

“I am hearing that families are considering moving on because there is a concern that many of their friends are doing so,” he wrote. “In my time at Clovelly PS I have not heard of one student missing out on a place at their desired private school in Year 7.”

Clovelly Public School in Waverley. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Christian Gilles

Top schools in the eastern suburbs can receive up to $76,000 in tuition and enrolment fees for the final two years of their primary education alone.

Waverley College and SCEGGS are among the top picks — and the most expensive. Cranbrook School, which accepts new enrolments in Year 3, is also popular with Clovelly parents.

“At Clovelly PS we do not have the budget for advertising on buses, we do not have nice, lush playing fields, and nor do we have a pool,” Mr Jackman said.

“However … our sense of community benefits your children in so many ways, and our teachers and programs are just as good as the private sector.

“What I am asking is that if you trust us with your child’s first five years of education, then please do so for the final two years of their primary education.”

Parents at the school said they were feeling the heat from the private sector, and several said their kids risked feeling left behind — and left out — by their peers.

Graph showing which high schools Clovelly PS students went to for Year 7 from 2019, 2021, 2022. Picture: Supplied

Graph showing which high schools Clovelly PS graduates went to for Year 7 in 2019, 2021, 2022, created by principal Matt Jackman. Picture: Clovelly PS

Clovelly dad John Richardson said the drop-off in enrolments is “undeniable”, and that his daughters were “lucky” to have kept their close friends into Year 6.

“There’s five full kindergarten classes and there’s three classes in all of … Year 5 and 6,” Mr Richardson said.

“Private schools are competitive organisations, so I wouldn’t be surprised if they did create pressure to get people to join.

“It’s definitely not Clovelly Public School-specific, it’s an eastern suburbs-wide kind of phenomenon.”

Clovelly Public School mum Laurie Head with her children Poppy, 10 and Sebastian, 7. Picture: John Appleyard

Mother of two Laurie Head has enrolled her daughter Ella, 10, for Year 7 at St Catherine’s in Waverley, but said she had pondered moving her over in Year 5.

“I’ve spoken to mums with kids in Year 2 who have already enrolled their boys in private school for Year 5,” Ms Head said.

“I would love to keep them here (Clovelly) for that relief of school fees for as long as possible.”

Emma Roberts with her children Ava Roberts, five, and Olivia Roberts, 8 outside Clovelly Public School. Picture: John Appleyard

Fellow mum of two Emma Roberts said she certainly wouldn’t be sending her daughters Olivia, eight and Ava, five, to private school due to the prohibitive cost, but it may separate her eldest from her friends.

“We have one income, my groceries are a fortune, and with the cost of living (it’s too expensive),” Ms Roberts said.

“I went to this school (Clovelly) when I was a kid and back then everyone stayed.

“She (Olivia) comes home and says ‘can I go to St Catherine’s?’”

Data from the Department of Education indicates most primary schools in Sydney’s east have significantly fewer Year 5 and 6 students than in other year groups, with the exception of Woollahra Public School, which runs an Opportunity Class for gifted students from the wider area.

Coogee, Bondi, and Randwick all saw 20 or more students leave after Year 4 last year.

The number of students exiting early are up since 2021 for seven of the 10 eastern suburbs public schools analysed.

The department declined to comment on Clovelly’s case specifically, but a spokesperson said continuity of learning was important for students from an educational, social and emotional perspective.

“We are proud of the world-class teaching and learning that takes place in our schools and actively promote the many benefits of public education,” they said.