Newington College parents protest co-ed move, call for reversal of decision at school’s entrance
About 30 sign-wielding parents held a “silent protest” at Newington College as students arrived for day one of the school year. They claim boys will become “second class citizens” if the school doesn’t reverse it’s decision to allow girls.
NSW
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Dozens of furious parents and past students of Sydney’s prestigious Newington College have descended on the streets of Stanmore to protest the school’s decision to go co-ed, claiming they’ve been “gagged” by the council and headmaster.
Approximately 30 protesters waved placards, and several students sympathetic to the cause joined the small crowd lining the road between the train station and the college’s senior campus, their signs alleging school leadership has “silenced” opposition.
Some claimed boys would become “second class citizens in their own school”, while others described the move as a “financially risky decision” that would turn the college “into a building site”.
The 160-year-old GPS school announced late last year that it will start introducing girls for the first time as early as 2026, moving towards a fully co-educational offering by 2033.
Mothers of current students opposed to the decision said they feared putting their names and faces to their opinions in case their sons faced repercussions including losing their place at the school.
Cheryl Doyle, the grandmother of a current senior student, said she and other families feel they’ve been “gagged” by the school council and leadership, and said the boys themselves haven’t had their voices heard.
“I think the present students should be allowed to have a say, without feeling as though it’s going to impact on their schooling. I think that’s very sad,” she said.
“They’re afraid of the repercussions from having a say, and where is that in democracy?”
The protesters handed out stickers with QR codes to commuting students as they made their way to school for their first day back of the term, encouraging them to fill out a survey.
Current Year 12 student Edward Phillips and his mate Leonardo were among the throng of protesters corralling students and spruiking the cause.
Newington going co-ed would have a negative impact on surrounding girls’ schools, Edward said, with whom the boys’ school undertakes co-curricular activities like Scouts.
“It’s a mistake, and I feel like we’re betraying our sister schools PLC and MLC … by doing this I feel like we’re stabbing them in the back,” he said.
Leonardo had “mixed opinions” about co-education, but as part of a multi-generational family of Old Newingtonians, expressed concerns about how the school’s culture and traditions would be affected.
“Most of the boys at school don’t like it at all. As soon as it got announced you heard mixed emotions, and there’s also been a lot of backlash,” he said.
“I don’t agree with it at all … I want a single-sex environment for my children, and I wanted Newington, but I don’t think it will be the same after.”
Mum to recent graduates Kerry Maxwell, while not staunchly opposed to Newington going co-ed, said the handling of the decision by the school’s leadership has been “just diabolic”, calling for greater transparency and the release of consultation data.
“The co-ed (debate) aside, it’s more (about) sense of self and pride in the school – the academics have been consistently falling over many years,” she said.
“Families have been sold a lie, that this was going to stay as a boys’ school, and then on one day … they announced it was going co-ed, and by that time a lot of families had actually turned down places at other boys’ schools.”
PRINCIPAL’S PROMISE TO PROTECT STUDENTS
It follows the college’s headmaster promising an “increased staff presence at the perimeter” of the school ahead of Wednesday’s protest to keep students “safe”.
As revealed by The Daily Telegraph on Monday, parents who say they are “outraged” by the school council’s decision were set to meet at a park in Stanmore before walking to the main
Newington campus for a “peaceful and silent” demonstration.
The group intended to show their opposition by holding up signs and handing out stickers to other parents dropping off their sons for class.
There were concerns within the group though that their “Dalai Lama-style” protest may be hijacked by supporters of an anti co-ed change.org petition.
On Sunday, the unknown person who started the change.org petition posted an update promoting the protest.
The petition update began by noting the demonstration was to be peaceful but ended by saying “there’s no need to be peaceful anymore.”
That sign-off was highlighted by Newington headmaster Michael Parker in an email to parents sent on Tuesday afternoon.
Mr Parker went on to say: “While we acknowledge people’s right to share their opinions, the first day of the school year is all about the current students.
“There will be several hundred boys starting their first day at Newington tomorrow and they will be experiencing all sorts of mixed feelings as they walk through the gate at this threshold moment,” Mr Parker wrote.
“Most will be ready, eager and keen to start afresh. This protest will act as at best a distraction and at worst an abiding memory of these boys’ time at Newington.
“So that students are safe on Wednesday morning as they enter the school we will have an increased staff presence at the perimeter of the college.”
In November, Newington’s council announced girls would be enrolled from 2026 and that the college would be fully co-ed by 2032.
That is likely to result in the number of boys in each school year falling to 150 from about 250 now.
Critics have estimated the cost of the change could be as much as $100 million.
A law firm has been engaged by some parents to challenge whether the council’s actions are legal.
Newington is one of Sydney’s oldest and most expensive schools. Its operation is influenced by a 100-year-old act of NSW parliament.
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