Newington College headmaster responds to co-ed backlash

Dozens of students have left a presitigious Australian boys school as it pushes ahead with plans to go co-ed from 2026.

A prestigious boys’ school in Sydney’s inner west has seen more than 50 students leave amid the bitter fallout of a controversial decision to go co-ed next year.

Newington College, however, has confirmed it has fielded almost 1000 applications for girls seeking to attend despite the institution becoming a “pinata” for critics of the change.

The 162-year-old school in Stanmore will in 2026 begin accepting girls, starting in kindergarten and Year 5, a move that sparked open backlash among a group of alumni and some parents.

Newington College headmaster, Michael Parker. Picture: newington.nsw.edu.au

The school has confirmed several students had recently left, although there has also been new interest from boys seeking coeducation.

Now-former Newington parent Luke Webber – an old boy of Newington himself – told news.com.au he and his wife had made the call to withdraw their son after eight years at the school.

“We came to this decision, my wife and I, because the way this whole situation has come around and the way it was delivered to its customers, so to speak, we thought was terrible,” he said.

Mr Webber was also disappointed with the school’s response to being informed that his son was leaving, saying he had to follow up to confirm it had received the correspondence.

“And I never went to another school to review what the options were for my son, the day that he was born I knew that that boy was going to go to Newington College.

“There was no ifs or buts about it because of the tradition, because of what I went through.”

Protesters outside the school on the first day of term in 2024. Picture: Richard Dobson

Newington College headmaster Michael Parker told the Australian Financial Review in his first public comments about the controversy this week that school leadership had been surprised at the tone of the opposition.

“We knew there would be significant pushback from some alumni who loved the school as it was in their time as students, but we did not expect some of the intensity of the campaign and some of the misinformation that was put out there, or the personal attacks,” he said.

“I do feel that we got caught up in the wash of the culture wars … we became a pinata for a while there – our text choices, our curriculum, even our school symbol.”

Mr Webber said it was no surprise parents and former students like him had reacted to the change so strongly: “They taught us to be like this.”

“We’re boys that have come through the school and hold all of this very close to our hearts.

“We send our sons to these schools because we believe in it.”

Parents at Newington pay yearly fees of between $26,000 to $45,000 for each child to attend from kindergarten and Year 12.

Newington chairman Tony McDonald told the Financial Review he “totally respected” the decision of parents to withdraw their sons as the school moved to “contemporise” its traditions and make them “more sustainable”.

Newington College is pushing ahead with its co-ed change. Picture: Justin Lloyd.

In announcing its decision, Newington said its college council had an “ongoing responsibility to consider what is best for the long-term future” of the school.

“This decision has been made to ensure the college remains a vibrant, contemporary institution, in step with the society it is part of.”

Two legal proceedings have been flagged, one filed against the Council of Newington College in the NSW Supreme Court and another mooted for the Federal Court claiming “misleading and deceptive conduct”.

Ian Webster, spokesman for the Save Newington College campaign, told news.com.au the school had been “repeatedly warned” about the opposition during years of discussions.

Members of the Newington Old Boys Union after a vote went against the college remaining as an all boys school. Picture: Jonathan Ng

Mr Webster, a former member of the school council, also pushed back against a narrative that “crusty” old boys “with nothing better to do” were leading the campaign.

“The most significant push comes from enrolled parents, including mothers and including sisters of old boys and mothers of old boys,” he said.

“The females involved with Newington, I’d say without doubt the majority of cases, are not in support of this because if they were in support of it, they would have sent their boys to a co-ed school.”

The statement of claim filed in the Supreme Court of NSW.

A lawsuit – filed in the Supreme Court under the name of Student A – claims the council “breached its Governing Trust” by paying, applying and or setting aside funds in connection with “implementing its decision to transition Newington College into a coeducational school”.

The student cannot be identified under a nondisclosure order after it was argued he faced being bullied and shunned if his identity was known.

It was also revealed last month some parents at the school were “in the process of obtaining instructions” regarding a potential class action in the Federal Court “with respect to misleading and deceptive conduct”.

At the time a spokesperson said the college was “disappointed by the proposed legal proceedings”.

“The College and its Councillors take their responsibilities as custodians seriously, and are confident that decisions made are in the best interests of the school, its community and our students.

“The college will respond to the legal proceedings, and welcomes the opportunity for this matter to be heard expeditiously so that it does not distract the school from the work it undertakes to benefit our students, staff and community.”

Mr Webster said although he was not involved in the legal proceedings, the people engaged were “in it for the long haul”.

“Those groups are defined and they’re well and truly committed to those causes.”

Originally published as Newington College headmaster responds to co-ed backlash