Cranbrook School facing claims of misogynistic boys’ club bullying

A former female executive at Sydney’s elite Cranbrook school has made a series of scathing claims about its “boys’ club” culture, as allegations of misogynistic bullying and mysterious payments to female staff emerge.

New allegations have been levelled at Sydney’s elite Cranbook School, which the school categorically denies. Picture: Richard Dobson

A clique at elite Cranbrook School has been described as a “viper’s pit” amid claims of bullying and massive payments to female staff driven out by a “boys’ club”.

The claims of a toxic culture said to have forced out a number of female senior staff will rock one of the country’s top boys schools as it plans to go co-ed by 2026.

One former female executive needed treatment in a mental health facility and at least two others, including a senior teacher on long service leave, were paid around $300,000 each when they were forced out, The Daily Telegraph has been told.

“No woman is strong enough to stand strong in the face of such underhanded and toxic behaviours, innuendo, undermining and comments,” one former female executive recently wrote in a scathing email to headmaster Nicholas Sampson and now ex-council president Jon North.

“Put frankly, in my tenure, or in 2022, no woman (or man) should be forced to endure bullying, ageist, sexist, cultural or misogynistic attitudes in the workplace.”

Cranbrook School in the affluent eastern Sydney suburb of Bellevue Hill.

One source said the $40,000-a-year eastern suburbs school “has become the ultimate boys’ club.”

The disquiet is a key reason for last month’s mass resignation of 10 of the 11 members of the school’s governing council.

Cranbrook School headmaster Nicholas Sampson.

“Senior women departed in murky circumstances. Allegations against them were made by male figures. They were never properly investigated and they were shuffled out the door,” another source alleged.

A number of the women signed orders stopping them discussing their experiences.

Cranbrook said it was “farcical and categorically untrue” to say millions of dollars had been paid to female executives to buy their silence and “categorically rejects” claims of bullying and misogyny and a toxic culture.

In the August email, which has been seen by The Daily Telegraph, the former female executive said she was concerned nothing had changed since she left two years ago.

“I am now healthy and happy (but) I sadly remain severely damaged by what transpired in what was described as the ‘viper’s pit’ at the school and also by the enduring unresolved and unmanaged bullying behaviours that I endured during the entirety of my tenure,” she said.

“I am seeking advice on the outcome of the independent investigation I was advised would occur into the toxic culture and misogynistic, bullyboy behaviours that existed at the time of my force departure from my beloved senior position.”

The school is the alma mater of many millionaires and industry leaders, including Kerry and James Packer.

Late media tycoon Kerry Packer and heir James Packer are graduates of Cranbrook.

“Cranbrook is a beautiful school, it really is but there are some parents like us who are concerned at the changing culture,” one anonymous parent said.

“It doesn’t matter that the staff is about 50/50 male and female because the women are too scared to speak out.”

Cranbrook said school leadership is equally split between men and women.

“Cranbrook’s culture is caring and inclusive. Many senior women work at Cranbrook School and in recent times three females have been appointed into executive level positions,” the school said.

The school, which costs up to $84,000 a year for boarders, in September ordered an internal probe after a student was shown on video smiling before performing the Nazi salute in the school corridors.

Originally published as Cranbrook School facing claims of misogynistic boys’ club bullying