By Lucy Carroll
A high-stakes battle for control of an elite Sydney private school could trigger an exodus of donors and teachers, a group of alumni and parents has warned amid an escalating standoff at the eastern suburbs institution.
Cranbrook School has been embroiled in an internal crisis for months due to a deteriorating relationship between headmaster Nicholas Sampson and school council president Jon North, as well as disagreement over plans to admit girls to the century-old boys’ school from 2026.
Eastern suburbs private school Cranbrook is set to become co-educational from 2026.Credit: Brook Mitchell
Sampson lodged a formal complaint about North’s conduct earlier this year and supporters of both men are now plotting to bring the dispute to a head as soon as possible - even if it means the saga plays out in public.
The likely outcome of the spat - the resignation of one of the two men - will have significant implications for the school’s future direction.
In a letter sent to parents and alumni on Saturday, four influential Sydney figures who either went to the Bellevue Hill school or sent their children there blasted Cranbrook’s powerful council for failing to support Sampson, an “exceptional” headmaster who has transformed the school “physically and aspirationally” and deserves to operate “free of any intimidation”.
The letter was signed by billionaire fund manager and former student Will Vicars, chair of property trust Dexus Warwick Negus, McKinsey managing partner Angus Dawson and Macquarie Bank director Nicola Wakefield Evans.
Vicars gave at least $5 million to a recently opened school building. The others are also listed as “major” donors to various other infrastructure projects.
The group warned there was a significant risk Sampson could be forced out and that some “wonderful educators and staff” may follow.
“This will be compounded by the fact that the school’s most generous donors are likely to withdraw their financial support, which will also have a detrimental impact on many aspects of school life that the boys and their families enjoy,” the letter said.
The four accused the council of treating parents with “condescension and arrogance” and not being upfront about the nature of the dispute between the president and headmaster.
“The school council has tried to sweep this matter under the carpet, ignoring the impact it has on the wellbeing of the headmaster and considerable alarm that has existed for months amongst the teaching staff, students and parents.”
In his decade as headmaster, Sampson has overseen a major rebuilding program and championed the benefits of the contentious co-education plan.
The letter from his four key supporters follows another letter sent to parents last week by 10 of Cranbrook’s 11 council members, including North.
That letter scolded “four disaffected individuals” - a reference to Vicars, Negus, Dawson and Wakefield Evans - who the council claims have damaged the school’s reputation in the media and intimidated the council with legal threats.
Council member Katrina Rathie, who heads the Cranbrook Foundation, did not sign last week’s letter. Skander Malcolm quit as a councillor this month amid rising discontent, while another, professional investor and former Cranbrook Foundation head Seamus Dawes, resigned earlier this year.
The letter from council members said the school was conducting an independent governance review to deal with concerns from the school community.
In the letter to parents, the council members said the school was in a “good place”. The letter said “disaffected individuals” were intent on forcing change so that the council could be reshaped and Cranbrook taken in a new direction.
Of Sampson, the council said it was “supportive of him performing his contract” - which expires at the end of 2024 - but stopped short of praising the headmaster in any way.
The council also defended its opposition to offering 40 scholarships to girls in years 11 and 12 “on a very compressed timeframe” from next year. The letter said the school would be better served by becoming coeducational via a “well-planned and considered route that would see a more meaningful number of girls enrolled in years 7 and 11 starting in 2026.
“This decision was made after extensive research and consultation with current parents, staff, students and our alumni. It has widespread support amongst the Cranbrook community.”
After months of conflict about the co-education proposal, the school - which charges almost $40,000 a year and last month unveiled a multimillion dollar building revamp - announced in July its plans to allow girls from 2026. Girls will join years 7 and 11 from 2026, and the school will be fully co-ed by 2029.
The school’s plans to go co-ed were backed by powerful parents, including billionaire Atlassian founder Scott Farquhar and his wife, Kim Jackson, but faced opposition from others, including columnist Graham Richardson. There was often intense debate about the proposal at meetings with alumni and parents.
The three-page letter Vicars, Negus, Dawson and Wakefield Evans sent to parents and alumni on Saturday challenged the council to answer several questions, including why continuing the tenure of the president was a priority over supporting a headmaster who is a “world-renowned educator”.
It also asked whether Sampson would stay as headmaster if North remained as president, and why the headmaster has been “restrained” from discussing the matter with parents.
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