When St Joseph’s College Hunters Hill headmaster Michael Blake interviews prospective year 7 scholarship students, he asks their parents one question: where do you want your child to be in six years’ time?
“I would hope that at the crux of this is a deep desire that their son is happy, has good friends he can rely on and is a good friend to others,” says Blake. “If that is the case, then I think we can serve them well.”
St Joseph’s College headmaster Michael Blake.Credit: Oscar Coleman
Scholarship and general enrolment applications at St Joseph’s have increased in recent years – a trend mirrored across other private schools.
The number of students sitting the Australian Council for Educational Research scholarship test, used by 35 NSW private schools, increased by 33 per cent between 2021 and 2024 to almost 2000 aspiring students.
Scholarship applications at Sydney Grammar, which runs its own test and offers up to 20 scholarships for year 7 students each year, have also seen a “significant rise”, said headmaster Dr Richard Malpass, with 200 more applicants than in 2022.
Australian Tutoring Association chief executive Mohan Dhall said more parents were deciding on private education regardless of the test outcome.
“There has been an increase in private scholarship applicants, and the parent attitude seems to be ‘if I miss out, I was going to pay anyway’,” Dhall said.
Reddam House Sydney principal Simon Lees said they offered just a handful of scholarships to reward academic excellence, but this was not the sole criteria.
“We genuinely want students to come to the school knowing that they’re going to make a contribution to the school life,” he said.
“I think we’re all aware that there’s a significant cost of living increase in Australia … the reality is, we’re oversubscribed in the number of scholarship applicants.”
Knox Grammar School headmaster Scott James said 450 students sat its 2025 academic, all round, regional and Indigenous scholarship tests.
“The school has always had a strong financial commitment to scholarships, and in more recent years has worked very closely with a number of donors and benefactors to significantly broaden the scholarship offerings and programs,” James said.
A scholarship at Ravenswood School for Girls was not initially on year 8 swimmer Willow Holm’s radar.
“My swim coach actually mentioned, why don’t I apply for a scholarship at Ravenswood?”
Year 8 Ravenswood student Willow Holm with her mother Rachel.Credit: Steven Siewert
Willow, who dreams of competing in the 2028 Olympics, submitted her swimming and school leadership awards before being invited for an interview with principal Dr Anne Johnstone.
“She asked me so many questions about my life goals. And at the end of the meeting, she stood up and said, ‘I would like to offer you a scholarship today’.”
Willow was awarded the Kim Buchan All Rounder Scholarship, named in honour of a student who died in a house fire in 1998.
“We wrote to [Kim’s family] with a long note saying how proud we are and thank you,” Willow’s father, Jeffery, said.
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