Newington ploughs ahead with $110m school proposal amid continuing co-ed row

Newington College in Sydney has released plans for its $110m redevelopment, which will support the school’s ‘transition to a fully coeducational school by 2033’.

Newington College in Sydney’s inner west.

Newington College in Sydney has released plans for its $110m redevelopment, which will support the school’s “transition to a fully coeducational school by 2033”, as parents and an unnamed student continue their legal action against the college council.
The early proposal, prepared on behalf of the college council, for a new performing arts theatre, multipurpose gallery, new classrooms, indoor and outdoor sports courts and gymnasium, noted “Newington is evolving its education model in order to grow and prosper into the 21st century – and is doing so through the lens of inclusion, diversity and growth”.

“The proposed works seek to upgrade and adaptively reuse existing teaching spaces and provide new facilities to address short-term operational needs, and also to enable the long-term growth of the college for the future generation. This proposal will also allow an increase in its students and staff, commensurate with Newington’s transition to a fully coeducational school by 2033,” the report said.

A preliminary costing report attached to the proposal for the Stanmore site sets the price at more than $110m.

It was reported last week that more than 50 boys had been removed from the school following the coeducation announcement, while the college had taken more than 1000 applications for girls to enrol.

Newington College. Picture: Justin Lloyd

A group of parents, old boys and one unnamed student filed a second legal challenge just before Christmas, in the ­Supreme Court, suing the Council of Newington College over funding for the move to coeducation.

The group claims the college’s purpose when established in 1873 was for the ­“advancement of education of boys and young men”, and the college council breached the trust by using its funds to “implement its decision to transition … into a coeducational school”.

An email, which included the statement of claim, sent out by the Newington Tradition Supporters Fund, which is funding the legal action, said “the founders of the college had a clear vision, which has up until recently been the reason for the success of the college”.

Separately, in late December, a number of parents warned they would launch a class action over what they call “misleading and deceptive conduct” by the college council, including claims that representations were made to some that the “college would not become coeducational”.

Albus Legal’s Daniel O’Brien, who represents “parents who have boys enrolled in Newington College” said “we are in the process of obtaining instructions with respect to a class action to be commenced in the Federal Court of Australia with respect to misleading and deceptive conduct on the part of the council pursuant to section 18 of the Australian Consumer Law”.

Among its claims are that “representations were … made to parents (by certain members of staff in leadership roles) that the college would not become coeducational, with those representations having been made prior to the announcement made by the chair of the council on 20 November 2023”.