Sydney Science College closes its doors amid liquidation leaving Year 11 students out in the cold
Specialist senior school Sydney Science College has been shut down by liquidators, leaving its handful of Year 12 students scrambling in their final week of exams.
Top-ranked specialist senior school Sydney Science College has been shut down by liquidators, leaving its handful of Year 12 students scrambling in their final week of exams.
The Epping-based STEM school which enrols fewer than 20 students in Year 11 and Year 12 combined was ordered by the Federal Court to wind up in insolvency in October, with liquidators from Western Sydney firm Smith Hancock appointed.
Staff and students came together for the final time on Friday with the liquidator notifying the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) that the school would be permanently closed from Monday.
Teachers and parents were originally told that Monday would be a pupil-free day ahead of a final wind-up meeting with the liquidator on Tuesday, however an early resolution meant liquidators instead presented the final financial situation to the “tight-knit” school community on Monday morning.
It comes in the final week of Higher School Certificate (HSC) exams for the school’s nine Year 12 students, with Geography, Engineering Studies and English Extension 1 among the papers to be sat this week.
NESA is supporting those students to sit their remaining exams, which were already taking place at a larger school nearby due to the small size of the cohort.
“The wellbeing of students who have been enrolled in the school, together with the continuity of their education, remains our priority,” a NESA spokeswoman said.
“We offer our reassurance to the students completing their HSC this year that they will still be able to finish their exams and receive their HSC.
“NESA is working with the school sectors to support the remaining students to enrol at other schools.”
Sydney Science College’s acting principal and co-founder Joey Tsao was contacted for comment, as were the liquidators.
Mr Tsao’s fellow co-founder and former principal Shaun Balnave resigned from the school in May.
Recently-hired mathematics teacher Robert McCreery said he was “very disappointed” and “devastated” by the closure of a school he described as “a wonderful place to teach and learn”.
“When I joined, I was immediately struck by how, every day, everyone seemed so happy to be there,” he said.
“Small groups of highly engaged, highly capable students were given time and scope not just to learn and repeat, but to collaborate and explore ideas. Teachers and students collaborated more as colleagues than anywhere I’ve seen.”
Students from SSC often earn very high HSC results and last year the school self-reported a median ATAR of 95.95.
Its dux that year ranked 10th in the state in Chemistry, but due to the small size of its Year 12 cohorts the school does not meet criteria to be including in league tables.
Its dux that year ranked 10th in the state in Chemistry, but due to the small size of its Year 12 cohorts the school does not meet criteria to be including in league tables.
If it were ranked, it would be in the state’s top 20 schools.
“SSC, as a school, gave rise to marvellous achievements,” Mr McCreery said.
“As a community, it had a rare and special sense of camaraderie and fellowship. I’m devastated that the school has had to close, but I’ll always be grateful that I was fortunate enough to be a part of it.”
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Originally published as Sydney Science College closes its doors amid liquidation leaving Year 11 students out in the cold
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