‘We want our school back’:Newington parents,old boys gather to protest co-ed move

Hundreds of students returning to Newington College on Wednesday were greeted with a parent protest outside the inner west school’s gates as backlash intensified against a decision to admit girls to the 160-year-old institution.

A group of parents and alumni gathered at the private school’s main entrance carrying placards that called for the college to abandon its plan to transform into a fully co-educational school by 2033.

Two police officers were in attendance,as well as school security at entrances.

Former Newington student Dallas Morgan,who has a son at the high school,said the decision to open up the college to female students had “outraged” some of the old boys,and was urging the council to reconsider.

“We want the school leadership to see the error of their ways and reverse the decision,not only the transition to co-ed,but also the proposed increase to student numbers. We want our 160-year-old school back,” Morgan said.

But in a letter to parents on Wednesday,Newington principal Michael Parker defended the co-ed plans,saying the school had “every confidence[the decision] is in the best interest of the future of the college.”

He also refuted claims by parents there was inadequate consultation,pointing to 40 two-hour consultation sessions with parents and alumni in early 2022 and other sessions with current students.

He also acknowledged the rights of parents to protest,but said the first day of the school year was “all about the current students”.

“This protest will act as at best a distraction,and at worst an abiding memory of these boys’ time at Newington,” he said.

A mother of two boys at the school,Victoria Phillips,said she joined the small and “peaceful protest” of about 30 parents and old boys to voice concerns that the co-ed decision was “made without the parents’ consent”.

“None of the nearby girls schools are looking to change. We chose to send our children to an all-boys school,” she said.

Protesters handed out stickers with QR codes that directed students to an online survey about the issue,while others claimed the decision would put financial pressure on the college after fees increased 8.5 per cent to $42,200 this year.

Newington announced late last year thatit would admit girls in the junior school from 2026,and become a fully co-educational campus by 2033. The decision,made almost two years afterthe idea was first floated to the school community,has drawn intense criticism from some parents and old boys.

An online petition objecting to the co-ed move has garnered 2300 signatures,while a separate group of parents isthreatening legal action against the college over the plan to enrol girls.

In November,a letter from law firm Brown Wright Stein was sent to the council chairman Tony McDonald on behalf of parents and old boys,challenging the validity of the co-ed plan and arguing it was contrary to the inner west school’s trust,which was established in 1873.

The decision also prompted Newington’sFounders’ Society chairman Greg Mitchell to quit his position as head of the fundraising group and withdraw his bequest to the school.

“I believe this decision is ideologically driven by the minority and is now being imposed on the Newington community with potentially disastrous consequences,” he told theHerald last year.

A separate coalition of parents and old boys have set up a group called Save Newington College to lobby the school to overturn the decision.

“Such a seismic shift in this extraordinary school will destroy the great traditions and heritage that make Newington College the greatest school for boys in Australia,” a message on the group’s website says.

Morgan,who graduated from the school in 1991 and is one of the founders of the Save Newington group,said 640 old boys and parents had registered to be a part of the group.

“The Save Newington group is not directly involved in any legal action,however many of our groups’ supporters are,and we are all interested in its success,” said Morgan. “The group has helped to pass on information from the legal action group to our supporters,including fundraising efforts.”

One current year 12 Newington student,who asked not to be named,said he was enthusiastic about the co-ed decision. “I’m happy about it,as are many students. It’s more representative of the modern world.”

A former parent at the school,Kerry Maxwell,who is part of the MOONS (Mothers of Old Newingtonians) group,said she joined the protest to “speak up on behalf of families I know that are furious about this decision,but they’re too scared to talk”.

Tony Retsos,who graduated from Newington in 1977,said the college had a long history as “an elite boys’ school and the process to consult wasn’t sufficient”.

“All we want is for the decision to be reversed and a proper consultation. Without more information the decision is unfathomable,” he said.

Newington,opened by the Methodist church in 1863,is a member of the Athletics Association of Great Public Schools,a historic sporting association of boys’ schools,which also includes Shore and Scots College.

Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories,analysis and insights.Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.