Parents, former students 'distraught' by Newington College's decision to allow girls to enrol

A small group of parents and alumni have gathered outside an all-boys Sydney private school in protest of a decision for the college to become fully co-educational by 2033.

The disgruntled group of about 20 protesters gathered outside Newington College in Stanmore with picket signs as students made their way through the front gate.

Two police officers were seen standing by, as well as campus security.

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The 160-year-old all-boys institution announced that it would be transitioning to a co-educational system in November, allowing girls to enrol to "ensure the college remains a vibrant, contemporary institution, in step with the society it is part of".

The protesters today expressed their outrage around the decision, with one former student telling 9News: "I'm an old boy, my son's an old boy and the intention was always that I'd have a grandson, but I won't bring him to a co-ed school."

"I'm totally distraught by this catastrophic decision by the council," another said.

Others said they were worried male students would "be stripped of opportunity" if girls attended the school.

The protesters called for a change in headmaster and school council.

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"It's been handled really shockingly with really no concern or consideration for the parents or the families who are actually the feepayers," Kerry Maxwell, the mother of two former Newington students, said.

However, in a letter sent out this afternoon, principal Michael Parker denied those claims, saying there had been a thorough consultation process.

"The consultation process in 2022 was very extensive, it included (but was not limited to) 40 two-hour consultation sessions with hundreds of stakeholders (parents and students) in February and March of 2022," he wrote.

"The sessions were robust, vigorous, productive and revealed all sorts of strongly held views. I know this because I sat in all but two of them."

He added that students who disagreed with the position "were all given the chance to directly meet with members of the College Council to air their views".

"Most of them took up this opportunity and it was extremely valuable to see that their feedback was heard directly, I also met with two dozen classes to take questions in the weeks after the decision," he said.

A former student, who wished to remain anonymous, told 9news.com.au he could see both positives and negatives to the school going co-ed.

"For primary school, I am 100 per cent for it (going co-ed), I think it's important that kids meet and learn to interact and make friends from all cultures and genders," he said.

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"When it comes to the secondary school, I think that that's where some of the issues may arise, and unfortunately it will be the girls that might experience more negative effects of the switch.

"I think the protests are a bit of an overreaction, I can understand that some parents feel that they have paid for a certain expectation of a product, (a single-sex education), and now that has changed,

"(But) all other reasons for parents to be upset by this change, I don't agree with."

Parker said that despite the protests, students still had a great first day back at school.

"It's been a good day here inside the grounds of Newington. We're planning for tomorrow to be just as good, and all the days after that too."

Newington College has also addressed several concerns on its website, standing by the decision.

"Our students will enter a world that will require them to walk and work alongside all genders collaboratively, respectfully and empathetically as colleagues, employers, employees, partners, parents and friends," the website reads.

"We believe the best way to prepare them for these roles is for different genders to learn alongside each other in an everyday, unremarkable way during their childhood and adolescence."Newington College is a private all-boys school that currently hosts over 1900 students from years kindergarten to Year 12.

School fees start at $24,000 from kindergarten, and increase to about $42,000 per student from Years 11 and 12.