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Private schools

August

The author is a governor, or director, of Eton College on the outskirts of London. Eton is considered Britain’s most exclusive school.

As a state school graduate, I believe in private schools

A British financier explains why she educated her children privately, even though the government gave her a good education.

  • Helena Morrissey

June

Newington College

Newington College chairman clocks up 17 years (and counting)

There is nothing so compelling as private school politics.

  • Updated
  • Myriam Robin
Cranbrook School is under intense scrutiny.

Former Cranbrook teacher sues school alleging unsafe environment

Sydney private school Cranbrook is dealing with a new legal action brought by a former teacher who alleges the environment was unsafe for female staff.

  • Updated
  • Max Mason and Julie Hare
Former Cranbrook headmaster Nicholas Sampson (right) says he has been vindicated following a confidential settlement with the school.

Cranbrook settles with former headmaster, but ABC in line of fire

Nicholas Sampson says he has been “vindicated”, but he still has an axe to grind with the national broadcaster over its “Four Corners” program.

  • Julie Hare and Kylar Loussikian

May

The ad doesn’t mention pay, but it does say the editor will “manage several major publications throughout the year” at Newington.

‘Managing editor’ search keeps the bonfire going at Newington

The extravagant addition would bring the number of media staffers at the school to five.

  • Lucas Baird
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March

Jasmine Werneburg says doing the international baccalaureate was more academically rigorous than her university degree.

Poor kids who choose the IB do better than rich kids who don’t: study

Jasmine Werneberg says the International Baccalaureate she did at high school was more academically rigorous than her business-law degree at university.

  • Julie Hare
Former Cranbrook headmaster Nicholas Sampson has hired a top silk.

Emails revealed as ousted Cranbrook head hires top silk

If Cranbrook governing council thought a quick resignation from headmaster Nicholas Sampson would bring about a swift end to its media agony, it was wrong.

  • Kylar Loussikian and Julie Hare
Students at Cranbrook School last week.

What happens behind closed doors at Australia’s elite schools

The saga at Sydney’s Cranbrook School could trigger a new wave of accountability for how private schools operate.

  • Julie Hare
Amanda Bell

Clare threatens to take funding away from Cranbrook

Education Minister Jason Clare has threatened to withdraw federal funding from Cranbrook School if an investigation finds “evidence of a pattern of immoral or unethical behaviour”.

  • Julie Hare
Cranbrook School headmaster Nicholas Sampson resigned on Friday morning.

Cranbrook head wanted $2m to leave two years ago: sources

The death of Nicholas Sampson’s brother in a car accident would have been used as a pretext for the headmaster’s retirement, a confidential document shows.

  • Aaron Patrick, Julie Hare and Myriam Robin
Cranbrook will overhaul policies relating to child protection, whistleblowing and bullying.

Cranbrook to overhaul whistleblowing, child protection, bullying

Cranbrook School has written to its community with a raft of measures designed to restore trust in the school’s management and governance.

  • Julie Hare
Nicholas Sampson, headmaster at Cranbrook School in Bellevue Hill, resigned after the council lost trust in him.

Cranbrook in turmoil after headmaster resigns

Nicholas Sampson resigned as headmaster of the elite private school after its council became aware of allegations against a teacher of “extremely concerning past conduct”.

  • Updated
  • Julie Hare
Cranbrook School headmaster Nicholas Sampson.

The Cranbrook headmaster’s greatest sin

Nicholas Sampson was admired for setting high standards at the private school. But his council couldn’t forgive him for making it look foolish.

  • Aaron Patrick
This week’s exposé on Four Corners revealed that female teachers at Cranbrook private boys’ school feel unsafe and marginalised by toxic behaviour.

Why it’s time to end single-sex schooling

All forms of segregation have been systematically rooted out of society except the gender divide in our most elite schools.

  • The Parrhesian
Nicholas Sampson is nothing if not battle-hardened.

Cranbrook Revisited (by the ABC)

Parents’ groups displayed no indication of any shift of allegiance away from battle-scarred headmaster Nicholas Sampson. Given the history, this is no wonder.

  • Myriam Robin
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February

Aspirational parents move to the independent school sector as soon as they can afford it.

Working women swing to Labor – and to private schools

As soon as families can afford it, they have been switching to independent schools. No amount of public money is likely to reverse that soon.

  • John Black

January

Danielle Funston with daughters Audrey, 12, and Adelaide, 8.

Why high-fee private schools took the biggest price hit in 2024

School fees are rising faster than inflation, and the most expensive schools are charging the biggest increases.

  • Julie Hare
Fees make up only half of the cost of education costs in independent schools.

School fees paid? Then double your budget

Rising school fees are heaping stress on household budgets. And then there’s the extra cost of uniforms, sports gear, music lessons and camps.

  • Julie Hare

December 2023

Tam Orr with daughters Zara (centre) and Zoe.

Seven ways to cope with school fees set to rise by up to 18pc

Many parents are making big sacrifices to put their children through private schools. These strategies can ease the financial burden.

  • Duncan Hughes
St Joseph’s College headmaster Michael Blake.

Why this prestigious boys’ school is not for turning coed

St Joseph’s College Hunters Hill counts rugby great Kurtley Beale, former High Court chief justice Murray Gleeson and the late artist John Olsen as old boys.

  • Samantha Hutchinson