Student loses bid to sue elite school
A current student of a prestigious Sydney school has lost his bid to challenge the school's controversial move to co-education.
Newington College in Sydney's inner-west announced in 2023 the school would accept both boys and girls over a staged move from 2026 onwards.
The school, which boasts yearly tuition fees of up to more than $45,000, will accept girls to Kindergarten and Year 5 from next year, while the senior campus will accept girls in Year 7 and Year 11 from 2028.
The decision immediately sparked controversy among the school's community, prompting a current student to take the matter to Sydney's Supreme Court.
The student, who can only be known as Student A, filed a lawsuit in December 2024.
The case hinged on the terminology in the school's 1873 Deed of Indenture, with the statement of claim arguing the words 'an efficient course of education for youth' is 'limited to the advancement of education of boys and young men'. Newington College will gradually transition to coeducation from 2026 onwards. NewsWire / Gaye Gerard Credit: News Corp Australia
Justice Guy Parker handed down his final judgement on Tuesday afternoon, finding that the terminology was used 'in a gender neutral sense'.
'(I have) concluded that the word youth … was used in a gender neutral sense and does not mandate male-only enrolment at the College,' Justice Parker told the court.
Tuition for the elite school spans up to $45,369 for those in Year 11 and 12, with the fees for those in Year 5 and 6 reaching $35,487.
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