Latest news with #SaveNewington
Sydney Morning Herald
7 days ago
- Politics
- Sydney Morning Herald
Student loses court bid to stop Newington becoming co-ed
Lawyers clashed over the definition; Noel Hutley, SC, acting for Newington, argued the 1873 meaning of youth was a collective noun for young men and women. 'The ordinary meaning of youth as a collective is gender-neutral,' Hutley said. He submitted that the Oxford English Dictionary pointed to youth having a non-gendered meaning, and that was constant in all dictionaries from 1848 through to today. Michael Izzo, SC, acting for opponents of coed, said at the hearing earlier this month that 'there is at least one possibility that 'youth' when used in particular context is being used to refer to men alone'. Izzo cited a Barclay's 1848 dictionary containing a definition of youth as being 'the part of life which is between childhood and manhood', from adolescence to young man. Solicitors for the co-ed opponents commissioned a report from lexicographer and historian Amanda Laugesen, who is the director of the Australian National Dictionary Centre at ANU. Laugesen conducted extensive research into the meaning of the term 'youth', and about 500 historical newspaper articles in the report were provisionally admitted into evidence. The boy who launched proceedings – known as student A – cannot be identified, after he obtained a non-publication order based upon a psychiatrist's report that said he could be bullied or shunned if his identity were to become known. The 162-year-old college plans to admit girls in the junior school from next year and become fully co-ed by 2033. The decision sparked fierce backlash and protests from parents and alumni of the $45,000-a-year school, who have spent months lobbying to have the move overturned. Loading In his judgment, Parker wrote that he was presented with extensive extracts from dictionaries for guidance on the meaning of some terms in the deed and the word youth. Definitions from historical dictionaries including Barclay's, Webster's, Chambers's Etymological Dictionary, The Imperial Dictionary and A Dictionary of Law were in evidence. 'The attempt by counsel for student A to explain away the gender-neutral language of the deed by saying that everyone would simply have assumed that the pupils would all be boys or young men was, I thought, unconvincing,' Parker wrote. 'In my opinion the meaning of the term youth in [clause three] of the deed is unambiguous.' In a letter to parents on Wednesday afternoon, college principal Michael Parker said he welcomed the court's decision affirming the move to co-education. 'We have been steadfast in our position throughout these proceedings, and we remain excited to build on our rich history and traditions by taking Newington into our next era,' Parker said. 'We are optimistic that today's determination will now pave the way for our community to move forward together.' The student's civil suit was supported and funded by the Save Newington College group, a coalition of old boys and parents opposed to the co-ed move. In a statement, Save Newington said the group was disappointed by the court's decision. Former student and Save Newington spokesman Ian Webster said there 'will be detailed consideration of the reasons behind the judgment before any further decisions are made'. Webster said an appeal had not been ruled out. 'Today's decision, while respected, is at odds with the understanding held by generations of old boys, parents, staff, and community members – that Newington was founded, funded and entrusted as a school for boys,' the Save Newington statement said. The group said the case highlighted the 'many risks and pitfalls that will be encountered' by moving to a co-ed model. The group said risks remain about the 'future academic and financial performance of the school and continuation of its GPS traditions'. 'Particular challenges around … anticipated pushback from surrounding all-girls schools and retreat by former supporters of the Newington Foundation have not been addressed.' In late 2023, some members of the Newington Founders Society indicated they would be withdrawing their bequests to the school. Newington was founded in 1863 due to a growing view in the Wesleyan Methodist Church that a secondary school was needed in Sydney. The college opened in Silverwater, then moved to Stanmore in 1880.
ABC News
7 days ago
- General
- ABC News
Supreme Court clears the way for Newington College to accept female students
The Supreme Court has shot down a legal bid to stop a 162-year-old school for male students in Sydney's inner west from accepting females next year onwards. Newington College, an affluent private school with more than 2,000 male students in Stanmore, announced plans to become co-educational in late 2023. But some students, parents and alumni — commonly called 'old boys' — were outraged by the decision, circulating a petition before launching a court action in the Supreme Court of NSW. The case was brought by Student A — who attended the school and had their identity suppressed by the court to protect their privacy — as he was against the Newington College Council and 25 other defendants. Lawyers for Student A claimed the school was formed to teach males, pointing to a trust deed from 1873 that described Newington College as "an efficient college for youth", arguing "the term 'youth' is limited to the advancement of education of boys and young men". Justice Guy Parker dismissed the argument in Wednesday's ruling. "I have concluded that the word 'youth' in the 1873 trust deed was used in a gender-neutral sense, and does not mandate male-only enrolment at the college," he said. The Save Newington College group issued a statement mere minutes after the ruling, expressing their disappointment. "Today's decision, while respected, is at odds with the understanding held by generations of Old Boys, parents, staff, and community members — that Newington was founded, funded and entrusted as a school for boys, consistent with the original deeds," the statement read. "The campaign by Student A to protect Newington's heritage has never been about resisting change. The Newington College Council can now forge ahead with accepting enrolments in the school, where tuition ranges from $26,217 for kindergarten to $45,369 for years 11 and 12. Female students can join the primary school in 2026 and the secondary school from 2028, with the institution to become completely coeducational by 2030.
