A former student at an elite private school has tearfully pleaded for the school to remain boys-only, warning that male students will be “second-class citizens” if girls are admitted.
Retired construction executive Tony Ratsos, 63, graduated from Newington College in 1977 and sent his son to the school, but cried as he spoke out against the move to make it co-educational.
“It’s more than just a school: it’s your life, it’s a community,” he said as he joined dozens of other parents protesting outside the school on Wednesday.
“All those men who protested today are no strangers to me. They are my brothers. They’re all old guys… it’s a bond you can’t break.”
He said that if the school were to become coeducational, “that bond no longer applies because the dynamics have changed.
“I can’t bond the same way I do with these guys and these girls,” he said.
“I can’t look a girl in the eye and call her a Newingtonian because that’s not what the essence of the school is about.”
Retired construction executive Tony Ratsos, 63, (centre) graduated from Newington College in 1977 and sent his son to the school, but cried as he spoke out against the move to make it co-educational.
The 160-year-old school, which charges $42,201 annually for a year 12 boy, will admit female secondary school students from 2026, with plans to become fully co-educational by 2033.
“Boys generally learn (differently) than girls,” he said. “The girls would become the dominant students and the curriculum would be built around them.
“So basically the boys would be second-rate students in the next five to 10 years.”
Mr Ratsos said Newington College already has a joint interaction with its sister school, MLC School, and it was important to uphold Newington’s all-male traditions.
He insisted he is not against co-educational schools, but said Sydney already had a wide selection and there should be options for single-sex education.
He also warned that parents who took their sons out of school if it turned out that mixed students would face problems because of the long waiting lists at other private boys’ schools.
The protesting parents said they were not involved in the discussion and that the school had not consulted enough people before making the decision.
One parent accused the school of silencing students to criticize the decision.
About 30 people arrived at the Newington campus in Stanmore around 8am on Wednesday, carrying signs and placards denouncing the school council’s decision.
During the protest, demonstrators held up signs calling on the school to “reverse” the decision, with one sign stating that the college had already lost “$5 million in legacies.”
The 160-year-old school, which charges $42,201 annually for a year 12 boy, will admit female secondary school students from 2026, with plans to achieve full co-education by 2033.
During the protest, demonstrators held up signs calling on the school to “reverse” the decision, with one sign stating that the college had already “lost $5 million in legacies (pictured)
Another demanded a new vote on the mixed policy.
“Demand transparency and accountability from the school council,” it said.
One parent said students had been told not to talk to the media about the proposed changes or risk a potential leadership role at the school.
“The boys have been threatened not to talk to the media or make any noise about the mixed situation,” she said.
Year 12 student Leo Grippi said that while he was not “aggressive” against the decision, the announcement had thrown the school into turmoil.
“I have a mixed opinion, obviously I don’t support it,” he said.
“I think it shocked the school a little bit and that’s why I don’t like it. I want a smooth environment for Year 12.”
However, he admitted the change could foster a “new learning environment” for Newington College students.
Before the protest, Michael Parker, the university’s principal, had written to parents to inform them of the planned demonstration.
Mr Parker said staffing levels would be increased on the ‘edge of the college’ to ensure student safety.
“Several hundred boys will start their first day at Newington tomorrow and they will experience all kinds of mixed emotions as they walk through the gates at this threshold moment,” the message said.
‘To ensure students enter the school safely on Wednesday morning, we will have an increased staff presence on the perimeter of the college.’
One parent said students were told not to talk to the media about the proposed changes or risk a potential leadership role at the school
The protesting parents said they were not involved in the discussion and that Newington College had not consulted enough people before making the decision
In addition to Wednesday’s planned protest, a change.org petition against the decision has received 2,378 signatures in the past two months.
Former pupil John Ramarque said the school should remain an all-boys school to ‘preserve Newington’s legacy for future generations’.
“As a proud member of Newington College in Stanmore, NSW, Australia, I have witnessed first-hand the unique culture that has been cultivated over generations,” he wrote.
“This culture is threatened by recent decisions by our director and board. The decision to make our school co-ed is not just a change in policy; it is an erosion of our heritage.”
Elite private school Cranbrook in Sydney’s eastern suburbs will also allow female students to enroll in Years 7 and 11 from 2026, meaning its secondary school (Years 7 to 12) will become fully co-educational by 2029 will be.
However, Trinity Grammar School, which is adjacent to Newington College in the suburb of Summer Hill, says it will remain a single-sex boys’ school.