Newington College
Newington College is an
Uniting Church all boys school located in
Sydney,
Australia. Newington is both a boarding and day school. Newington College is open to all faiths and denominations. It was established in
1863 and originally located at Newington House, near the modern
suburb of
Newington. The main campus today is in the suburb of
Stanmore in the
inner west of Sydney. The college is a member of the
GPS.
Newington has two preparatory schools â€" Wyvern House in
Stanmore and the Preparatory School at
Lindfield.
Students move to the Secondary School at Stanmore in year 7. There is a major intake of new students at this time, although the School allows for enrolment at any stage. Students prepare for the NSW
School Certificate and
Higher School Certificate.
As with all Australian independent schools, Newington College is a full fee paying institution. Full fees range from
AUD$2,000 (Kindergarten) to AUD$18,969 (Year 12) per year for day students, and in excess of AUD$35,000 for Stanmore Campus boarders.
In all, about 1600 students currently attend the 3 campuses as day students and boarders.
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The River Days at Newington, where the first students gathered at Silverwater. |
Support for the concept of Newington College was fostered by the Rev John Manton, who successfully put a motion before the
Methodist Conference of
1862. Manton was later appointed Principal-elect of the new school and is rightly regarded as the founder of the College.
At the Conference it was decided that the institution should be "decidedly
Wesleyan in character" and at the very start it was expected to "be open to the sons of parents of all religious denominations" â€" a philosophy which remains an essential ethos of the College 140 years on.
There being no suitable buildings in Sydney Town, a property was leased at
Silverwater on the
Parramatta River. Formerly belonging to the pioneer Blaxland family, 'Newington House' was the centrepiece of a 1200 acre estate of the same name.
With the successes of Newington College came expanding numbers, and it soon became clear that Newington House was not to be a suitable home into the future. More extensive premises closer to the city were sought and a bequest of land â€" the Stanmore Estate, from which the suburb gains its name â€" provided the opportunity and the school relocated in
1880.
Then began the enormous task of raising funds to erect a suitable building for the provision of accommodation for theological students, an essential part of the scheme from the outset. One of several entrants in a competition to design the new College buildings, a young colonial architect named Thomas Rowe was selected and works began in
1876. Rowe later designed several significant buildings including
Sydney Hospital and
The Great Synagogue. By
1880, the now heritage-listed sandstone building, known today as the Founders' Wing, was completed and the great migration from Silverwater to Stanmore began, taking with it the name Newington; by resolution of the College Council, the name was to be perpetuated on the new site.
The College has remained at Stanmore. From 70 students at the time of the move, it now has about 1600 with an additional Preparatory School on the
North Shore, first at
Killara but now at
Lindfield.
In latter years, particularly since
World War II, the College buildings and facilities have improved and expanded significantly â€" the latest of which are the Physical Education Centre (on a site where there has been a gymnasium since
1890 and a swimming pool since
1894) a new boatshed at
Abbotsford and new Library and Design & Technology facilities.
The Stanmore-based Preparatory School at Wyvern House relocated in
1998 to new premises in Cambridge Street. There are Boarding facilities catering for students from Years 7 to 12.
Over the decades, the College has seen the services of a number of distinguished Headmasters. The Rev Dr C J Prescott (
1900 to
1931) is the school's longest serving Headmaster â€" Prescott was regarded as the most influential educator of his day in Australia â€" and Mr P R Le Couteur (
1931â€"
1948) who guided the College through the recovery from the
Great Depression and through World War II. Mr L R D Dyke (
1952 to
1960) initiated the post-war building programme and Mr A J Rae AM(
1972 to
1993) developed an academic, sporting and extracurricular balance which was the envy of other institutions.
Mr Rae was succeeded by Mr Michael Smee in mid-
1993. Mr Smee spent a decade at the helm, overseeing major building projects including the relocation of Wyvern House Preparatory School to new premises in Cambridge St, Stanmore. The Current Headmaster of the College is Mr. David G. Scott who commenced in mid
2003.
Newington has three campuses:
Stanmore years 7-12
The secondary campus is located in Stanmore, in Sydney's inner west. The student body consists of approximately 50 boarders and 1050 day students.
Newington boarders come from country and city, interstate and overseas. Day students are drawn from all over the Sydney greater metropolitan area.
Wyvern House K-6
Located at
Stanmore, Wyvern House Preparatory School has approximately 370 students - all day students. There are two classes each in Years K-4 and three classes in Years 5-6.
Lindfield K-6
The Preparatory School at
Lindfield is a single-stream school, with approximately 160 students, generally from the
North Shore of Sydney.
Newington College's
Uniting Church philosophy expounds equality for all, hence for the non-selective procedure of admission. The school teaches the core curriculum outlined by the NSW Board of Studies
(BOS) between K-8. In addition to this curriculum, the students study one major language other than English. Competent students at Newington during years 7-8 (and onwards if a student decides to) study
Latin. From years 9-12, students adhere to the Board of Studies curriculum standards that all NSW schools follow.
To ensure the interests of all students are catered for, be they academic, commercial, creative, sporting, technological or otherwise, the College dedicates considerable resources to offering a wide range of courses. In tandem with our extensive cocurricular and pastoral care programs, this broad curriculum provides a rounded liberal education designed to equip students with the skills, knowledge and understanding they will need to face the challenges of the years ahead.
Due to the fact that Newington College is a school that comes under jurisdiction of the Board of Studies, it follows the same set of rules, and offers from the same list of courses that all schools do
Students complete the Preliminary HSC course during year 11, and then enter into the HSC course in their final year, once again following the protocol set out by the Board of Studies. In 2002 and 2003, Newington College received the highest number of Premier's Awards of any nonselective boys' school in NSW. In 2004, the results were again impressive, finishing in the top two nonselective boys' schools in NSW as far as Premier's Awards was concerned. Eleven students gained a mark of 90 or above in ten or more HSC units and were thus recognised on the All-Rounders list. The Dux of the school more often then not gains an University Admission Index (UAI) of 99+, placing that student in the top 1% of the state. It is worth mentioning that simply enrolling in a high fee paying school does not ensure a good UAI, and hard work and determination are of more importance than the school attended. Students who score 90 or above in a subject and hence receive the highest band are placed on the merit list. In 2004, 58 boys achieved a total of 176 ‘top bands', another outstanding effort.
Unfortunately - the HSC results of Newington in 2005 proved to be disappointing. As stated in a front page article of the
Sydney Morning Herald, Newington College, although considered to be an "elite" private school, failed to make it into the list of the top 100 schools in the higher school certificate. The article states the following:
"But not all Sydney's elite private schools did well.
Kincoppal-Rose Bay,
International Grammar and Newington College failed to make the top 100, outranked by dozens of cheaper non-government schools and 13 public comprehensive schools."
Newington's principal, David Scott, said the school's HSC results were disappointing but not surprising. "We were aware we would have some challenges in terms of academic performance this particular year," he said. "It's part of the cycle of any school, which tends to happen once every six or seven years."
Mr Scott said the school was satisfied with individual students, who performed according to ability. "I think that's a more important measure of the quality of teaching rather than simply having very bright kids at your school."
Mr Scott has made radical changes during the January-March 2006 phrase, where many new policies have been implemented as an attempt to lift "academic" results. Rather than focusing on the sporting side, the school intends to strengthen the academic side to become are more all-rounded school.
Newington continually performs very well in the School Certificate. The School Certificate is the first formal Board of Studies examination that all students undertake in NSW. It aims to test a student's culminative apptitude in
Mathematics,
Science and
English. Furthermore the School Certificate now aims to assess a student's understanding of Australian History and Australian Geography,
Civics and
Citizenship.
From 2005 a new approach to Gifted Education has been developed at Newington College. While many activities have been run in the past, the aim is to formalise a Gifted Program and create consistency over the three campuses. The program will eventually run from K to 12. The initial focus will be on Years 5 and 6 at Lindfield and Wyvern and in Years 7 and 8 at the Stanmore Campus.
A key idea in the Newington College Gifted Program is that the differentiated work done by a student is in place of other work. Extension work and work done as part of the program should not mean more work. It means more demanding and more rigorous work. Students who have qualified for the Gifted Program will not have to catch up on class work that they have missed.
Newington aims to enrich a student's education by fostering an appreciation for the Arts. The Arts are an integral part of the Newington education, and elements of it can be found in daily school life.
Newington also has an extensive and long
music tradition. The school is home to the world-renown Synergy Percussion Group, and through the years has seen notable visiting and resident performers at the school. It has a well developed choir that include both teachers and students. Many of our choristers are part of Sydney Children's Choir and the Gondwana Voices, Australia's national children's choir.
Newington also has a very proud tradition in the
public speaking,
debating and mooting arenas. The inter-school debating season extends from the beginning of Term 2 to the end of Term 3. It comprises 14 fixtures in all. In common with other schools in the
GPS, Newington fields eleven teams. There may be times when we are able to deploy more teams in certain divisions.The school consistently participates in the Legacy National Public Speaking Competition.
Participation in
sport is an important part of a students progress through school. Not only is sport deemed to be important, it is also compulsory, and the limited number of positions available in all sports other than
Rugby has lead to the creation of such promising teams as the Under 14 G's. This is a guideline set out by the Board of Studies that all school's must adhere to. Through properly staffed and controlled games and activities, a student will reach the goals set out by the Board of Studies PD/H/PE program, that all public and private schools must reach.
Facilities at the college include: the PE Centre with an indoor heated swimming pool and weights room which caters for
basketball,
volleyball,
indoor soccer and so on. Newly constructed all-weather surfaced
tennis courts, turf pitches and synthetic practice pitches for
cricket and the new Boatshed on the
Parramatta River at
Abbotsford. The playing fields at Stanmore cater for most outdoor games played during the summer and winter seasons.
Newington is one of nine
GPS (Greater Public Schools) in New South Wales and participates in various GPS sporting competitions, which usually take place on Saturdays during term. The GPS has been overseeing competition between the member schools for over 110 years and has been instrumental in providing the staging ground for many of the state's, and the nation's, fine sportsmen.
Newington is always competitive and enjoys a high standard of coaching. In
1992, for instance, Newington teams distinguished themselves by winning all eight summer sporting premierships in GPS competition: 1st/2nd
basketball, 1st/2nd
cricket, 1st/2nd
tennis, 1st/2nd
rowing eights - a record never before achieved by any school. In addition, the College
swimming relay team won more GPS swimming relays than any other school's team throughout the swimming season. It is also one of the two first Australian schools to play school boy
rugby.
Achieving triple colours for sports at Newington has been very difficult to achieve due to the level of skill the all boys have and the diversity of the sports available.
The Cadet Unit combines tradition with modern activities and provides boys with the challenges of
abseiling,
archery,
bushcraft,
canoeing, drill,
first aid,
lifesaving, mapping,
orienteering and radio operation. The Cadets tradition in Newington is long and proud, it in fact outdates the
Australian Army.
Leadership training through the rank structure is an important voluntary option for all cadets, and involves a large number of students in valuable leadership roles in their senior years.
Teamwork, initiative and a respect of the environment are encouraged in all. The Cadet Unit and the Duke of Edinburgh's Award scheme each hold an annual camp. For many students this is their first taste of 'sleeping under the stars' and these camps are common topics in the reminiscences of Old Students.
There is also the Service Band and Service
Orchestra for the boys who wish to contribute in this manner.
The Duke of Edinburgh's scheme can be followed in the Cadet Unit as well. For many years the Duke of Edinburgh's Award Scheme (DEA) has been offered at Newington College to encourage our boys to challenge themselves through setting and achieving goals across a range of activities. The roots of this scheme can be found in Royal
Britain, with the
Duke of Edinburgh instigating the scheme. All public and private schools within NSW offer the Duke of Edinburgh scheme.
This internationally recognized scheme provides an opportunity for students to develop skills, display initiative and build self-esteem and is consequently highly regarded by potential employers.
The scheme is open to all boys from Year 9 upwards, whether enrolled in Newington Challenge or the Army Cadet Unit. Boys commence with the bronze award and it is our hope to see boys progress through the levels to subsequently achieve their silver and finally their gold awards, which are formally presented by the
Governor of New South Wales.
For each award the students must complete activities under the following four sections: Community Service, Skills, Physical Recreation and Expedition. A significant proportion of the requirements are met through a student's involvement in school sports teams and the respective service groups, Cadets or Newington Challenge, but the skill and service components generally need to be pursued by the boys independently and within their own time.
Early in
2001, only months after completing his HSC at Newington, Tom Nash contracted the virulent
meningococcal disease, which strikes without warning and often brings death within hours. Its trademark rash attacks relentlessly, savaging the skin and extremities in particular. In desperate attempts to save him, Nash gradually had each of his legs, then each arm
amputated. He has since learned to walk again.
To assist him, the College has established the 'Tom Nash Foundation' and registered the Fund with the Australian Tax Office, making donations tax deductible. The Foundation is managed by a multi-skilled board including the Headmaster, the Chairman of Council, the School Chaplains, legal and financial representatives from the Newington community as appropriate and the Community Relations Manager. The Foundation aims to provide assistance to Nash in the longer term and in the transition stage from hospital discharge, which will require significant resources. The goal is for Nash to be able to live independently with carer support and return to
university studies.
On
May 23,
2006, the press began reporting on an industrial relations controversy that had arisen at the school. According to media reports, 40 departmental heads and house masters had been advised that they would have to reapply for their jobs with reduced holiday entitlements and lower rates of pay.[
1] The Headmaster, David Scott, has warned that if senior teachers maintained their planned boycott on reapplying for jobs, they could be made redundant.[
2]
One teacher who has been in the job for 20 years said, "The mood is explosive." Some senior boys tore up the headmaster's letter in a show of support for teachers. Teachers believe the dismissals are linked to the government's
WorkChoices workplace legislation.
Since joining Newington, The Headmaster has been forcing Co-Curricular activites out of school hours to after school times and this has caused tension between the Headmaster and staff. The industrial relations controversy is another incident that has caused a rift between staff and the Headmaster.
Mr Scott has advised other
Uniting Church schools that if teachers do not wish to reapply, they can stay on as classroom teachers. However, this contradicts his earlier statement that they would be made redundant.
The
Greens MLC Lee Rhiannon called on the New South Wales Government to withhold funding from the school because of the plans to force 40 teachers to re-apply for their own jobs.
During the schools "Back To Newington Day" on the 27th of May members of
The Chaser visted the school covered by balaclavas and with rottweilers, They moved through the crowds looking for teachers to rescue.
The
IEU has called on its members to vote on a resolution authorising letters to be forwarded to the Uniting Church Synod as an expression of support for teachers at Newington College.
Mr Scott has backed down from forcing the teachers to reaply. Mr Scott has agreed not to declare senior staff positions vacant, The Independent Education Union (IEU) says. The school will also continue to negotiate collective arrangements covering salary and working conditions for staff, IEU general secretary Dick Shearman said. Despite the
Despite the agreement, tensions remain. Teachers told the Herald yesterday that the school body had been fractured by the dispute and there was deep-seated mistrust of Mr Scott and the school board's plans.
Before the deal was struck, the senior prefect, William van Asperen, asked Mr Scott to explain the situation to some senior boys.Mr Scott agreed, and before school yesterday, in front of a group of boys, he debated a teacher who was Michael Davis, of the English faculty. The debate included questions and answers, Mr Davis's right of reply, and lasted 1½ hours.
In a meeting with the Parents on the 31st of May. Mr Scott accused teachers of "providing misinformation to Year 11 &. 12 students" and "were immature and unprofessional." He also blamed the union by saying "This confrontation was created by the union going to the press," rather than being caused by his changes.
In the fortnightly bulletin for Newington College called the "Black & White" The Chairman of Council, Mr Peter Meares publicly attacked former Chaplian Geoff Dornan & parent Ms Ivana Crestani. Mr Meares said that a proposed Parent Teacher Working Group to be set up as an outcome of a "Staff Survey" Was undertaken without authorisation by either the College Council or the headmaster. Mr Meares failed to mention that the survey had the authorisation of the teachers' representative body, the Common Room committee.
The College has threatened to sue a parent whose company conducted a survey that found 43 per cent of the school's teachers were considering quitting, and just 13 per cent have faith in the headmaster and council. The study was commissioned by the teachers' representative body, the Common Room, after a failed attempt by the headmaster, David Scott, to force the 40 most senior staff to reapply for their positions on lower wages with shorter holidays. The results showed that found only 35 per cent felt they were treated with respect and dignity, Just 6 per cent reported high or very high morale, contrasting with 75 per cent who reported low or very low morale. One in three teachers believe they do not have a future at the school.
It should be noted however, that Newington College is not the only Private School going under the "WorkChoices reforms". However it seems that the Newington Staff community have taken a more stronger and public stand, in an attempt to oppose the reforms.
Former students of the school are known as Old Newingtonians. For notable Old Newingtonians, see
List of notable Old Newingtonians.
*
List of Non-Government schools in New South Wales*
Newington College website*
School Orders Teachers To Reapply For Jobs in
SMH May 23, 2006, By Nick O'Malley, Workplace Reporter
*
Boycott may cost teachers their jobs in
SMH May 24, 2006, By Nick O'Malley, Workplace Reporter
*
School accused of using IR laws against teachers ABC Online 23 May 2006.
*
Motions From Meeting Of IEU Members At Newington College - IEU 22 May 2006
*
Newington Dispute: Member Letters To Express Support - IEU 24 May 2006
*
Agreed Statement Between Newington College & The IEU - 29 May 2006
*
Teacher morale at rock bottom, survey finds - 9 August 2006, By Nick O'Malley, Workplace Reporter
