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A north shore private high school will enrol year 5 and 6 students from 2028 after spending $20 million buying up neighbouring commercial real estate to fuel its expansion plans.
Monte Sant’ Angelo Mercy College’s decision to offer primary school places on its North Sydney campus appears to have blindsided Sydney Catholic Schools executive director Danielle Cronin, who said her primary schools had a top-notch offering for a low price.
“At the time of being contacted … Sydney Catholic Schools had not been advised by Monte Sant’ Angelo Mercy College of their plans regarding the reintroduction of years 5 and 6 from 2028,” Cronin said.
She also said her schools offered music and gifted and talented programs “for a quarter of the cost of nearby independent schools”.
A church official speaking on the condition of anonymity said: “This took everyone by surprise.”
Monte principal Nicole Christensen said the expansion decision was in response to increased demand and the fact parents were choosing a school earlier in a child’s life.
“Families are making education decisions earlier than ever, and we are seeing growing demand for students to have a seamless transition from primary into secondary school,” she said.
“Reintroducing years 5 and 6 allows Monte to meet that need and is deeply aligned with our long-standing commitment to girls’ education.”
The college is a 151-year-old independent Catholic school and charges fees of $33,780. It previously offered a junior school until the 1970s but has been high school only since 1979.
Across parts of Sydney, there is an exodus of year 5 and 6 students from primary schools because their parents have secured them a spot at a prestigious private school. Private schools often tell parents they cannot guarantee placements in year 7 if the child does not transfer in year 5.
The Diocese of Broken Bay, which operates schools across Sydney’s north shore to the Central Coast, merged several primary schools last year, including ones in Northbridge and Willoughby.
Enrolments in Catholic schools on the nearby northern beaches have dropped slightly in recent years. The arrival of the metro rail line through North Sydney has been a game-changer for local private schools, which are attracting enrolments from as far as the Hills district.
A school spokeswoman declined to comment about whether it had told the Catholic Archbishop or neighbouring schools about its expansion but she said it would comply with any NSW Education Standards Authority requirements when it came to varying the school’s registration.
In the letter informing parents of the decision on Wednesday morning, the school said the expansion plan was enabled by the acquisition of an adjacent property on Miller Street in January, which was widely reported as being in excess of $20 million.
“We are partnering with Hayball Architects to refurbish this building to make it a state-of-the-art learning space for our youngest students,” the letter said.
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