The student’s original civil suit was supported and funded by the Save Newington group, a coalition of old boys and parents opposed to the co-ed move.
In a statement, Newington’s chief operating officer, Ross Xenos, said the college received notice that an appeal had been lodged challenging the court’s ruling that “affirmed our ability to move to co-education”.
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“We will be seeking for this appeal to be dismissed as expeditiously as possible by the court, and we remain both excited and committed to welcoming girls and boys to our prep schools next year,” Xenos said.
The announcement from Save Newington said student A was “deeply grateful to the many old boys, former and current staff, parents that have supported his efforts. Their encouragement was invaluable in defending the traditions, values, and character that have made Newington a respected institution in Australian education.”
In his judgment in May, Parker wrote that he was presented with extensive extracts from historic dictionaries including Barclay’s, Webster’s and The Imperial Dictionary for guidance on the meaning of some terms in the deed and the word “youth”.
“In my opinion the meaning of the term ‘youth’ in [clause three] of the deed is unambiguous,” Parker said in his judgment.
The 162-year-old inner west college first unveiled its plan to become fully co-ed in a letter to parents in November 2023. The decision sparked intense backlash and protests from parents and anti-co-ed alumni who have spent almost two years lobbying to have the decision reversed.
Despite the legal action, the school is forging ahead with $110 million in major building upgrades ahead of the co-ed transition and has started enrolling kindergarten and year 5 girls for next year.
The school is set to be fully coeducational school by 2033.
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