| Cranbrook School | |
|---|---|
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| Location | |
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Australia 33°52′15″S151°15′9″E / 33.87083°S 151.25250°E | |
| Information | |
| Type | Independent early learning, primary and secondary day and boarding school |
| Motto | Latin: Esse Quam Videri (To be, rather than to seem to be [1] ) |
| Denomination | Anglican [2] |
| Established | 1918 [3] |
| Founder | Frederick T. Perkins |
President of Council | Geoff Lovell |
Head of School | Dr Anne Johnstone |
Head of the Senior School / Deputy Headmaster | Bob Meakin |
Head of the Junior School | Michele Marquet OAM |
| Chaplain | Rev'd Roderick Farraway |
| Employees | c. 187 [4] |
| Years | Early learning and K–12 |
| Gender | Co-educational (2026–present) Boys (1918–present) |
| Enrolment | c. 1,780 (2026 [4] ) |
| Colours | Red, white and blue |
| Affiliations |
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| Alumni | Old Cranbrookians |
| Website | www |
Cranbrook School is an independent Anglican day and boarding school, with multiple campuses in Sydney's eastern suburbs, within New South Wales, Australia for students from pre-school to year 12. The school was founded in 1918 with the Rev'd Frederick Thomas Perkins as the first headmaster. Cranbrook has a non-selective enrolment policy and currently caters for approximately 1,680 [4] students from early learning (4 years old) to Year 12 (18 years old), [5] including 80 boarders from Years 7 to 12. Cranbrook is affiliated with the Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia (AHISA), [6] the Junior School Heads Association of Australia (JSHAA), [7] the Australian Boarding Schools' Association (ABSA), [8] and the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference. [9] It is a founding member of the Combined Associated Schools (CAS) [10] [11] and the Independent Sporting Association (ISA).
On 1 December 1917, the former private home and vice-regal residence, Cranbrook, was bought at auction by an agent for the businessman Samuel Hordern. He was the main financial benefactor of a group of businessmen and churchmen aiming to establish an Anglican boys' school in the Eastern Suburbs. [12]
From December 1917 to June 1918, a provisional committee of twelve, comprising the founders and six additional men, prepared for the opening of the new school. They held meetings, ensured building renovations were completed, drew up the first articles of association and appointed the first Headmaster, Rev'd F. T. Perkins. [13]
On 6 June 1918, the provisional committee reformed itself as the first council of Cranbrook School and organised the official opening of the school for 22 July 1918. [13]
In July 2022, parents of students were informed that the whole senior school would be fully co-ed by 2029 with girls in Years 7 and 11 being enrolled from 2026, and other years being slowly integrated year by year. [14] This integration method was based on Barker College's co-ed integration in 2020. [15] In March 2024, the school was featured in a Four Corners investigation into allegations of a toxic workplace and sexist student culture, led by some former teachers. The report also raised questions around Government funding for Cranbrook School and its level of accountability for this. [16]
In 2026, as a part of the King's Birthday Honours List, the Head of the Junior School, Michele Marquet, was awarded an Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for service to primary education. [17]
| Ordinal | Photo | Headmaster | Tenure |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Frederick Perkins [18] | 1918–1932 | |
| 2 | Iven Mackay [19] | 1933–1939 | |
| 3 | Brian Hone [20] | 1940–1951 | |
| 4 | Gethyn Hewan [21] | 1951–1963 | |
| 5 | Mark Bishop [22] OBE | 1963–1985 | |
| 6 | Bruce Carter [23] AM | 1985–2000 | |
| 7 | Jeremy Madin [24] | 2001–2012 | |
| 8 | Nicholas Sampson [25] | 2012–2024 (Term 2) | |
| Interim | Michele Marquet OAM | 2024 (Term 3)–2025 (Term1) | |
| Interim | Stuart Meade | 2025 (Term 2) | |
| 9 | Dr Anne Johnstone [26] | 2025 (Term 3)–Present |
| Office | Name | Tenure |
|---|---|---|
| Head of School | Dr Anne Johnstone | 2025–Present |
| Deputy Head of School/Head of Senior School | Robert "Bob" Meakin | c.2014–Present |
| Head of Junior School | Michele Marquet OAM | Unknown–Present |
| Chief Operating Officer | David Porter | 2026–Present |
| Deputy Head of Senior School, Academics | Ivan Moore | 2025–Present |
| Deputy Head of Senior School, Student Engagement | Kate Barbat | 2025–Present |
| Deputy Head of Senior School, Operations and Co-Curricular | Dr Andrew Hirst | 2025–Present |
| Deputy Head of Senior School, Wellbeing | Pamela Elliott | 2025–Present |
| Director of Student Wellbeing | Angelique Sanders | c.2022–Present |
| Deputy Head of Junior School, Student Wellbeing | Grant Andrews | c.2019–Present |
| Director of Human Resources | Angela Needham | 2025–Present |
| Director of Strategy | Brett Rolfe | c.2022–Present |
| Director of Coeducation | Daisy Turnbull | 2022–Present |
| Director of Communications, Community, and Engagement | Hayley Blumenthal | 2025–Present |
| Head of Risk and Compliance, Training and Support | Joanne Lee | 2025–Present |
| Head of Staff Engagement and Special Projects | Amanda Smith | 2025–Present |
| Pre-schools Coordinator | Abagail McFarlane | 2025–Present |
| Dean of Students, Year 7 and 8 | Chris Aynsley | 2025–Present |
| Dean of Students, Year 9 and 10 | Matthew Banes | 2025–Present |
| Dean of Students, Year 11 and 12 | Elizabeth Fletcher | 2025–Present |
| Office | Name | Tenure |
|---|---|---|
| Executive Assistant to Head of Senior School and Deputy Headmaster | Stephanie Honey | c.2014–Present |
| Student Services Officer | Shane Darshana | 2025–Present |
| Head of the Year 12 College | Stephen Henriques | 2025–Present |
| Head of the Year 11 College | Thomas McDonnell/Dean Papandreas | 2025–Present, 2026–Present |
| Director of Service | Aaron Nolan | Acting 2023–2025, 2025–Present |
| Director of Curriculum & Academic Operations | Adrian Harrison | Unknown–Present |
| Head Of The Cranbrook Common Room Association (Senior School) | Sebastian Riorden | Unknown-Present |
| Head Of The Cranbrook Common Room Association (Junior School) | Elinor Hewett | Unknown-Present |
| IB Coordinator | Nicholas Hanrahan | 2021–Present |
| Head of English | Kate Broadley | 2026–Present |
| Assistant Head of English | Caroline Usasz | Unknown–Present |
| Head of Mathematics | Ryan Sadler | Unknown–Present |
| Head of Social Sciences | Victoria Hounslow | 2025–Present |
| Head of Music | Phillip Beverley | 2017–Present |
| Assistant Head of Music | Kate Stewart | 2026–Present |
| Head of Drama | Andrew Benson | 2023–Present |
| Head of Science | Rukevwe Bateren | 2025–Present |
| Head of Sport | Matthew Grice | 2022–Present |
| Head of Languages | Fabian Navarro | 2024–Present |
| Head of Visual Arts | Georgia Neeson | c.2024–Present |
| Head of Debating and Public Speaking | James Clifton-Bligh | 2025-2026 Acting: 2026- Present |
| Head of Model United Nations | Murat Korkut | 2026–Present |
| Honours Curriculum Coordinator | Rhys Briscoe-Hough | 2025–Present |
| Office | Name | Tenure |
|---|---|---|
| Director of the School Council, and President of the School Council | Geoff Lovell | Director: 2023–Present, President: 2023–Present |
| Director of the School Council, and Vice President of the School Council | Amelia Hill Salter | Director: 2023–Present, Vice President: 2023–Present |
| Director of the School Council, and Vice President of the School Council | James Sheller | Director: 2023–Present, Vice President: 2023–Present |
| Director of the School Council | Matthew Aroney | 2025–Present |
| Director of the School Council, and Member and Former Chair of the Cranbrook Foundation | Vanessa Cardonnel | 2023–Present |
| Director of the School Council, and President of the Old Cranbrookians' Association | Martyn Cayzer | 2023–Present |
| Director of the School Council and Chair of the Building and Development Committee | Ari Droga | 2023–Present |
| Director of the School Council | Claire Fern | 2023–Present |
| Director of the School Council, and President of the Cranbrook School Parents' Association | Angelique Haritos | 2025–Present |
| Director of the School Council | Katia Khvatova | 2023–Present |
| Director of the School Council, and Chair of the Finance and Risk Committee | JP Moorehead | 2023–Present |
| Director of the School Council, and Member and Chair of the Cranbrook Foundation | Samantha Roberts | 2023–Present |
| Director of the School Council | Julie Soon | 2023–Present |
| Director of the School Council | Rev'd Anthony Weiss | 7 May 2024–Present |
Cranbrook School is situated over five campuses; the Senior School (Years 7 to 12) are located on the main campus in suburban Bellevue Hill, while the Junior School, for students from Kindergarten to Year 6, is located in nearby Rose Bay. There are 2 pre-schools that Cranbrook offer: St Mark's in Darling Point and St Michael's in Vaucluse. The final campus is Wolgan Valley, a residential education site with an emphasis on experiential learning. It was closed from late 2022 due to torrential rainfall which resulted in landslides that took out the main road. [29] It is set to reopen sometime in 2027.
Cranbrook has a system of houses across the campuses. This system was created in 1931 as a way to organise students for a variety of sporting and intellectual competitions. It continues to this day as a way for students to socialise better between different year groups, where senior students would be acting as leaders to junior students within the House. In the Senior School there are a total of 14 houses. There are 12 day-houses, with about 80-150 students in each (~15 in each year group), and also two boarding houses with around 40 students each. The students attend a pastoral period every day where they engage with mentors and other peers in their house. [30] [31]
| House | Colour | Day or Boarding House | Housemaster | Tenure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chelmsford | Day House | Fiona Burgess | 2023–Present | |
| Cutler | Day House | Ashley Fisher | (Acting) 2026-Present | |
| Davidson | Day House | Simon Pardey | c.2018–Present | |
| Harvey | Day House | Dean Michniewicz | c.2022–Present | |
| Hewan | Day House | Dean Papandreas | 2022–Present | |
| Hone | Day House | Dane Drivas | 2023–Present | |
| Northcott | Day House | Chelsea Slender | 2025–Present | |
| Perkins | Day House | Hannah Bamford | 2024–Present | |
| Rawson | Boarding House | Ewan Uncles | 2025–Present | |
| Street | Boarding House | Bradley Gill | Unknown–Present | |
| Strickland | Day House | Nick Tsoukatos | 2025–Present | |
| Thomas | Day House | Kelly O'Shea | 2024–Present | |
| Wakehurst | Day House | Sarah Infanti | (Acting) 2026-present | |
| Woodward | Day House | Josie Ableson | 2026–Present |
| House | Colour |
|---|---|
| Dangar House | |
| Hordern House | |
| Ingram House | |
| Moyes House | |
| Potter House | |
| Warry House |
Prefects are appointed at the beginning of Term 4 of each year. Each house starts with four prefects (one Student Head of House and three House Prefects), and an additional prefect is usually appointed in Term 1 or Term 2 of the following year. All leadership terms are one year in length.
Senior Prefect: a select few boys (or girls) who represent the highest level of seniority within the student body at Cranbrook. Their role is to represent and guide the student body on a wholistic level, yet they hold little influence over policy changes. Their impact is displayed mainly through leading the prefect body through the heads of houses to organise assemblies, videos, and occasional initiatives to varying success. The senior prefects meet on a bi-weekly basis with the student heads of houses. A senior prefect cannot be a head of house, nor a captain of co-curricular.
Student Head of House (Prefect): a male student, or, a male and female student (since 2027) that directly manages the other house prefects. Their role is to lead each house by socialising and understanding students, organise events and initiatives, plan house assembiles, plan house events, and contribute to the wider school community. Their impact is more direct than the senior prefects. They meet with their prefects and their housemaster ex tempore to discuss a variety of issues. A student head of house is a prefect and can be a captain of co-curricular.
House Prefect: a student who is selected to lead the school and support their house, profile, and the broader school on a whole. Each prefect is attached to their house, and then a profile (either academic, community, or co-curricular) which is guided by the senior prefect for that profile. Each profile meets on a bi-weekly basis. Until 2026, all prefects held the ability to hand out prefect detentions, which were removed in 2027. A prefect can be a captain of co-curricular.
Captain of Co-Curriculars: each co-curricular has a captain, and sometimes a vice captain, depending on the co-curricular. Their role is to ensure the success and growth of each respective programme in conjunction with their head of the co-curricular. These individuals do not need to be prefects, and exist outside of the prefect hierarchy. In rare cases, co-curricular captains can be in Year 11, but are usually in Year 12.
| Year | Head Boy | Second Head Boy | Academic Prefect | Community Prefect | Co-Curricular Prefect | Head Girl | Second Head Girl |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Caspar B | Unknown | N/A | ||||
| 2021 | Asher L | Unknown | |||||
| 2022 | John C | Hugo W | |||||
| 2023 | James P | Dan O'R | |||||
| 2024 | Theo W | Angus M | |||||
| 2025 | Huon G | Matthew D | Felix M | Sam C | Noah T | N/A | |
| 2026 | Max S | Charlie H | James M | Slade K | Eddy C | ||
| 2027 | Remy M | Max A | Makenzie D | Edwin A | Edward J-O'B | Nia D | Rosie P |
| 2028 | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA |
Starting from Pre-Schools, the school uses the IB framework to teach the NSW curriculum through to Year 12. Cranbrook School offers the IB Diploma Programme as an alternative pathway to the HSC credential. It uses the International Baccalaureate MYP program in years 7-10 as well as the PYP program in the Junior School.
Cranbrook School is a member of the Combined Associated Schools (CAS).
Cranbrook School has won the following CAS premierships. [32]
Alumni of Cranbrook School are known as "Old Cranbrookians" and may elect to join the school's alumni association, the Old Cranbrookians' Association (OCA). [33]
In 2022, there were reports that three students were the targets of antisemitic behaviour by fellow students. Later, video footage of a student doing a Nazi salute emerged. [34] In September 2022, the school announced an internal review to look into it. [35] Cranbrook has said it had built an improved and centralised incident behaviour register and strengthened its alliances with organisations including the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies. [36]
In November 2022, 10 of the 11 members of Cranbrook School's council announced their resignation due to a deteriorating relationship between headmaster and school council president, as well as disagreement over plans to admit girls to the century-old boys’ school from 2026. [37] Subsequently, on 25 November, former School Presidents, Helen Nugent AC and Roger Massy-Greene AM, formed an independent Nominations Committee to make recommendations to the current Council on nominations for new members of Council. [38] 13 new Councillors were subsequently appointed.
In March 2024, the investigative journalism program Four Corners released an investigation about the alleged toxic and sexist "boys club" culture within the school's student body and leadership. Multiple former staff members and students were interviewed about sexual harassment of female staff. Former teaching staff described being sexually harassed, insulted, and threatened by students. A former teacher, who was blackmailed by a student saying he would claim she was abusing him if she did not send him sexual images, said that the incident was downplayed by Head of Senior School and Deputy Headmaster Bob Meakin, who allegedly stated that "because I'm young and, 'I'm just going to say it – attractive,' it's not [surprising] that I've received attention from the boys". [39] [40]
After the investigation was aired and published online, investigative journalist Louise Milligan stated that she, the ABC, and multiple other journalists had received several legal threats regarding the content of the investigation. Headmaster Nicholas Sampson was forced to resign by the school council later in the week after it was revealed that he had not disclosed information to the school council about a teacher who, early in his employment at Cranbrook, had sent explicit emails to a former student of his at another, previous school in which he described sexual fantasies about her and other female students he had previously taught. While the teacher was investigated by police and not found to have behaved criminally, Sampson had in 2015 been informed about the emails and, in addition to not informing the school council about them, appeared have glossed over the teacher's behaviour.
The episode included details of how a petition in 2021, by Chanel Contos received over 2,500 testimonies of sexual assault from high school students, with many testimonies referring to Cranbrook students, as well as students from other elite all-boys schools. [41] [42]
Cranbrook received about $6.5 million in state and federal government funding in 2022. [43] This is despite the school charging up to $46,000 per year for domestic students (not including boarding fees), [44] paying their headmaster over $1 million per year, [45] having $168 million in assets and running a $10 million profit as recently as 2019. [46]
In 2021, Cranbrook spent more on works ($63.48 million) than the total public school capital expenditure of Tasmania and the Northern Territory combined ($62.4 million). [47]