Sydney’s eastern suburbs and the Georges River area are getting three new co-educational high schools. From 2025, years seven to 12 at Randwick Boys and Girls High Schools, currently co-located on adjoining sites, will merge to form a co-educational Randwick high school.
Georges River College’s Penshurst Girls and Hurstville Boys single-sex campuses will also combine to become co-educational schools in the same year. The Oatley Senior campus, offering years 11 and 12, is already a co-ed school.
The consultation process
Earlier this year, Department of Education consultation in the eastern suburbs and Georges River school communities found strong support for co-education, with a majority of parents and carers supporting the plans.
Support from future parents was particularly strong, with three-quarters of current and future parents of primary school students in both areas stating they would prefer to send their child to a co-educational school.
During the consultation process, some families also stated a preference for the option of single-sex-focused classes and activities, which will be provided for in the plans.
Next steps
Planning will now start to prepare the current Hurstville Boys and Penshurst Girls campuses for the transition to co-education in 2025.
Randwick High School
The interim name for the school will be Randwick High School. Eventually, a consultation process with students, parents, and staff will determine the final name for Randwick’s new co-educational high school.
The catchment will cover the current Randwick Boys and Randwick Girls High School intake areas and the increase in student numbers is expected to benefit students by expanding the range of curricula and co-curricular options. A wider range of course options available to students in years 11 and 12 will support post-school pathways and career options.
$42 million will be invested at Randwick’s currently adjoined sites, transforming them into a modern, fit-for-purpose facility for the wider community.
Georges River College
From 2025, three co-educational years seven-10 campuses will feed into one co-educational 11-12 campus at Georges River College (GRC).
In 2025, years seven and eight will be co-educational and in 2026, years nine and 10 will become co-educational. The Oatley senior campus will continue to enrol boys and girls for years 11 and 12, and the Georges River College Peakhurst campus will remain a co-educational years seven-10 campus.
All GRC middle campuses already share a common uniform, and the four campus communities (students, staff, parents and wider community members) will be invited to contribute to consultation for revised campus names during 2024.
The Department consultation process revealed clear advocacy for co-education, and a demand for extensive subject choice from current parents and students. The plans support this data and are aligned with the support received from future parents seeking co-educational education in the area. For some future years seven-10 students, the new model will mean a shorter school commute.
As part of the transition to the new model, each of the three years seven-10 schools will have a designated intake area. This will necessitate some changes to local school intake areas and the boundaries are set to appear on School Finder, for the 2025 year seven intake, from the start of term 1, 2024.
The remainder of 2023 and the 2024 school year will be a planning phase, facilitating stakeholder and community communication, as well as upgrading the campuses.
Deputy Premier and Minister for Education and Early Learning, Prue Car said, “The plan to transition these schools to co-education reflects the preferences of the majority of parents in these local communities.
“The larger student populations will help increase the range of subjects and extracurricular opportunities for students. The investment in the sites will provide all students with the best possible learning environment.”
