Principal at elite Sydney school resigns
The principal of one of Australia’s most prestigious boys’ schools has resigned days after an ABC investigation exposed an alleged toxic culture at the school.
Nicholas Sampson, the headmaster of the elite Sydney school, Cranbrook, has stepped aside following fresh allegations he kept a teacher on at the school even after discovering the teacher had allegedly previously engaged in inappropriate conduct at a different school.
In a letter sent to parents on Friday morning, the Cranbrook School Council said Mr Sampson’s failure to disclose the alleged conduct of the teacher had created an “irrevocable breakdown of trust” between the council and headmaster.
“Late yesterday, the current Cranbrook School Council became aware for the first-time of allegations of an extremely concerning past conduct matter involving a current Senior School teacher at Cranbrook,” the letter, seen by NCA NewsWire, states.
“The allegations do not involve past or present Cranbrook students.
“The Senior School teacher involved was immediately placed on leave pending the School’s further assessment of the matter.”
The ABC reports the teacher, who has not been named, allegedly sent sexually graphic emails to a former female student he taught at a Catholic girls’ school.
The emails have been forwarded to NSW Police and the Association of Independent Schools.
In an unrelated incident, Four Corners also alleged Jasmin Hyde, a female teacher at the school, was subjected to blackmail from a student in 2020, with the student allegedly threatening to accuse her of sexual assault if she didn’t send him nude photos.
The boy was suspended and chose to leave the school and later wrote an apology letter to Ms Hyde.
“I have caused so much hurt and disappointment to you, my teachers and the wider school community, my friends and my family,” the letter states.
The program presented allegations of an alleged “toxic” culture and “boys’ club” at the school that allegedly pushed several female staff members to leave.
In a statement to Four Corners, Cranbrook disputes the claim female staff were “victimised” by the school’s culture.
“Cranbrook does not accept this characterisation of the school as it is not an accurate representation of the school’s culture and its diversity,” the school states.
“Cranbrook currently has 205 female staff and 149 male staff and further we pride ourselves on an inclusive and diverse culture.
“In the context of the size of the school, the program’s apparently relatively small sample of alleged issues, while of course extremely disappointing, is not a representative, accurate or complete picture of our culture.
“In any large and complex organisation like a school, from time-to-time there will be performance concerns, conduct concerns, disputes and grievances with staff and people will have different perspectives in these situations.
“Cranbrook is no different from any other organisation in Australia in this regard.
“What is important to Cranbrook is how we respond to such matters.
“We have systems and processes in place to ensure staffing matters are addressed promptly and with fairness.”
Cranbrook is a private Anglican school in Bellevue Hill, with tuition fees of up to $46,000 a year.
Mrs Michele Marquet, current Head of Junior School, has been appointed Acting Head of School.
“The School Council deeply regrets the distress to our students, our staff, our parents, our alumni and the broader Cranbrook family arising from the current circumstances,” the council said.
