King’s headmaster announces leave over investigation into incident with student

3 months ago 13

The headmaster of the King’s School has announced he will take leave while an investigation continues into an alleged incident at a senior school biblical studies lecture at the end of last term.

King’s headmaster Tony George is alleged to have clipped the back of a senior student’s head at a faith lecture attended by about 100 pupils in the private school’s historic Futter Hall in late June, sources familiar with the matter told the Herald earlier this week.

The King’s School headmaster Tony George.

In a written statement sent to parents on Friday afternoon, George said he commenced planned leave at the end of term 2, and had since taken additional time off due to illness.

“While I am now well enough to return to work, I have decided to extend my leave to ensure the investigation proceeds without any perception of interference or a divergence from our standard practices,” George said.

“I remain confident in the leadership of Stephen Edwards, who will step in as acting headmaster in addition to his role as head of senior school, and the executive team and know the school is in good hands. The wellbeing and safety of our students and staff have always been at the heart of my work, and I remain fully committed to those values.”

George is the 20th headmaster of King’s, Australia’s oldest private school, and one of the wealthiest. He took up the position in July 2017 and was previously head of St Stephen’s School in Perth.

In the letter to parents, George said while the matter is being investigated he did “not intend to comment further at this stage, except to say that I support the integrity of the school’s processes and welcome the opportunity for a full and fair assessment of the facts”.

“Many of you will be aware that an allegation has been made concerning an interaction I had with a student during a lecture in Futter Hall at the end of term two,” he said. “The matter has received some media attention, although much of the media reporting is inaccurate or misleading.

“It is a testament to the strength of our culture that the incident was reported in accordance with the school’s policies. This reflects the strong child-centric culture within the school, an understanding of the pathways for reporting concerns, and, most importantly, confidence in doing so.

“That willingness to speak up reflects the maturity of our workplace conduct frameworks and is a positive indicator of the kind of organisation we strive to maintain.”

It is understood the school’s council launched the investigation into the alleged interaction.

The incident is alleged to have occurred during a lecture discussion about free speech and religion. In a letter to parents on Monday, the school said the matter is being reviewed in accordance with its procedures.

King’s, in North Parramatta, was established 193 years ago. Its fees range from almost $30,000 for kindergarten to $47,000 for year 12, and $82,000 for tuition and boarding in high school. The headmaster’s residence is located on the school grounds, and it has been reported he has an annual salary of upwards of $700,000.

Last year George attracted media attention for attacking victimhood culture, “wokeness” and the brain drain to NSW selective schools in a treatise on educational leadership.

In an article for the school’s journal, Leader, George suggested wokeness had evolved into the “age of victimhood” while later outlining how private school students had become targets for ridicule in contemporary media.

In June 2022, an old boys’ representative on The King’s School board quit over plans to fly the headmaster, his deputy and their wives first class to the Henley Royal Regatta in England. The school was later forced to repay the cost of the wife’s tickets after an investigation found it was an improper use of its funds and a breach of the Education Act.

Later that year the NSW government also launched a probe into school over possible misuse of taxpayer funding after the school’s board approved George’s request to install a private two-by-three-metre pool installed at his on-site residence. After investigators conducted an audit of the school it was ordered to stop the planned construction of the plunge pool.

King’s is also planning a major campus redevelopment worth $170 million over the next decade. The masterplan, which extends to 2035, includes concept plans for a sports pavilion, new boarding and day boy houses.

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