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The headmaster of The King’s School has launched legal action against the institution’s governing council in the Federal Court after being terminated from his job.
Tony George had been on leave while the school investigated an incident where it is alleged he clipped the back of a senior student’s head at a faith lecture attended by about 100 pupils last June.
The King’s School headmaster Tony George.Credit: Supplied
Court documents published late last month indicate George has since been dismissed by the school. They also say the date his termination is set to take effect has been extended to January 19.
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.
He has previously described media reporting on the allegation as “inaccurate or misleading”.
George’s sister, Professor Susan Petterson, on Tuesday made an impassioned plea on LinkedIn, calling for the boards governing elite private schools, which generate millions of dollars in revenue, to face more accountability.
Her husband, Tim Petterson, was sensationally dismissed from his role as headmaster at Shore in 2022.
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“I write in light of troubling recent events at The King’s School, Parramatta – where the Headmaster has been dismissed after eight years of service – and reflecting also on the earlier dismissal of the Headmaster of Shore School in 2022,” she wrote.
“Both matters have now reached the courts because our internal systems of accountability within the Sydney Anglican Church appear insufficient.
“Yet in the case of The King’s School and Shore, it is not obvious who the ‘members’ actually are in any meaningful sense. In practice, there is no avenue for genuine accountability. This ambiguity allows councils to become self-perpetuating bodies, largely insulated from the voices of parishioners, alumni, staff, and families – the very people whose faith, generosity, and reputation sustain these schools.”
She urged members of the Anglican Church to question how the schools were governed and to whom they were accountable.
“Decisions of school councils shape the daily lives, values, and opportunities of tens of thousands of children and young people, thousands of staff, as well as the stewardship of hundreds of millions of dollars entrusted to church-related charities,” she said.
“I therefore urge members of the Sydney Anglican Church – parishioners, clergy, families, alumni, and donors alike – to call for genuine accountability and transparency from our school councils.”
Chairman of The Council of the King’s School, Ken Chapman, wrote to current parents on Tuesday morning advising that the headmaster had commenced legal proceedings in relation to his employment.
“As the proceedings are now before the courts, the school will not make further comment at this time,” he said.
The King’s School was established 194 years ago. Its fees range from almost $30,000 for kindergarten to $49,980 for year 12.
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