The start of the 2026 school year was a historic time for Newington College as we welcomed our first girls. As our students enjoy the holiday break, we reflect on the many things co-education has brought to the school – primarily, a healthy dose of extra verve, says our Deputy, Preparatory Schools and ELC.

Ask Mr Benjamin Barrington-Higgs what has surprised him most about welcoming girls to Newington, and he doesn’t hesitate.

‘Great change brings great energy, and when you spend time walking around our Preps, going in and out of the classrooms as I do, you clearly see that’s exactly what’s happened with co-ed; it’s brought a new energy,’ he says.

‘Change also brings renewal and dynamism, and co-ed has really made us look at, and think about, the way we educate young people and what we can do even better.’

The inclusion of female students in Kindergarten and Year 5 at Wyvern House Prep, and Year 5 at Lindfield Prep, has also reaffirmed the success of the College’s long-term strategic plan, he adds.

‘An effective school is a school that has a really clear understanding of what it needs to do to be even better. Our learning and teaching framework and our wellbeing program are very explicit in how we are achieving that year on year.

‘Every Newington teacher understands this is the way things happen at Newington because this is what the research says, and this is how we are implementing it. From the ELC to Year 6 and into the Senior school, at Newington we do the things that matter most for our students to learn best.’

Meanwhile, as co-ed becomes every day at our Preps, our Senior campus is working to replicate this success as we prepare to welcome our first secondary female students in 2028. Staff at the Senior campus are busy implementing the lessons of the Preps, and the College’s K–12 Teaching and Learning, and Wellbeing Frameworks, which underpin Newington’s historic move to co-education.

‘There is a lot of clarity at our Preps around rules, routines and high expectations, and the way we do things at Newington,’ says Mrs Meg Edwards, Prep Co-education Coordinator.

‘We have supportive structures in place in terms of respectful relations to ensure students really know what is expected of them, and what they can expect of others, Similarly, procedures in the classroom and outside are practiced daily and refined to ensure consistency when students move about the campus, so they all feel physically and psychologically safe in spaces that are calm and secure.’

Director of Co-education, Mrs Rebecca Panagopolous, says Senior staff are enjoying frequent classroom walkthroughs and observations at our Preps to identify routines and practices which have been instilled to ensure Prep environments where all students are included and belong.

‘Senior staff were recently introduced to the Respectful Relationships Education program which is already in play at our Preps. It aims to empower children and young people with the skills, attitudes and behaviours to build and maintain healthy, equal and safe relationships throughout their lives and address the drives of gender-based violence.’

Other Prep practices the Senior school is looking to emulate include cross-grade connections with older student mentors, cross-campus interactions and ongoing student and parent feedback.

Key to the inclusion of female students at Newington is years of prior planning, preparation and preparedness.

‘Our objective has always been to ensure all Newington students – male or female – experience a strong sense of connection, safety and wellbeing which allows to achieve excellence in academic and co-curricular,’ says Mrs Panagopoulos.

Did you know?

• 52 girls started Kindergarten and Year 5 at our Wyvern House and Lindfield Prep campuses in 2026.
• Girls in Years 7 and 11 will join our Senior campus in 2028 and Newington College will become fully co-educational by 2033.
• To book a tour of our ELC, Preps or Senior school and learn more about the opportunities available for your son or daughter, follow the link here.

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To discover more of the caring, kind and courageous ethos that is Newington College, read past issues of The NC magazine here. This story first appeared in The NC Autumn 2026.