From Our Knowledgebank

NSW Independent schools are flying into the future

By Peter Buckingham

Peter Buckingham is the Managing Director of Spectrum Analysis, a Melbourne based consultancy in demographics, mapping and analysis specializing in schools. Peter is both a CMC (Certified Management Consultant) and a Fellow of the Institute of Management Consultants (FIMC). Peter can be contacted at peterb@spectrumanalysis.com.au or called on 03 9830 0077.

Many of us (myself included) were of the view a couple of years ago that the pandemic would cause more economic strain across the country, and force (for financial reasons) an exodus of students from Independent schools into the Government schools system. Whilst unemployment went up, it was low in the white collar and grey collar communities, and these are predominantly the parents of your students.

Independent schools enrolments were up 3.54% in NSW 2021 over 2020, mainly due to people sending their children to Independent schools earlier than they were planning to because the Independent schools handled home schooling far better than Government schools. This was not surprising when you think of the quality of your teachers and of the computer hardware that would be available in households of Independent school families compared to lower socio economic families with children at Government schools.

Click on the button below to read the whole article including the ACARA data for NSW and ACT.