Public schools ‘killing off sport’ as private school facilities grow

Scots College once had an altitude training facility for its sports teams. Shore has underwater cameras in its pool. Cranbrook has four tennis courts and two playing fields. Four private schools on the “golden mile” of the upper Pacific Highway have 17 basketball courts between them.

Yet in Sydney’s inner west, 12 public primary schools have just pulled out of their only regular interschool sports competition because the buses they need to get to poorly drained council playing fields are too expensive and unreliable, and the teachers don’t have the time to attend.

Sport is at the pointy end of the growing divide between private and public education in Sydney. It’s where resource-stretched public schools are cutting back, and some cashed-up private schools are doubling down on their resources advantage. As public schools reduce sport, some private schools are building multimillion-dollar aquatic and fitness centres.

Cranbrook School spent $125 million on a redevelopment that included an aquatic centre.

The results of this long-term trend were on show at the Paris Olympic Games last month.

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