The top performing school in Sydney is targeting additional campuses across the city
“There is a lot of demand on the north coast for more modern school offerings,” he said, adding that the group could eventually have up to five campus locations in Sydney.
“Our continued academic success has resulted in demand increasing fivefold for the number of students we can accommodate,” he said.
Reddam has long had an unconventional ownership structure: it was founded by businessman Graeme Crawford who, after founding a group of schools in South Africa in the 1990s, moved to Australia in 2001 to found the school. Crawford is now President of the Inspired Group.
Last year, US private equity firm Stonepeak invested $1 billion in Inspired, while other recent investors in the international schools group include Singapore sovereign wealth fund GIC and other private equity firms TA Associates and Warburg Pincus.
Reddam Director Dave Pitcairn said there are benefits to being part of an international network of schools that allow students to take part in exchange programs and music partnerships.
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The popularity of the unconventional school among parents, which increased 12th-grade fees by 7 percent to $40,000 this year, can be attributed to academic results.
The school uses regular 50-minute cycle tests to track student progress and expects students to achieve an average score of at least 60 percent.
Pitcairn said the approach “prepares students for exams and helps them learn to deal with the pressure of final exams.”
However, some critics said continuous high-stakes testing could put unnecessary pressure on children. “Even in the strongest of students, it can cause a lot of stress,” said one education expert.
“We’ve only had waiting lists for five or six years. I think parents… like the mixed and non-denominational nature of the school,” Pitcairn said. “There aren’t many schools like ours in Sydney.”
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