The headmaster of an elite Sydney boys' school has resigned after failing to disclose alleged "extremely concerning" conduct of a teacher to the school council.
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Cranbrook School Council president Geoff Lovell informed the school community there had been "an irrevocable breakdown of trust" between headmaster Nicholas Sampson and the school council.
It follows an ABC Four Corners episode which aired on March 4, detailing allegations of a toxic culture at the school, which plans on welcoming female students in 2026.
Further revelations on March 7 alleged Mr Sampson had kept a senior school teacher on staff despite knowing he had sent graphic, sexual emails to a former female student.
Mr Lovell said the school council became aware of the allegations against the teacher for the first time on March 7, and confirmed no past or present Cranbrook students were involved.
"The senior school teacher involved was immediately placed on leave pending the school's further assessment of the matter," he said in a letter to the school community on March 8.
"The circumstances of the matter and subsequently Mr Sampson's failure to disclose the matter to the current school council in the context of this week's ABC Four Corners broadcast, have led to an irrevocable breakdown of trust between the headmaster and the school council.
"The school council communicated this to Mr Sampson and this morning received his resignation."
Mr Sampson has led the school since 2012 and was previously the headmaster of Marlborough College and Sutton Valence School in the UK, and Victoria's Geelong Grammar.
Cranbrook's head of junior school Michele Marquet has been appointed acting head of school.
"The school council deeply regrets the distress to our students, our staff, our parents, our alumni and the broader Cranbrook family arising from the current circumstances," Mr Lovell said.
The school is not the first to make the switch to co-educational, with old boys of Sydney's Newington College staging a protest after it also announced plans to include female students.
