Cranbrook School Appoints First Female Principal

All-boys school Cranbrook has announced the appointment of its first female principal, Anne Johnstone.

The school faced backlash earlier this year after a Four Corners investigation uncovered its “toxic” culture, with female teachers and staff experiencing misogynistic harassment from students. It was also revealed that the principal at the time, Nicholas Sampson, continued the employment of a teacher who he knew had sent multiple graphic emails to a former female student. Sampson resigned that same week.

Since the investigation aired, the school has undergone a review in an attempt to dismantle the damaging culture.

The employment of Anne Johnstone as principal seems to be an extension of that, with a letter to the community from the Cranbrook School Council stating that thy hoped she could “guide Cranbrook to become the very best coeducational school it can be.”

 

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The school is also set to become co-education from 2026, which was announced prior to the ABC investigation.

Johnstone is currently the principal of all-girls school Ravenswood, and the Chair of the Excellence in Leadership and Teaching Council for the Association of Independent Schools of NSW. She has recently submitted her Doctor of Philosophy in Education, focusing on youth mental health, and trained as a History and English teacher. Johnstone has won multiple awards for her accomplishments in education, including this The Australian School Principal of the Year and the 2022 Phyllis Evans Medal from The Teachers’ Guild of NSW where she was acknowledged as a “distinguished educator of great standing”.

Cranbrook Community Publically Positive

While social media reactions to to the announcement have been largely supportive, there’s no doubt that some members of the community will be uneasy about the change.

Lead journalist of the Four Corners investigation, Louise Milligan, posted about Johnstone on LinkedIn, concluding her caption with “investigative journalism matters. Support Four Corners.” Skepticism was evident in the comments, with one person writing “get a woman to clean up the mess.” Another said “it’s unlikely to change the culture any time soon as much as the new head would like to. Let’s see.”