The question smart parents ask at Sydney Boys High open day

When parents come for the tour of Sydney Boys High School, principal Dr Kim Jaggar knows they can be categorised into a couple of groups. Some will look at the facilities, perhaps thinking they’re not as good as those at Shore or Sydney Grammar. “Which they aren’t,” says Jaggar.

But he’s noticed the smarter parents like to prod at other aspects of the school. “What they really do is want to talk to kids on an open day.” Their goal? To figure out the style of student the school produces.

Sydney Boys High School, or High as it is known, is in the middle of Moore Park but it is also in the centre of a bigger social Venn diagram, positioned between the wealthiest private and the most academically prestigious public selective schools in Sydney.

That’s because since 1906, it has been part of the elite Athletic Association of Greater Public Schools. Unlike other elite members, it does not charge in excess of $50,000 in fees. Instead, students must sit the public school selective test to gain admission.

It asks families to pay a voluntary contribution of about $3000 each year to run the extensive extracurricular program including 15 sports, ranging from rifle shooting to sailing, rugby, tennis and rowing.

“I say, if you don’t like sports, it’s probably not the place for you,” Jaggar says.

When the Herald visits, the front hallway of the school’s main building is lined with blue carpet and display cases filled with trophies, medals and sporting caps. Alumni include former Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Commonwealth Bank chief executive Matt Comyn. Convicted killer Chris Dawson is also a former student.

While the selective nature of the school means students focus on academics, Jaggar says sport is part of its DNA. He says fit boys perform better. And sport is also particularly valuable for students who spend hours after school in tutoring centres and who missed out on socialisation during their primary school years of the pandemic.

“A lot of the kids I’ve talked to have never seen the sea,” Jaggar says. “They know a lot about coaching colleges in Hurstville.”

He sees no point in offering individual sports, such as golf, because they do not offer the shared experience of winning and losing with a team. Playing in a team boosts communication skills. For smart children for whom academics come easily, it is character building to play sports in which they will encounter obstacles they must overcome. Students learn goal-setting, self-discipline and suffering for a cause greater than themselves, he says.

Sport is also a respite from academic concentration i