St John the Apostle Catholic Primary School in Narraweena and St Kevin’s Catholic Primary School in Dee Why are set to share a principal under a Catholic Schools Broken Bay leadership restructure affecting 14 primary schools across the Northern Beaches and North Shore. The two Warringah Parish schools are among seven pairs moving to a model in which one principal will oversee two campuses.
Alicia van der Merwe, currently principal of St John the Baptist Catholic Primary School at Freshwater, has been named as the future principal of both St John the Apostle and St Kevin’s under the restructure. St John the Apostle is currently led by Mark Bateman, while St Kevin’s lists Adrian Pulley as its principal.
CSBB has not publicly set out how van der Merwe’s working week will be divided between Narraweena and Dee Why or whether either school will receive additional senior leadership positions. The system has said affected campuses will continue to be supported by their existing leadership teams.
Two neighbouring schools placed under one principal
St John the Apostle and St Kevin’s already belong to Warringah Parish and are located a short distance apart on the Northern Beaches. St John’s operates from Alfred Street at Narraweena, between Beacon Hill and Dee Why, while St Kevin’s is located in Oaks Avenue in central Dee Why. Both are co-educational Catholic primary schools serving Kindergarten to Year 6.
St John’s also hosts registered support classes operated through Eileen O’Connor Catholic School. The Narraweena campus joined that network in 2025, with the support-class arrangement continuing in 2026.
The Warringah pairing is part of the same restructure linking Maria Regina Avalon with Sacred Heart Mona Vale, St Joseph’s Narrabeen with St Rose Collaroy, Our Lady of Good Counsel Forestville with St Martin’s Davidson, and St Mary’s Manly with St John the Baptist Freshwater. Catholic primary schools at Asquith, Berowra, Carlingford and Epping are also included.
Union challenges consultation over leadership change
The Independent Education Union of Australia NSW/ACT Branch lodged a dispute with the Fair Work Commission on 2 September over the shared-principal plan. The union alleges CSBB did not meet consultation requirements applying to a major workplace change under the relevant enterprise agreements.
Union representatives have questioned how principals will carry out their responsibilities across two school communities and whether additional staffing will be provided when the principal is based at the other campus. The union has characterised the model as leaving individual schools with a principal present only part of the time.
CSBB disputes the union’s allegation and says it complied with its obligations under the enterprise agreement. The agreement includes provisions requiring consultation where a major workplace change is proposed, and the industrial dispute remains unresolved.
Funding pressure cited in CSBB’s case
CSBB has linked the leadership restructure to changes in government funding for non-government schools and has argued that sharing principals will reduce leadership costs and direct a greater share of available resources towards students.
The Australian Government’s Capacity to Contribute system affects Commonwealth base recurrent funding for most non-government schools. A Direct Measure of Income uses the median income of parents and guardians to help calculate a school community’s capacity-to-contribute score, with the system applying to all relevant schools since 2022.
CSBB has said changes to the funding model have reduced funding across the diocese by about $90 million a year, particularly in Sydney’s north. The figure is CSBB’s estimate, and no detailed public calculation supporting the amount was available in the material reviewed for this report.
St John’s own fee information says Catholic systemic schools receive state and federal government funding as well as parent contributions, with tuition fees covering part of the difference between government funding and the cost of education.
Parent campaign calls for pause
A parent-led petition covering the affected schools is calling on CSBB to pause the shared-principal rollout until the Fair Work Commission dispute is resolved and further consultation is conducted with families, staff and school communities.
The campaign includes St John the Apostle and St Kevin’s among the Northern Beaches schools affected by the change. Its concerns centre on consultation, leadership continuity and the implementation of the new structure, while CSBB maintains the model will strengthen collaboration and leadership capacity across parish schools.
Published 8-Sept-2026
