Maria Regina Catholic Primary School in Avalon and Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School in Mona Vale 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 Pittwater schools are one of seven pairs moving to a model in which a principal divides their time between two campuses.
Maria Regina is currently led by principal Kirsty Thorpe and Sacred Heart by principal Louise O’Brien, according to current Pittwater Parish material. Both schools are part of the same parish network, alongside Mater Maria Catholic College at Warriewood.
Seven school pairs included in leadership change
The broader plan pairs St Joseph’s Narrabeen with St Rose Collaroy, St John the Apostle Narraweena with St Kevin’s Dee Why, Our Lady of Good Counsel Forestville with St Martin’s Davidson, and St Mary’s Manly with St John the Baptist Freshwater. Schools at Asquith, Berowra, Carlingford and Epping are also included.
CSBB Director of Schools Danny Casey has described the model as a way to strengthen collaboration, build leadership capacity and share expertise between school communities. The system has said affected schools will retain their individual identities and continue to be supported by on-site leadership teams.
The Pittwater pairing also reflects an existing parish connection. The Catholic Parish of Pittwater covers communities from Warriewood north to Palm Beach and has two churches — Sacred Heart at Mona Vale and Maria Regina at Avalon — associated with the two primary schools.
Union challenges consultation process
The Independent Education Union of Australia NSW/ACT Branch lodged a dispute with the Fair Work Commission on 2 September after the shared-principal plan was announced. The union alleges CSBB failed to meet consultation requirements for a major workplace change under relevant enterprise agreements.
Union officials have questioned how principals will manage responsibilities across two schools and whether staffing will be increased when principals divide their time between campuses. The union has described the new positions as effectively creating part-time principals at individual schools.
CSBB disputes the union’s position and says it complied with its obligations under the enterprise agreement. The agreement contains specific provisions requiring consultation where an employer proposes a major workplace change, leaving the industrial dispute to determine whether those requirements were met in the circumstances.
Funding pressure underpins CSBB case
CSBB has linked the restructure to changes in government funding for non-government schools. Casey has said the diocese has experienced an annual funding reduction of about $90 million, particularly affecting schools in Sydney’s north, and has argued that sharing principals will reduce leadership costs and direct more resources towards students.
Commonwealth funding rules use a Capacity to Contribute score for most non-government schools. The Australian Government says the score affects the amount of base recurrent funding a school attracts and is calculated using a Direct Measure of Income based on the median income of parents or guardians. The system has applied to all relevant schools since 2022.
CSBB has argued that the revised funding environment has made maintaining smaller schools more difficult and that shared leadership can limit pressure on fees while preserving spending on classroom education.
Parent petition seeks pause to rollout
A parent-led petition is calling for CSBB to pause the leadership model until the Fair Work Commission dispute is resolved and further consultation occurs with families, staff and school communities. Maria Regina and Sacred Heart are among the 10 Northern Beaches schools named in the petition.
The petition raises concerns about transparency, school stability and consultation before the rollout was announced. Questions also remain about how responsibilities will be divided between campuses and what senior leadership support will be available when the principal is at the other school.
Published 8-Sept-2026
