Emanuel School is an independent Jewish co-educational early learning, primary and secondary day school, located on a heritage-listed campus in the Sydney eastern suburb of Randwick, in New South Wales, Australia. The school was founded in 1983 in Woollahra. The current Randwick site was purchased in 1984 and was opened in 1985. In 1986, Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawke officially opened the school. Emanuel School currently caters for approximately 920 students from Pre-school to Year 12. Since 2025, the school has been headed by Principal Linda Emms. The school is affiliated with the Jewish Communal Appeal, the Junior School Heads Association of Australia (JSHAA), and the Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia (AHISA).
The heritage-listed school site has previously served as a monastery, seminary and gentleman's private residence in past years. The site was designed by Edmund Blacket (Aston Lodge and now Saunders Administration Building) and built from 1864 to 1936. The school is located in the City of Randwick local government area. The site was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.
School History
In 1982, under the leadership of Rabbi Brian Fox and with the support of many other members of Temple Emanuel Woollahra (now known as Emanuel Synagogue) and the wider Jewish community of Sydney, the idea of Emanuel School was born. On 2 February 1983 the first 53 students from Kindergarten to Year 6 were enrolled in rooms at Temple Emanuel. Later in 1983, Years 3 to 7 moved to an unused school in Watsons Bay, in the grounds of Our Lady Star of the Sea.
In 1984, with significant financial assistance and personal support from Mr Aron Kleinlehrer, together with communal generosity, Emanuel School purchased their present site in Randwick. The school opened its doors in 1985 with 230 students from Years K-8. Prime Minister Bob Hawke officially opened the school in 1986.
In 2001 the Emanuel School Board took on a new management plan, which included the appointment of a new school Principal – Dr Bruce Carter It's an honour entry – Bruce Northleigh CARTER, Member of the Order of Australia – 10 June 2002 . "For service to education as a principal, administrator and educator, particularly through Cranbrook School and professional educational bodies and forums."
4 years later in 2005, under the auspices of the NSW Jewish Communal Appeal, the Emanuel School ran a successful Capital Appeal which primarily aids in debt reduction and some property development.
In March 2011, the new Science "K" Block was opened, featuring 4 new laboratories, 2 preparation rooms, and 2 "dry" (non-laboratory) classrooms. It was funded partially by a federal government BER grant.
In 2013, to celebrate the schools 30th anniversary, a second capital appeal was held, raising money to construct the new LINC Building, which was intended to replace two existing demountable buildings (formerly called the D Block). This new building was opened in 2015, with new classrooms for Years 1–4, a theatre, a gym, purpose built Visual Arts classrooms and new playground areas. Nowadays, the High School library is also housed here, along with a small multipurpose classroom.
In 2016, the Old High School Art Block was refurbished into 2 Kindergarten Classrooms, and the entire art department, both Primary and High, were moved to the 3rd Floor purpose built Visual Arts Classrooms.
At the end of 2017, Anne Hasting retired from her position as principal of The Emanuel School. Succeeding Ms. Hasting in 2018, Andrew Watt served as the principal until the end of 2024 when he retired.https://manishma.emanuelschool.nsw.edu.au/ma-nishma-your-weekly-news-1-23/principals-news Linda Emms has been the principal since.https://manishma.emanuelschool.nsw.edu.au/ma-nishma-your-weekly-news-2-1/principals-news
In 2018, a new 'innovation' building was opened on the sight of the former High School library, which was moved to the LINC Building. The Innovation Building featured multiple new classrooms for the ICT and English Departments, a Food Tech Lab/Kitchen, a Design Lab, the "Imaginarium" (A special design lab that also served as a classroom for Primary School), and several offices for teachers.
Finally, in 2023, the new B'Yachad Y Block was opened on the sight of the former 2 floored Adler Building (Which used to house the Years 5 and 6 classrooms until 2022 and the Emanuel School Uniform Shop until 2020), which was demolished throughout the course of 2022. The B'Yachad Building possesses 7 standard classrooms, 3 breakout spaces, several break-rooms, and a new and upgraded "Imaginarium". The Years 5 and 6 classrooms (which had been temporarily housed in the High School B Block during the construction of the B'Yachad building) were moved to the 2nd and 3rd floors of the building, along with the Kindergarten classrooms, which were moved to the bottom floor. The old Kindergarten classrooms were soon refurbished into the new Primary School Library, while the old sight of the Primary School Library was transformed into a study area for Years 11s and 12s.
However, more changes have occurred since 2023. The leadership change of 2025 resulted in significant restructuring of the student lesson timetable, a highly controversial policy change which resulted in pushback by both students and parents, most notably through organised petitions. There have also been crackdowns on uniform and tardiness in the school, along with the introduction of the new Study Skills subject for Years 7-12.
Site History Indigenous Australian history Pre-1780s local Aboriginal people in the area used the site for fishing and cultural activities – rock engravings, grinding grooves and middens remain in evidence. In 1789 Governor Arthur Phillip referred to "a long bay", which became known as Long Bay. Aboriginal people are believed to have inhabited the Sydney region for at least 20,000 years.Turbet, 2001. The population of Aboriginal people between Palm Beach and Botany Bay in 1788 has been estimated to have been 1,500. Those living south of Port Jackson to Botany Bay were the Cadigal people who spoke Dharug,Randwick Library webpage, 2003. while the local clan name of Maroubra people was "Muru-ora-dial".City of Sydney webpage, 2003. By the mid nineteenth century the traditional owners of this land had typically either moved inland in search of food and shelter, or had died as the result of European disease or confrontation with British colonisers.
Colonial history
One of the earliest land grants in this area was made in 1824 to Captain Francis Marsh, who received bounded by the present Botany and High Streets, Alison and Belmore Roads. In 1839 William Newcombe acquired the land north-west of the present town hall in Avoca Street.
Randwick takes its name from the town of Randwick, Gloucestershire, England. The name was suggested by Simeon Pearce (1821–86) and his brother James. Simeon was born in the English Randwick and the brothers were responsible for the early development of both Randwick and its neighbour, Coogee. Simeon had come to the colony in 1841 as a 21 year old surveyor. He built his Blenheim House on the he bought from Marsh, and called his property "Randwick". The brothers bought and sold land profitably in the area and elsewhere. Simeon campaigned for construction of a road from the city to Coogee (achieved in 1853) and promoted the incorporation of the suburb. Pearce sought construction of a church modelled on the church of St. John in his birthplace. In 1857 the first St Jude's stood on the site of the present post office, at the corner of the present Alison Road and Avoca Street.Pollen & Healy, 1988.
Randwick was slow to progress. The village was isolated from Sydney by swamps and sand hills, and although a horse-drawn omnibus was operated by a man named Grice from the late 1850s, the journey was more a test of nerves than a pleasure jaunt. Wind blew sand over the track, and the bus sometimes became bogged, so that passengers had to get out and push it free. From its early days Randwick had a divided society. The wealthy lived elegantly in large houses built when Pearce promoted Randwick and Coogee as a fashionable area. But the market gardens, orchards and piggeries that continued alongside the large estates were the lot of the working class. Even on the later estates that became racing empires, many jockeys and stable hands lived in huts or even under canvas. An even poorer group were the immigrants who existed on the periphery of Randwick in a place called Irishtown, in the area now known as The Spot, around the junction of St.Paul's Street and Perouse Road. Here families lived in makeshift houses, taking on the most menial tasks in their struggle to survive.
In 1858 when the NSW Government passed the Municipalities Act, enabling formation of municipal districts empowered to collect rates and borrow money to improve their suburb, Randwick was the first suburb to apply for the status of a municipality. It was approved in February 1859, and its first Council was elected in March 1859.
Randwick had been the venue for sporting events, as well as duels and illegal sports, from the early days in the colony's history. Its first racecourse, the Sandy Racecourse or Old Sand Track, had been a hazardous track over hills and gullies since 1860. When a move was made in 1863 by John Tait, to establish Randwick Racecourse, Simeon Pearce was furious, especially when he heard that Tait also intended to move into Byron Lodge. Tait's venture prospered, however and he became the first person in Australia to organise racing as a commercial sport. The racecourse made a big difference to the progress of Randwick. The omnibus gave way to trams that linked the suburb to Sydney and civilisation. Randwick soon became a prosperous and lively place, and it still retains a busy residential, professional and commercial life.
Today, some of the houses have been replaced by home units. Many European migrants have made their homes in the area, along with students and workers at the nearby University of New South Wales and the Prince of Wales Hospital.
Aston Lodge estate Gentleman's Estate (1862–1901) The area of land which subsequently was developed into the Aston Lodge Estate was offered for sale by the NSW Government in August 1862. The Crown land, released for sale under the recently enacted Crown Lands Alienation Act, 1861, offered a total of 18 lots. The public auction was undertaken by Messrs W. Dean and Co. of Pitt and O'Connell Streets.
Lots 1, 2, 11, part 3 and part 10 of Section 8 (being a total of 11 acres which formed the Aston Estate) was purchased by John Watkins. Watkins also purchased another 12 acres of land to the east in the block bounded by present-day Carrington Road, Hooper Street, Bella Lane and Darley Road, it adjoins Queens Park.
The Torrens Title land title deed for the 11 acres was registered by the Registrar General and issued to John Watkins in August 1864. The Crown grant included a Building Covenant to the effect that "only one residence with the necessary out-buildings shall be erected on the said land.." This Restriction was rescinded in May 1899.
Watkins is known to have engaged the architect Edmund Thomas Blacket to design the extant double storey, sandstone built, suburban villa known as Aston Lodge. A tender for a dwelling house in Randwick was placed by Edmund Blacket in The Sydney Morning Herald on 20 May 1863 which may relate to Watkins house. Blacket was born in England in 1817. Blacket's professional training included a period as railway surveyor. He had a considerable interest in English medieval architecture, which later provided Blacket with the intellectual background for his work in Australia in the Gothic Revival style.