'Be sensible and keep your mouth shut': the private school facing allegations of control

Samantha Selinger-Morris· Host0:00

[gentle music] With heritage-listed sandstone turrets and iron gates, the Redeemer Baptist School promises Sydney parents the private school dream: a prestigious disciplined education for a fraction of the cost. But its academic awards, state-of-the-art facilities, and charitable works conceal a darker reality. I'm Samantha Selinger-Morris, and you're listening to the Morning Edition from The Age and the Sydney Morning Herald. Today, education reporter Emily Cowell on allegations from former students who say the school ordered them to share bedrooms with teachers and subjected them to authoritarian control, or, as the school's student diary put it, "Be sensible and keep your mouth shut." Welcome, Emily, to the podcast.

Emily Cowell· Guest0:53

Thanks for having me.

Samantha Selinger-Morris· Host0:54

Okay, let's start off with the basics, Emily. What is the Redeemer Baptist Church and its affiliated school?

Emily Cowell· Guest1:00

So Redeemer Baptist School and Church are a fundamental Baptist church. They're completely separate from the traditional Baptist church you will see, and they actually ... The Baptist Church makes a point of distancing themself from this community. What makes them unusual is that they're very fundamental. It's a highly patriarchal, authoritative church environment where men essentially have all positions of power