See how Waverley College helped families absorb significant fee increases, retained enrolments, and reduced pressure on its community during a period of funding change.
Waverley College at a glance
Waverley College is an independent Catholic boys’ school in Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs. Founded in 1903, the College draws boys from a wide range of cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds across Sydney.
Inclusion, breadth of opportunity, and an innovative approach to educating boys are central to Waverley's identity.
Principal Graham Leddie sees diversity as one of the College's greatest strengths, and protecting access to that community has become an increasing priority.
Recent changes to the Federal Government's Quality Schools Package have reduced Waverley's funding by $27 million over ten years, putting significant upward pressure on fees and adding stress for families across the College's community.
$27M
Funding reduction absorbed
Edstart helping the College manage the family impact of a 10-year reduction in Federal funding.
4 years
Of growing partnership
From early adoption of Pay and Extend products to full implementation of Edstart.
Retention
Enrolment retention
Families staying with the College who may have otherwise considered leaving due to fee pressure.
When the funding changes hit, Waverley needed more than payment plans.
The College needed a way to take real pressure off families without taking on additional workload internally, and without absorbing cost on its own balance sheet.
Edstart delivered exactly that: full fee management, additional flexibility for families at no cost to parents, and the operational lift handled entirely by the Edstart team.
“We were one of the early adopters when Edstart was a fairly young company, and we’ve grown with them through their products. We’ve had some good results and we keep building.”
Graham Leddie, Principal
The partnership
Waverley's relationship with Edstart began in 2019, when the College added Edstart as additional payment options for families wanting to spread fees rather than pay upfront. As the partnership matured, so did the scope.
The outcome
Edstart has helped Waverley retain enrolments through a period when fee increases would have otherwise put real strain on its community. The Portal also gives the finance team early visibility on families who may need support, allowing the College to step in proactively before issues escalate.
Crucially, families are now having open conversations about their finances with Edstart that they often wouldn't have had directly with the school.
That removes the awkwardness from a sensitive topic, gets families the support they need faster, and protects the relationship between the College and its community.
For Waverley, the outcome is simple: families who may have considered alternatives are still part of the community, and the College's diversity is protected.
“No one likes to be struggling with covering a bill. The fact that Edstart can work with the school and the parent, the outcome for us has been really positive.”
Graham Leddie, Principal
Book a 20-minute conversation with our team to see how Edstart could help you absorb fee increases without losing families.
