Families affiliated with both schools received confirmation of the new name from Jeoffrey Falls, general manager and chief executive officer of the Presbyterian Church of Australia in NSW, on Thursday.

In communication sent to the families, Mr Falls said the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in NSW met this week and, on Wednesday afternoon, the Assembly approved the merger of The Scots School and All Saints’ College to form a new school called Scots All Saints’ College.

Two options had been before the Assembly: Scots All Saints College and Bathurst Presbyterian College.

The name has been one of the most contentious points since the process of integrating the two schools began last year.

Scots ASC College was announced as the new school’s name in March, but the trustees left the door open for a change following an outcry, particularly from the All Saints’ community.

There was criticism of the use of “college college” in the name and concern from the All Saints’ community that “ASC” did not reflect their school, resulting in the option that went before the general assembly being altered to Scots All Saints’ College.

In recent weeks, there has also been a petition circulating among the Scots School community calling for the trustees to stick to their original choice for the new name, or at least retain “Scots” in any new options to be put forward.

With the name now decided, Mr Falls said the new school board, which was also approved on Wednesday, was due to meet for the first time over the weekend.

He said the board comprised a balanced mix of skills, experience and gender, with current and former parents and students from both schools appointed. Mr Falls said the Trustees will have an active role in supporting the new board and they have asked him to continue to facilitate the integration process in close association with the new board and the school’s senior executive over the next 18 months.

“I look forward to working with the College’s first Headmaster, Mr David Gates, and three Heads: Ms Tracey Leaf, Head of Scots Campus; Mr Chris Jackman, Head of All Saints Campus; and Mr Greg Jones, Head of Academic Excellence and Compliance across both campuses,” he said.

Mr Falls said now that the General Assembly has made its decisions, the school will move quickly in taking all the thoughts and projects from the last year into operation for commencement in January 2019. 

“There will be no surprises in these matters as they have been discussed extensively, written about and presented over the past year. This does not mean that every person who has expressed a view will get their view enacted, it means that we have listened to the range of views and have made the best workable choices which take us towards a common goal of excellence,” he said. 

“We will continue to work closely with the Parents and Friends, Boarder and Old Boys and Old Girls associations of both schools as we enact our vision for the new school.”