Four men armed with machetes assaulted a security guard at the elite Scots College in Bellevue Hill in an attempt to reach weaponry stored on the school grounds, police say.
The men confronted the guard on the school perimeter about 1am on Friday but failed to gain access to any building. It is understood the men demanded entry to an area where guns were stored but were refused by the guard.
The men fled in a car that was possibly driven by a woman, police said. The guard was not injured.
Scots College maintains target-shooting rifles on the property as part of its sport program, principal Ian Lambert said. The rifles have disabling mechanisms, making them incapable of firing except when used for practice or competition, he said.
The school also keeps a number of ceremonial drill rifles used by its cadet unit, which are permanently disabled.
"The police conducted a review of the storage and security arrangements of this equipment and were satisfied that all requirements were met or exceeded," Mr Lambert said.
He did not believe there had been any previous incidents of a security guard being assaulted while patrolling the college. Staff and students on the senior campus, which has more than 1000 pupils, were informed of the incident on Friday morning.
The men armed with machetes were described to police as being of Middle Eastern appearance and wearing jumpers and pants. Police would not confirm if the Middle Eastern Organised Crime squad was involved in the investigation but a spokesperson said the investigation was "in full swing".
No wider alert had been issued for sporting clubs or other schools in the area, the spokesperson said.
Scots College has subsequently beefed up its physical security as a precaution, Mr Lambert said.
The Presbyterian school is one of the oldest boys' colleges in Australia.
