The plans look like something from a fantasy holiday getaway brochure. Sleek architect-designed buildings housing state-of-the-art gyms and swimming pools. Multi-tiered recreation spaces that would sit nicely on a Balinese hillside. An orchestra pit and a chapel nested into bushland. A Scottish baronial library.

But these are no escapist fantasies. All these developments are coming soon to seven private schools in Sydney, which have a stunning $365 million worth of combined development applications in the pipeline.

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These infrastructure improvements will be dangled like bejewelled carrots in front of eager parents wanting the very best facilities for their cherished offspring. But, there's a catch.

The rapid expansion plans among private schools revealed by Pallavi Singhal today have been labelled as an "arms race for students" and like most arms races, there will be a heavy price to pay.