WHY CHOOSE SP

Reasons for enrolling your child at South Peninsula High School

History

South Peninsula High School ( affectionately known to students as SP ) was born out of a need for a high school in Diep River in the late 1940’s. A school known as the Southfield High school was started in the “ Red Barn” in Princessvlei Road in January 1950. The first principal was Mr W.G. Hendricks ( retired principal of the Battswood Training College for teachers in Wynberg ). In July 1951 the school moved to the present site in Old Kendal Road, Diep River. Mr Arthur George de Villiers ( a senior teacher from Trafalgar High ) was appointed the principal. He immediately worked on the academic performance of SP as well as sport and cultural activities. Under his tutelage he developed SP into one of the top high schools in Cape Town. He remained at SP for 17 glorious years when ill-health forced him to retire. Mr Ralph Hepburn was appointed as from 1967 until 1975. Mr MN Moerat assumed the principalship in 1976. He continued the work of Mr AG de Villiers and again turned SP into a school which ranked amongst the top schools in Cape Town. Mr B. Isaacs took over the principalship of SP in July 1984 when Mr Moerat retired. SPHS has received many awards. Amongst the awards have been:

• · Ranked by the WCED as a top 15 school in the WC
• · Ranked by the Sunday Times as a top 100 school
• · Recently ranked by the National Education Department as one of the top schools in the WC in the Sunday Times
• · Recently ranked as a top 10 school as thorough put rate of grade 12s in the Burger
• · Ranked as the top Dinaledi school in the WC for Mathematics and Physical Sciences
• · Received numerous awards from WCED for the academic performances of its gr 12 students.
• · Received an award of R150 000 for the best results in Mathematics and Physical Sciences in 2007
• · The school has always worked extremely hard to develop a work ethic in all its students. We are always prepared to learn from other performing schools. Recently three teachers Mr Z. Baker ( deputy and Senior Life Sciences teacher ), Mr A. Ederies ( deputy and Head of Mathematics ) and Ms E.vd Heyden ( Senior English teacher ) visited Mbilwe High School in Limpopo province. This is a poor school which regularly obtains very good results. Our teachers have found that Mbilwe High School teachers have an academic support programme for their students. SP hopes to implement this programme in 2011.

• SPHS has 35 teachers appointed by the WCED and appoints 13 Governing Body teachers. We say publicly that we would be unable to achieve very good results if it were not for the 13 GB teachers. All schools require these additional teachers to perform. SP stands firmly on the side of the poor and we would be the first to march for no school fees. However until Government appoints more teachers we have to maintain and improve the standard of education of SP by appointing the 13 additional teachers.

Curriculum

SPHS has always believed in offering a broad range of subjects ( the curriculum). We have never agreed with the State that schools must have a limited subject choice. SP believes that poor schools especially should have a wide range of subjects since we were denied this during the apartheid years. We have fought rationalisation in all its forms in education. Our record of letters to the Department as well as newspaper articles affirms our belief. We are the only disadvantaged school that has a Mathematics and Physical Sciences Focus as well as an Arts and Culture Focus. We are not proud that we are the only poor school offering these subjects. We believe that all schools should have both focus areas.

Curriculum gr 8 and gr 9

English ( Home Lang )

Afrikaans ( First Additional Lang ) or isiXhosa ( First Additional Lang )

isiXhosa ( Second Additional Lang )

Mathematics

Natural Sciences

Economic Management Sciences

Technology

History and Social Sciences

Arts and Culture ( generic) i.e students exposed to Music, Drama, Art, Design and Dance by qualified teachers and we also offer specific pathways in these 5 Art Forms

Life Orientation

*We also offer Instrumental Music in the following instruments:

Piano, Flute, Saxophone,Base Guitar,Trumpet,Recorder, Clarinet, Guitar( acoustic and electric), Trombone, violin and drums.

Additional subjects: Latin ( only gr 9 2011)/ German ( only gr 8 2011)

Curriculum Gr 10-12

Eng (HL)

Afr (FAL) or isiXhosa ( FAL and SAL )

Life orientation

One of the following:

Mathematics

Mathematical Literacy ( our emphasis in the future is Mathematics and not Mathematical Literacy )

One of the following:

Life Sciences

Economics

One of the following: Accounting/ Geography/ Consumer Studies/ Engineering and Graphic Design/ History/ Business Studies/ Visual Art/ Dramatic Arts/ Dance/ Music.

Art and Design can either be done at Battswood Art Centre or Frank Joubert Art Centre.

*8th subject ( optional )

Information Technology/ Computer Applications Technology/ isiXhosa ( FAL or SAL )/ Hospitality Studies/ German ( only from 2013)/ Latin ( only from 2012)

All our teachers are qualified and many hold honours, masters ( seven teachers )and doctoral degrees ( two teachers ). We encourage our teachers to pursue their studies. Teachers also invite lecturers at universities and colleges to address colleagues and students on topical issues. We have a SP Teachers’ Forum where educational issues of the day are discussed. Many teachers have afternoon classes to assist students. Students are exposed to careers from gr 8 and in gr 12. We expect students to have at least two possible career choices. We encourage students to apply to universities and to apply for bursaries. A survey conducted by the school secretaries showed that 70% of our gr 12 2009 students are at universities in 2010. The other students are working. Very few are unemployed.

We are ranked at no 14 of schools sending students to UCT and no 2 in sending students to UWC. We are still awaiting statistics from US and CPUT.

Global Education

We believe that we must expose our students to international education:

• · We are involved with an organisation called Global Classroom in which schools from countries around the world gather once a year to discuss matters pertaining to students. In 2011 10 SP students and two teachers will be going to Sweden in July.
• · We are also in contact with the Great Sankey High School in Warrington London. We have a student/teacher exchange once a year with Great Sankey.
• · We have formed a relationship with Mbilwe High School in Limpopo.
• · We are about to enter into discussions with a local high school soon.
• · School organisations
• · Staff
• · SRC
• · Parents’ Forum
• · Governing Body
• · SPHS Alumni Association: www.spalumni.org.za
• · SP Alumni Association ( Canada)
• · All the above organisations fall under the controlling Body the PTSA.
• · School’s website: www.sphigh.org.za

• Existing School facilities

Brick-buildings

• · 14 classrooms
• · 2XMusic rooms/1Xmakeshift dance studio/ 1X Drama room/1XLibrary/1XBookroom/2XComputer rooms/1XTRAC Lab(incomplete)/1X Physical Sciences Lab(incomplete).
• · Girls’ toilets ( 9)/ 1X Girls’ shower/ Ladies toilets (4)- 550 girls and 30 female teachers
• · Boys’ toilets ( 6)/ 2X urinals/ 1XBoys’ shower/2X males’ toilets- 500 boys with 18 male teachers.
• · Administrative block
• · - bursar’s office/ sick bay/kitchen- three in one room
• · -principal’s office with strongroom storing school’s audi-visual equipment/ lap-top computers.
• · -2X deputies offices ( no office for third deputy/ @X secretaries offices/ reception 4 offices in one room
• · -Printing room
• · -Staffroom for 48 teachers.
• · Storage space
• · -Stationery room/ Sports equipment room/Sportsperson’s office/Mowers’ room
• · -Maintenance equipment room.
• · Administrative Block- hopelessly inadequate but classrooms for students must come first.

• Temporary Buildings ( to be replaced with brick-buildings)

• · 9 mobile units
• · 2 prefabricated rooms ( these are specialist rooms used for technology and Consumer Studies )
• · 6X containers used for storage
• · Tuckshop/ Maintenance room/ Paper storeroom/Sport room/ Caretakers’ room
• · An additional 6 classrooms to be built for storage space to replace containers. Additional classrooms to be built to accommodate the following:
• · Dance studio with changerooms
• · Design room
• · Visual Art room
• · One classroom to be added to library
• · 1X Physical Science Lab
• · 2X Life Sciences lab
• · 1X additional Staffroom
• · Additional facilities envisaged
• · Old Central Primary School building ( 8 brick-building classrooms ) to be used for additional classrooms, GC office, Community office for Steurhof Residents’ Association, SP Archives and Conference Centre.
• · MN Moerat Sportsfield
• · - develop 1X soccer field/ 1 X rugby field ( winter)
• · -2 X cricket fields with turf wicket( summer)
• · -1X tennis court
• · -25m swimming pool
• · -2X squash courts
• · -2X Netball courts ( interim period use parking area at Steurhof station)
• · -1X Volley- ball
• · -1XBasket-ball
• · -Skate-boarding area
• · Field next to MN Moerat Sportsfield
• · -Develop agricultural school
• · -Develop environmental centre
• · Sport Codes

• Winter

Chess/ Cross-country/ Netball/ Rugby/ Soccer ( boys and girls )/ Volleyball/ Table-tennis/hockey/squash

Envisaged new codes: Gymnastics/ fencing

Summer

Athletics/Badminton/Basketball/Tennis/ Golf/ Cricket ( boys and girls)/ Swimming

Envisaged new codes: Water-polo/ Synchronised swimming

SP remains a top athletics/ soccer/ table-tennis/chess and volley-ball school. There is no charge to our parents for coaching or travel costs. Students are dropped off in front of their homes.

Cultural Activities

Amnesty International/ Beyond yourself club/ SP Book Club/ SP choir/Catering club/ Christian Fellowship/ Debating Society/Entrepeneurs club/Environmental club/ First Aid Society/Global Classroom/Hiking club/History club/Ice-skating club/Inter-act club/SP jazz bands/ Muslim Students’ Association/ Photographic club/ Science club.

We ask interested persons and parents to assist us with the formation of new societies.

Competitions

We encourage our students to participate in as many competitions which they want to compete in:

Olympiads: Eng/ Afri/ Maths/ Science/ Technology/ Accounting- they won a R30 000 award.

Bridge-building Competitions/ Environmental competitions ( SP environmental club has won R55 000 in competitions)- they built a vegetable tunnel, planted fynbos and created a garden at our school.

Argus Quiz- students over the past three years have won numerous awards.

Networking

SP believes in networking. We network with a wide-range of organisations:

• · National Association of School Governing Bodies ( NASGB)
• · Western Cape Parent Teacher Student Forum (WCPTSF)
• · Democracy Development Project
• · SAILI ( pays school fees of certain SP students)
• · K.Mason Foundation ( pays school fees of certain SP students)
• · Ex-students (who pay school fees of certain students)
• · Ex-students fund: These are ex- students donating a monthly amount. The fund has accumulated R40 000 with 12 students contributing
• · Shawco , Star schools, Merseta and Engen ( support students with additional lessons on a Saturday)
• · Optima Trust ( supports school with funding portion of salaries of Maths teachers as well as Gr 12 afternoon classes for Mathematics and Physical Sciences. It also pays for extra- classes in Mathematics for weak students from gr 8-11.)
• · We are always on the look-out for organisations which can assist us.

• Bursaries which our students have applied for and have been recipients:

• · Transnet
• · Allan Gray Orbis Foundation
• · Yvonne Parfitt
• · UCT scholarships
• · US bursary awards
• · UWC bursary awards
• · We are always on the look-out for organisations which can assist the school.

• Conclusion

We believe that politics affect education and that our role as a school is also to inform our students regularly about issues in our community, province, SA and internationally. We believe that we root our students in their society. We are proud of our fight not only against apartheid but exploitation around the world. We support the poor and will always belong to organisations that promote the well-being of the poor. SP students enter our school to learn and leave to serve. We believe that our students receive a holistic education. Our students leave the school with excellent academic results and intrinsic values of honesty, respect and fortitude. SP students are found throughout SA and the world. Our students can compete with the best SA and the world can offer.

We believe that your child receives an excellent education for the school fees that you are paying. Once again we reiterate that school fees should not be charged but until the State fully assumes responsibility for education, we are forced to charge fees that will enable your child to enter a university or be prepared for work.

Brian Isaacs

Principal