The Foundation started with 9 participating schools, and has added more over the years. High School support was considered, but it was decided to stick to the original purpose of the Trust, and focus on the primary schools. The reasons were:
a) Providing a solid foundation for the children is critical, and the primary objective.
b) The Foundation cannot manage both primary and high schools without compromising the support given to the primary schools.
The question of High School support will be revisited annually. It is envisaged that as it grows, the Foundation will reach a point where it will include High Schools in the area.
Participating schools include:
Alpha Primary
The second largest of the schools, Alpha is the only one that goes from Grade R all the way to Grade 9. It is situated in Durbanville itself. The school has approximately 750 pupils in 25 classes. It has 5 additional non teaching staff members.
As it has a proper school hall, it is often the focal point for combined school programs.
Attie van Wyk
Attie van Wyk, on Adderley Road in the farmlands just outside Durbanville, is a small school of only 167 pupils, including a Grade R class of 30. The school recently acquired a mobile classroom for Grade R, but has been promised another by the WCED for a grade 7 class.
The problem as a result, is it is a teacher short! This is one of the posts that the Foundation is hoping to support from the Teachers’ Fund.
Blue Mountains
Blue Mountains is another small school just outside Durbanville on the Western side. The enrolment is approximately 200, including Grade R.
The school is also faced with having to combine grades as it is short of both space and teachers. A temporary classroom and a permanent additional staff member are top of the Headmaster’s wish list.
Joostenberg
Joostenberg Primary, as the name suggests, serves the Joostenberg community. It can be found near the N1 off-ramp to Tygerberg Zoo. The school has just under 500 pupils including Grade R.
The school is unfortunately situated underneath major power lines, and this has hampered development. At present it is served by the original buildings handed over by the farm owner to the school, as well as a large number of pre-fab classrooms, some of which are in a severe state of disrepair.
The Foundation recently found funding to erect two classrooms as well as toilet facilities at the school, but as fast as they were built, so the need arose for more.
Kersboslaagte
This school is also one of the smaller ones, having just under 150 pupils, including a grade R.
While it is blessed with space, it is short of allocated teachers, so once again, it is a school with combined classes.
Klipheuwel
The school serves the informal settlement of Klipheuwel and the surrounding farms. It has just over 300 pupils crammed into an old church building and temporary classrooms. Not only is it short of space, but it needs additional teachers too. The school is situated quite far from the settlement, and many children have a long and dangerous walk to the school across busy roads.
The WCED has finally agreed to build a new school adjacent to the informal settlement. When this happens, the school will undoubtedly develop a long wish list of items missing in the new premises
Meulenhof
Meulenhof is out in Philadelphia, just near Malmesbury on the N7. The school has over 550 pupils, and another 50 in Grade R at the early learning centre. It accommodates pupils from Du Noon, which cannot keep up with the demand for places in the settlement schools. It has two language streams, Afrikaans and Xhosa/English (Xhosa for Foundation phase, English afterwards), meaning that two sets of classes are required for each grade. Unfortunately, the numbers are generally not evenly split across the language streams.
The school has benefitted over the years from a close relationship with one of the Foundation’s major sponsors. The sponsor funded additional teachers, bursaries and other school requirements, but a corporate merger has seen this sponsor fall away.
Philadelphia Primary
This is one of the few schools in the Foundation that can charge fees, and is slightly better off than most. Going from Grade R to 7, it has approximately 225 pupils, but still requires support on occasion.
The Valley
The Valley is one of the schools which has been encroached upon by urban sprawl. It is now on the Durbanville border and has forged a good relationship with a nearby former Model C school. This has enabled it to move ahead faster than some of the outlying schools in the Foundation.
Trevor Manuel
The largest and the newest of the schools, it accommodates over 1300 pupils between grade R and grade 7. It is situated in Fisantekraal and is plagued by all the expected problems at a large school in a poverty stricken area.
Vissershok
A medium sized school of just under 500 pupils, it has managed to grow to two classes for all grades. Situated at the junction of Contermanskloof and Vissershok Roads, it has a chess heritage amongst its teachers, and would be a great place to introduce chess formally at the school should a sponsor be found.