Blue Mountains

Overview:

Blue Mountains Primary School was founded in 1975 and has served as an educational institution for nearly 30 years, with an initial enrollment of 70 learners all from the surrounding farms. The school is situated 40km from Cape Town in the northern suburbs of Durbanville and provides education to the surrounding farm labourer’s children and also children of a settlement of Fisantekraal.

There are six educators at the school with classes running from Grade R (pre-grade 1) up to Grade 6. There are 180 kids enrolled this year from Grade R to Grade 6. Currently multi-grade classes are being given with Grade 4 and 5 each in a classroom while Grade 6 is placed in the staffroom. The headmaster teaches fulltime to Grade 6 pupils and also had to do the managing of the school, in particular the daily administration tasks, such as attending the phone as well as visits from parents and other visitors to the school which is part of the daily routine which plays an important part in the functioning of the school. A secretary has been provided through sponsors for 2 days of the week, but there is still need for two more days of service.

Staff and Community:

The learners attending the school are from families of a low income group: 50% are working on the surrounding farms, 35% as domestic workers and the remaining 15% are unemployed. Approximately 40% of the school’s enrollment is from the Fisantekraal Settlement. School fees last year amounted to R80 per learner per annum, but fortunately this year Blue Mountain Primary has been rated as a non-school fees institution. Funds need to be generated for the daily running of the school. Functions have been organized once every quarter to raise funds because the pupils’ parents are unable to support more than one function per quarter.

The educators are very optimistic, energetic and exceptionally proud to educate and work with the rural/farm kids, but it is obvious that in most instances the demands to provide quality education to these kids are taking its toll under these needy circumstances. The staff is expected to cover every thinkable educational and social sphere – as educator, psychologist, healthcare, nutritionist, pastoral duty, etc to help in the holistic development of the learners. The main aim is to develop a holistic empowered learner as there are high rated and disciplined learners at the school.

The team involved with the school’s primary goal is: to educate, to empower and develop a future citizen of which one can be proud.

Achievements:

One of the greatest achievements thus far has been the implementation of pre-schooling in the farming community. The scenario was that there was no culture of educational play or even elementary childcare in most cases due to the parents regularly being out all day trying to make a living as well as suffering from other social problems. Teachers in Grade 1 had difficulty in developing the child to master Grade 1 skills. It would seem that the educational divides are likely to remain as long as children enter their first formal schooling a year behind the excepted norm. Currently there is an experienced educator in Grade R (Pre-Grade 1).