The Valley

The Valley Primary School is situated in a rural area and since the 90’s an extension to the Kenridge area was established next to the school. The school is owned by the Anglican church of Cape Town. The ground was given to the church, when the priest saw the need of having the farm labourers’ children educated. After endless negotiations the education department of the time finally gave permission for a school to be started and run by the church. No record as to the total of learners could be found, however two admission registers from the early years are kept at the school.

A few notable dates:

1975 – The school, ranging with classes from gr. 1 to gr.6, had electricity installed. The school was a one building construction, with two classes divided in half to accommodate the learners from different grades. Learners walked to school.

1990 – Toilets functioning with water were installed.

1983 – The second building was erected by the church which enabled classes to be housed by grades. Mr. James Gallant, the principal, had a proper office where the visitors could be received. All monies obtained through functions held by the school, went into the church’s coffers.

1993-2008 – Many changes and interesting developments took place at the school. A choir was formed. The school emblem and school song was born. A prefect system was initiated.  The soup kitchen from the church denominations saw light, but operations were stopped when the Peninsula School Nutrition Programme was introduced. Sport remained a unique challenge, with the field given by farm owners being full of stones. However many a happy moment is to be had during interhouse as well as some rugby matches, while cross-country seems to be the most popular sport amongst the learners.

Community:

The learners’ come from economically challenged families. Living on grape farms the women do not work during March through to September which means a loss of income. Families living in Morningstar have household expenses, making payments to the school difficult. Families living on the farms houses’ have been radically improved from one bedroom houses with no bathroom. The learners from Fisantekraal and Du Noon live in RDP housing. Many of the parents are single living with relatives having no income while many are unemployed. Some parents receive grants for their children.

On the farms there is soccer clubs which are run by the people involved on the farms. Three of the farms have soccer fields which have been erected by the owners, with church groups arranging social evenings at most of the farms. Since 2008 a playgroup for three to five year olds came into operation on the Altydgedacht farm, which was started by the Dutch Reformed Church. No playgrounds or crèches are to be found at the other farms. Badisa, a welfare organization, is starting a project on three of the farms.