Countryside Creativity And A Unique Diversification
Tucked away in a quiet countryside area of Midrand amongst horses and beyond the fast-growing forest of townhouse complexes lies the Summerhill Private School.
Written By: Michael Caplan
Tucked away in a quiet countryside area of Midrand amongst horses and beyond the fast-growing forest of townhouse complexes lies the Summerhill Private School.
It is “bordered by a protected wetland and hosts beautiful old indigenous trees, African Bullfrogs, rabbits, snakes, mongooses and many species of birds. We are truly an oasis in the middle of suburbia.” (Summerhill Website)
Like so many little-known schools, the story of its origin is fascinating. It was started by Mrs Sonja Joy Anderson-Morshead as a public nursery and prep school in 1994.
In 2009 the College opened – unusually offering the Cambridge International Curriculum (IGCSE and A-Levels) with the addition of the IEB curriculum in 2015.
Joy ran the school as executive head, until passing away in August 2024. Now her four daughters, one of whom is actively on site, have taken over as the sort of Board of the school. So uniquely this is a school which is essentially family run.
Cambridge and IEB
In every grade there are two classes each of about 10-15 students – one doing IEB and the other Cambridge. The principal Viven Naidoo tells me there is essentially no issue with bullying, with a village/family kind of atmosphere.
Also, whereas any teacher will know that cell phone distraction and addiction are usually a huge issue, here they are not a problem – with such small classes, surreptitious use is just about impossible.
Mr Naidoo tells me he is a regular visitor to his teachers’ classes in the High School – out of curiosity rather than as an inspector. Because of its size the school’s grades intermingle, with no special privileges for seniors – all things jealously guarded at most schools.
Bellavista – innovative diversification
Most are familiar with Bellavista, which for 55 years has provided virtually unrivalled education to help those with various learning challenges. In the school’s words, it provides “intervention to remediate difficulties, excellence in education, and an inclusive environment that prepares children for the long-term world of work and a meaningful place in society.”
Interestingly the school was founded in 1967 by two fathers who were concerned that their sons were struggling at school. Together with a retired inspector and an educational psychologist, they established the beginnings of what has become the much-respected institution of today
More than meets the eye
As I explored Bellavista, I discovered that it has become so much more than just a school. There are two additional parts: SEEK is a world class education assessment centre. Then there is a wonderful educational resource centre called SHARE – “Share what we know; Help where we can; Advise and assist; Resource and equip; Educate others”.
The SHARE flagship and newest addition is called Safe Harbour; this is a unique school consultancy: “Our Safe Harbour programme includes intensive professional development, opportunities for parent education, professional supervision and extensive consultation over three -five years to bring system-wide change towards inclusive practice and pandemic recovery.” (Bellavista Website)
Safe Harbour also does not simply use well-worn traditional best teaching practice seminars to client schools. Instead, it uses a programme developed by world renowned educational psychologist Reuben Feurstein – a brilliant programme that has the potential to revolutionise the way we teach and learn. Most educators have never heard of this but that is unsurprising – for the most part South African educators are fairly inward looking and not aware of international trends and scholarship.
A new way of learning
A full explanation of the Feuerstein – Instrumental Enrichment programme is beyond the scope of this article, but I can provide a brief overview. As the Feuerstein institute puts it: “The Feuerstein Method is the only educational method that teaches students the process behind thinking and learning skills in an organized, structured way,” and according to Bellavista themselves, “IIE...is a series of non-curricular paper and pencil tasks that focus on perceptual and motor function. The programme teaches all learners how to think...using researched cognitive exercises…develop skills such as reasoning, problem solving, empathy and emotional intelligence.”
Behind being fundamentally different, this system requires more than just a few workshops. Staff of schools (like many other organisations) are often highly resistant to change. This is why Safe Harbour offers a three to five year mentoring and follow- up programme. This carefully monitors progress, initially via voluntary “Champions”, towards eventually bringing all staff on board so that there is plenty of time to get the buy-in from even the most sceptical.
In a short time, Safe Harbour has already shown tremendous growth having been adopted by several schools including St Stithians Girls, Saheti, and St Johns.
Teachers are impressed:
“By playing a part in this initiative, we have begun to establish a shared language for thinking and problem-solving to effectively engage with multi-pronged strategies to support our boys’ cognitive and social-emotional development.”
Nick Diana Deputy Head – Academics at St. John’s Preparatory School
I would certainly agree having attended two of these sessions myself. Particularly memorable was the fact that not only does the programme teach students how to think it, but it also helps them to think about the thinking. Made explicit, metacognitive thinking is exceptionally powerful – it allows students to deliberately shape and change their thinking and therefore their actions.
A group of staff were specially trained at the Feuerstein Institute – so the venture would have involved significant capital which looks to have paid off. Well done to Bellavista for this unique and innovative product development
Michael Caplan, an Associate of the Free Market Foundation, is a History and English teacher with 26 years’ experience in mostly private schools in Johannesburg. He holds an MA in History and has a strong interest in libertarianism and the free market.