With the holistic well-being of children at the core of Paardekraal Primary School’s ethos, chess has become an important aspect of learner development since the Moves for Life Chess programme was introduced to foundation phase classes in January 2014, sponsored by Silverstar.
Hennie Bester, Principal of the school, said that over the years there has been a marked improvement in the subject averages in the Foundation Phase.
Paardekraal Primary, which was established in 1890, is located in the centre of Krugersdorp. It changed from an Afrikaans to an English medium school in 2010 and has a total of 950 learners. Because of the high quality of education at the school, many learners come from the Kagiso and Munsieville communities.
All the Foundation Phase classes, comprising 450 learners and 13 educators, are involved in the chess programme.
Hennie said that many of the learners have never heard about or experienced chess before encountering it at the school – and from the start, the enthusiasm and commitment has been 100 per cent.
The hard work by both educators and learners consistently pays off, and achievements and awards are accumulating. Siphesihle Sekele, a Grade 3 learner who loves chess, took part in a Mental Maths challenge arranged by the Department of Education and won second place at Krugersdorp level, losing by just two seconds to the learner who came first.
At the Randfontein Arts and Culture Association Eisteddfod this year, eight learners participated in the chess competition, and in total, 106 learners participated in poetry, drama, reading and art events, achieving a total of 23 diamond awards, 46 platinum, 44 gold, and six silver. Four of these learners were overall winners in their categories and were invited to the Raca Gala Event.
Adele Wilson, CSI Manager at Silverstar, said Paardekraal Primary is an excellent showcase of what can be achieved in the Moves for Life chess programme with dedication from the top down in a school.
Silverstar sponsors Moves for Life chess in seven primary schools in communities within the Mogale City region, impacting 4 111 learners in 106 Foundation Phase classes.
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