NELSPRUIT – Penryn Preparatory School recently welcomed its new headmaster, Mr Grant Williams. He started on April 1 and is already very enthusiastic about the school and its high standards.
Williams was born and raised in Durban and attended Northwood College. He studied at Rhodes University and completed a degree and diploma in education.
He started his teaching career at Cambridge Junior School in East London and later moved to Dale College Primary in King Williams Town. He was deputy headmaster and later promoted to headmaster. He subsequently moved to Cape Town as principal of Fish Hoek Primary in 2010.
He is married to Cheryl, a teacher who has also joined Penryn staff. They have four children – 10-year-old twins Jade and Kristen, five-year-old Cuan and two-year-old Sam, whom they recently adopted.
Williams teaches English literature and history and is passionate about studying and reading up on these subjects.
In terms of sport, Williams says he is a rugby man and thoroughly enjoys the sport. He also follows cricket, is an avid hiker and loves being outdoors.
However, his hobby, passion and therapy is cooking. He says he is completely at home in the kitchen and loves creating new recipes.
The new headmaster hopes to add to the excitement of learning and teaching at Penryn Prep. He wants to contribute to the innovative way of doing things. “Penryn is at the cutting edge of education, explores new avenues and pushes boundaries,” he remarks.
He wants to make sure that the focus remains on teaching and that teachers go out of their way to ensure that pupils continue to receive a balanced education.
On the subject of how Penryn differs from his previous school, Williams says that there is a wonderful environmental aspect to Penryn. “The children are exposed to the environment here, much more than at city schools. They have the beauty of nature all around them which allows a strong culture of environmental awareness to develop.”
Coming from a larger school, he says Penryn allows for better quality education. He believes that the smaller number of pupils helps to create a sense of community, allows the teachers get to know them better and contributes to greater parental involvement.
“Children are unique, not just numbers. This ensures that they get the best education possible,” he concludes.
