Midrand School revamped through collaboration
Noordwyk Secondary partnered with Smollan company to help challenge socio-economic issues.
The principal of Noordwyk Secondary, Alex Tau, and the client service executive of retail solutions company Smollan, Rowland Solomons, refer to themselves as twins. This is because of their shared mission to transform Noordwyk Secondary.
The school has challenges such as harsh socio-economic conditions, poor academic performance, ill-discipline among the learners, and low staff morale. All of these challenges impact the school negatively
To turn this around, Tau and Solomons partnered on an award-winning leadership development programme for school principals delivered by Citizen Leader Lab. Newly acquired skills are used to address specific challenges at this under-resourced school over 12 months.
Tau said attending Citizen Leader Lab’s workshops, networking, and coaching sessions prompted him to look beyond the confines of the school for ways to improve stakeholder engagement.
‘‘Through a workshop aimed at building and sustaining a community, I became aware of community dynamics, and this made me realise that the community is more powerful than an intelligent leader.
“I decentralised power, instead of prescribing what needs to be done, I posed challenges to the school’s stakeholders, and we found ways to move forward. This really works because they now volunteer their time willingly.’’
After identifying the soft skills gap between the staff and learners, the pair set out to develop a discernible school culture, and with the help of the School Governing Body (SGB), the school management team (SMT), and the learners, formulated a set of school values.
Team-building sessions for the teachers soon followed to address the underlying reasons for their low morale.
Top-performing learners in their respective sporting codes and academic areas were then identified to receive awards at ceremonies that now take place every term.
A sports tournament, using the concept of sports-based youth development, was also organised to impart valuable life skills.
Smollan company helped to organise a two-day career development event that made the Grade 9 learners more aware of the work options available to them after school
Tau said the career expo gave them a reason to stay in school, and it created a critical link between education and success later in life.
Today, Noordwyk thrives academically and in the various codes of sport. In the 2022 Senior Certificate examinations, the school achieved a 94.7% pass rate. Among the 246 matriculants, 150 bachelor’s, 68 diplomas, and 15 higher certificate passes were achieved.
The school’s soccer team has won trophies around Gauteng, even receiving a donation from the Department of Sports, Arts, and Culture in recognition of their accomplishments. The school has also recently held a successful election of its School Governing Body.
‘’I have learnt how to be patient and to appreciate the people around me. My staff is more considerate and we have created a lovely environment to learn and teach,” Tau said.
Meanwhile, Solomons has become more conscious of the state of public schooling in South Africa and the challenges faced by those tasked with leading schools.
‘’This was a real eye-opener to see and experience the challenges that our schools are facing. I have developed a newfound appreciation for the work principals do,” Solomons said.
‘’This process has made me more human. I learned to collaborate more and listen to others.’’
Solomons said he learnt to be more collaborative, which in turn has upped the morale of his team at Smollan.
The leadership programme is designed to benefit both the principal and their business partner.
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