Reddam House Ballito executive head Catherine Raw has watched the school grow from its development phase to more than 900 pupils in eight years.

She says leading a new school may have seemed daunting from the outside, but that she has found the process exhilarating.

“When we opened in January 2019, all my previous experience at a huge high school – with deputies, grade controllers and subject heads to support me – meant little as I navigated a time where I was the entire management team,” said Raw.

“It takes a special team of very invested staff to get a new school up and running and I had that in abundance.”

Each subsequent year brought its share of milestones, including the overnight transition to online learning in March 2020 to keep lessons going during Covid-19 lockdown restrictions.

The Early Learning School moved into its own purpose-built facility in 2022, under the leadership of Paula Algar. The year also saw the release of matric results for Reddam Ballito’s first Grade 12 cohort.

“They were highly anticipated and did not disappoint with 100% bachelor passes and an average of 2.4 distinctions per candidate. This level of success has been matched by each cohort and we await our 2026 results with confidence,” she said.

Earlier this year, Reddam Ballito opened its Elementary School for Grades 1-4, with purpose-built classrooms and facilities for creative activities, robotics and coding.

Sandy Erasmus is the senior deputy head of the Elementary School, with Tammy Pole set to join her as deputy in 2027.

Raw believes strong leadership is central to the school’s success.

“Our Upper School (Grade 5-12) have an incredible team of five deputies to provide me with all the support I could require,” she said.

“Craig Smee, Lauren Hoffman, Claire Smith, Andrew Thomas and Leigh Mastenbroek have the best interests of the children at heart while ensuring strong academic growth.”

Raw said the fact that many staff members who joined the school in 2019 remain there, with several taking on leadership roles, reflects the environment the school has built.

“It is the people that make the difference. Our story is still being written.”