A school located on the border of Houghton and Parktown, Roedean School, continues to inspire girls who are intellectually ambitious, socially aware and globally competitive. The school has a rich heritage of strong women leaders who have built fine reputations based on the values and grounding gained through their Roedean education.
The year 2018 has been filled with many successes according to the school’s executive head, Murray Thomas. “The year started with superb matric results – 100 per cent of our girls achieved university exemptions and shared 308 distinctions between them. The school regularly acknowledges a host of individual and collective achievements, frequently uploaded on our social media sites. The reputation of excellence in this school is both wide and deep,” he said.
Among the many markers of success, Roedean remains a strong proponent of explicitly developing critical, creative and collaborative thinking. From 2019 Roedean will host the Johannesburg office for Thinking Schools South Africa (TSSA). One of the main tasks of this office is to prepare to host the next International Conference on Thinking (ICOT). Two staff Dr. Sonja Vandeleur and Michaela Carr attended ICOT 2018 in Miami, USA and with TSSA, are looking forward to inviting a group of leading international practitioners and researchers to South Africa in 2020.
Thomas also spoke about Access Awards which links with Roedean’s Grade 8 admissions process. “The girls are chosen according to their academic performance but must have other talents as well. This award programme strengthens the school’s commitment to social mobility. It aims to co-fund exceptionally talented girls whose families are part of the ‘missing middle’, in that they can afford most, but not all of the fees,” said Thomas.
He mentioned a very successful fact-finding visit in November by Roedean School from their sister school in Brighton, in the United Kingdom. 16 girls and four staff were hosted and both schools are exploring some sustainable linkages through possible ‘term abroad’ exchanges, a pen-pal project which has already begun, and the possibility of a Gap Year, where matriculants can go to their sister schools for international work and travel opportunities.
Thomas extended his gratitude to the Old Girls and Parents Teachers Association who run projects and strengthen relationships between the school and community partners. He said Roedean would never take the risks it does and pioneer new projects, without the unwavering support of the many who serve the school’s mission.
“Roedean is a school that continues to be grounded in heritage, and alive with innovation, inspiring girls to lead lives of significance. The collective excellence of our staff and teachers, coupled with an exceptional work-ethic among the girls, means that we nurture a truly impressive array of talents within and beyond the classroom. As a community we celebrate the collective successes of another outstanding year,” said Thomas.
Details: Roedean School 011 647 3200
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