CHELSEA PREPARATORY SCHOOL CELEBRATES 90 YEARS
The suburb of Durban North continued to grow with young families moving into the area. To accommodate the growth, a new government school, Northway Government Infants’ School, was opened on Northway on January 29, 1962, with 343 pupils on the register. It accommodated pupils from Class 1 to Std 1.
On January 25, 1932, Durban North Government School (as it was known then) opened with an enrolment of 93 pupils and five teachers. The school stood alone amongst the dusty streets of Durban North, the new suburb, which was still too far from the city centre to be popular.
As the suburb grew, so the school become the centre of life for most Durban North children. By 1944 the records show that enrolment was between 430 and 435 pupils. Towards the end 1949, pupils in Std 4 to Std 6 were transferred to a new secondary school (known today as Northlands Girls’ High School) as the school could not accommodate all the pupils.
Along with the increase in enrolment, the school’s facilities expanded to include the swimming pool, tennis courts and hall which were rare at the time. The school was known to be the best equipped school in Natal during the 1950s and 1960s.
The suburb of Durban North continued to grow with young families moving into the area
During the late 1980s and early 1990s the school and our country adjusted to meet the political change and climate. The school, Durban North Government School, changed its name to Chelsea Drive Senior Primary in 1987.
It was a great historical significance when Chelsea Drive Senior Primary School and Northway merged in 2000. The merger set Chelsea upon a new path as one school catering for pupils from Grade R to Grade 7.
Chelsea has continued to grow and meet the needs of the Durban North community and currently caters for 1050 pupils. “Today we are a dynamic school, ever-changing and evaluating the needs of our community whilst striving to be at the forefront of innovation and changeBuilding on rich traditions and strong family values, we offer excellent education whilst allowing “opportunities for children to grow in their respective areas of strength in the classroom, on the sports field and in the performing arts. Our extended curriculum
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