Waiting for my children outside Westerford High_10 Jan. 2012

Sitting in my car, waiting for my children, who’re fetching their stationery at school. Tomorrow’s the Big Day, day 1 of the new school year. It’s even more exciting for my daughter – and all of us, as well – because it’s the day she starts high school. My son, excitedly entering his fourth year of high school, is proudly taking her around the school today, showing her where to fetch her stationery, where to check the class lists, etc.

My children are among the fortunate to be able to attend one of the best schools in South Africa, Westerford High. Yes, I’m expected to qualify that by adding the word, “public”, in my description of the school and its ranking, but I choose not to. Private schools have more money than they can use, so they’re supposed to be able to offer everything money can buy – and, hopefully, many other things that can’t be bought. Westerford is a school that operates with considerably less money than private schools do, and, admittedly, considerably more money than the majority of public schools in our country, but there’s something about this school that sets it apart, puts it in a category of its own. In fact, this school is such a model of what a good school should be, that the Western Cape Education Department approached its management and tasked it with administering the setting up of a new public school, Claremont High, which opened its doors in January 2011.

Westerford is a public school whose best ambassadors are its students. Every single one of my son’s school friends, like him, raves about the school. At their age, school is the biggest part of their lives, and they seem to be thoroughly enjoying the experience. They feel respected, acknowledged and empowered. They understand that the systems and rules of the school are for their benefit, and they seem to appreciate the delicate balance between the strict rules and the wonderful freedom they enjoy in many aspects of their school life.

Since my son started at WHS, in 2009, I have been in awe of this school. As a teacher, most of my teaching experience has been at schools that were struggling, in one way or another.

The Apartheid-related education disparities saw schools for “Non-White” children getting a lot less money than schools for the privileged “White” group. This was, cruelly and illogically, staggered along a hierarchy that saw “Coloured” and “Indian” schools getting more funding than “African” schools. Along with other visible things, like the different types of housing allocated to the different groups (all predetermined by the Group Areas Act, one of the pillars of Apartheid, introduced in the 1950s), the difference between what schools look like in our country, is one of the glaring reminders of the inequalities of the past. I get angry when people say, “Can’t we just move on and forget about Apartheid? Why do people keep harping on the past?” Well, the reality of almost every facet of our lives is evidence of the past, so it’s not as simple as that. The main difference now is that people have access to better facilities (generally, the ones that were originally built for “Whites”) based on their socio-economic situations.

Westerford, in the old South Africa, was a White school, and as such, has the kind of infra-structure (a school hall, a swimming pool, sportsfields, a gymnasium, a library, an art room, a music room, etc.) that many other schools in our country did not have in their original building plan, nor do they have today. This does predispose the school towards success, because it has so much more to offer its students, but in Westerford’s case, there’s something more: the success of any organisation lies in the effectiveness of the leadership. If you lead with vision, strength and compassion, and you treat people like the precious resources they are, you’re bound to succeed. This is what I see as one of the most important ingredients of WHS. Other important ingredients are commitment and teamwork. This is evident in every aspect of this school’s life. But what really puts this school way above so many others in our country, is that it focuses on developing its pupils holistically. It puts effort into developing well-rounded individuals. Pupils reaching the end of their high school career at Westerford will have had five years of exposure to a world of knowledge and experience, where they’ve done so much more than the bare minimum that too many other schools seem to be content with. Every matric student at WHS passes every year, a proud record for many years.

And so, in conclusion, as I sit here waiting for my children to come out of the school grounds, proudly carrying their orange Waltons stationery boxes, faces beaming with excitement and anticipation, I have a deep ache in my heart, as I acknowledge that our country has a long, long way to go before every school has all the ingredients - that winning combination of excellent physical infra-structure, teachers, management, involved parents and cherished learners - that make Westerford the successful educational facility it is.