St Benedict School

On January 22, 1956 in a little place close to Mariannhill called Pinetown, the Missionary Sisters of the Precious Blood opened a tiny school in an old wood-and-iron house with only 32 pupils. This was the humble beginning of an educational facility that has grown to become a flourishing school in the area, with a present enrolment of 400 students.

Sister Pia Jacobs and her successors as Principals did not hesitate to take on the task of building a fully fledged and well-equipped primary and high school where boys and girls would be introduced to academic, artistic, musical and sporting excellence and would be invited to allow their seeds of faith to unfold in a Catholic environment nurtured by scripture classes and a multitude of spiritual adventures.

Tragically in November 1971 a fire swept through the school, destroying many classrooms in the primary school. Not dampening their spirits, temporary classrooms were found at Gelofte Skool. The Parent-Teacher Association under the Chairmanship of Mr Chris Phillips undertook the task of rebuilding the school. In a great spirit of solidarity with the sisters and loyalty to the school, the classrooms were rebuilt over the Christmas holidays. The new classrooms were ready for use in the new school year of January 1972.

Sister Clair Wade, who became the principal in 1990, and her staff went a step further in intensifying the educational endeavours. The Whole Brain Learning, with its emphasis on acknowledging the seven intelligences, became the learning and teaching strategy. Now the students could discover and proudly show their strengths in more than the language or numeric areas. Music, creativity, body movement, interpersonal abilities and self-knowledge – everyone is strong in an area – were all incorporated into the daily events of a subject.

Our Foundation Phase children are educated in a nurturing Catholic Christian environment which ensures that they grow in a stable and nurturing setting, helping them to progress intellectually, physically, emotionally, socially and spiritually.

In our Grade RR to Grade 3 classes we lay a strong foundation in Literacy, Numeracy and Life Skills whilst developing 21 st century critical thinking skills within a creative programme. Music, Art and Drama also play an important and vital role in nurturing a child’s self-confidence and the power of their imagination and we are privileged to have the expertise of specialist teachers in Music, Dance and Drama.

Outdoor skills are developed in sport adding a wonderful and much needed richness to childhood development in the modern world. We offer a well-rounded Physical Education programme that aims to develop muscle development, co-ordination and confidence. A wide variety of sport is offered including Ball Skills, Cricket, Soccer, Hockey and Swimming. Private lessons are offered in Tennis, Swimming and Drama.

Learning takes place both at school, and beyond the classroom. Our warm, experienced teachers ensure that our children are well prepared for an increasingly demanding world and extension activities such as educational shows, market days, exciting excursions, JP Galas, JP Sports Days as well as a Dance and Drama Productions form part of the school calendar.

The Senior Primary (Gr 4 – Gr 7) is positioned between the initial learning years in the Foundation Phase and the finishing years of the High School. We focus on developing the whole child, producing confident and well balanced young individuals.

Each year children are carefully placed with teachers who best suit their individual needs. Each class teacher therefore is pivotal in helping provide the necessary support, guidance and encouragement children need to reach their potential. Although the core subjects namely, English and Mathematics are predominantly taught by the class teachers, children are introduced to specialist subjects some of which include Dance and Drama, Religious Education and Music. We are guided by the National Curriculum Document and believe in extending our children to develop 21st century skills so that they are able to participate and become global citizens. This ensures a smooth transition into the demands of High School.

The High School phase caters for pupils from Grade 8 to 12. The school is a member of ISASA and as such write the Independent Examinations Board (IEB) examinations in Matric.

As a small school, with classes of twenty on average in the classroom, innovative and dedicated SBS teachers are committed to striving for academic excellence in a wide range of subjects on offer. In the language faculty English is the language of instruction and home language subject with both Afrikaans and IsiZulu being offered as first additional languages. Specialised subjects such as Dramatic Art, Visual Art, Information Technology and Engineering, Graphics and Design are offered alongside the more traditional subjects like Mathematics, Sciences, Commercial subjects and Life Orientation (which includes Religious Education).

An aftercare facility is available after the completion of the extra-curricular program at 15h00, for the children who need to remain at school during the afternoons. During this time children are given the opportunity to complete classwork or read and relax on the school field.