Hilton College

In an age where Google has become a verb, knowledge has become a commodity available to all. At Hilton College we educate for sustainability by developing in our boys the ability and the desire:

• To think critically, flexibly and creatively
• To learn continuously
• To work hard

We do this with a team of passionate and engaged teachers who are themselves lifelong learners. We make significant and meaningful use of technology as an enabler for teaching and learning. Cutting-edge strategies conversant with the latest research into learning and the brain guide and inform our practice. We use our incomparable estate as an outdoor classroom. Fewer, longer lessons allow for greater engagement, promoting deeper learning. We pride ourselves on having a plan for each boy wherein we acknowledge and cater to his unique nature. Lessons are engaging, compelling and varied.

An attempt is made to introduce boys to as many subjects as possible, so that when they have to choose subjects for a National Senior Certificate (NSC) course at the end of the Grade 9 year, boys will have had experience of the subjects they choose and staff will have some idea of a boy's ability to handle the chosen subjects. This is designed around facilitating ‘a plan for each Hilton boy’ in terms of a boy’s academics. Subjects are taught in mixed ability classes (apart from Mathematics, a top English class and First Additional language (Afrikaans and IsiZulu) classes) in Grade 8. In Grade 9, this philosophy persists.

Boys are also exposed to other areas of a more general nature in the form of subjects such as Chaplain’s period, Counselling, Information and Communication Technology, Design Technology (included in Physical Science), Dramatic Arts, Visual Art and Music. For able boys, there are adequate opportunities for extension, either within Departments, or within the school, while effective and thoroughgoing academic support forms a cornerstone of our philosophy. A full-time academic support specialist is available and a Director of Academic Support oversees the functioning of this department.

This programme is organised according to the requirements of the national Curriculum and Assessment Policy statements (CAPS) although significant independence is exercised in terms of specifics, as well as approach.

Boys in Grade 8 experience a class which is called The Learning Journey. The overall aim of this programme is to introduce foundational skills and ways of working which will prepare the boys for a successful, rounded and fulfilled career at Hilton. Ultimately, this is the gateway to a learning pathway that continues through a boy’s academic career, leading up to the Extended Essay in Grade 11 and One Research Task in matric. The format is a workshop-style experience which integrates useful content with IT skills and practice in academic research, reading and writing. The emphasis is on learning tools and skills which will make the boys effective users of their various devices so that they can be successful students who effectively manage their lives at high school and beyond.

While we offer a diverse range of subjects we view all of them as vehicles for achieving the above. In the senior grades there is greater emphasis on rigour and we attach significant value to academic endeavour, understanding that an ability to think and to work hard are key ingredients for success at University and in life.

Contrary to popular opinion it is not true that all teenage boys dislike reading. However, it is true that numerous international assessments continue to indicate that boys lag behind girls in reading and that this gap tends to grow larger in adolescence. It is a whole school challenge to encourage and support boys’ reading not only to help them deal with their curricula and promote academic success but to develop empathetic, critically thinking, curious global citizens who are educated in the broadest sense.

We believe that education is about so much more than the matric result. To this end we offer a wide range of extension and enrichment offerings. Examples include an Academic Tour to Johannesburg and an Extended Research Essay – both undertaken in Grade 11.