King David High School Linksfield

King David High School Linksfield was established in 1955 as a community school and proudly maintains its status as one of the premier Jewish Day Schools, both in South Africa as well as internationally.  This has been achieved by producing graduates who have excelled in both the general and Jewish domains.  King David High School Linksfield consistently produces some of the top IEB matric results in the country – an achievement of which we are extremely proud.

The key philosophy in the nurturing of a King David High School leaver is to produce a mensch with self-respect and respect for others, an individual of empathy, humility, imagination, capable of critical thought and concern for the needs of others; one who has accountability, the ability to communicate effectively and to be an holistically well-rounded person, equipped with the resources to take up the challenges in all areas of life: spiritually, emotionally, academically, culturally and on the sports field.

The King David Schools, under the auspices of the South African Board of Jewish Education (SABJE) are a network of Jewish day schools in Johannesburg offering nursery through high school education. There are five campuses across Johannesburg: King David Linksfield, King David Victory Park, King David Sandton, Minnie Bersohn, and King David Rosabelle Klein Nursery School in Waverley. Each school has an atmosphere of its own serving their specific community. Most recently, the SABJE has opened King David Ariel - the first Jewish Remedial School in Johannesburg.

King David aims to deliver an excellent general education together with the study of Hebrew and Jewish Studies and to produce graduates who are menschen, confident and equipped to pursue any opportunity, who are proud of their Jewish heritage and its traditions, who have a love for learning, and a determination to contribute to their society.

The schools write the Independent Examination Board (IEB) examinations for Matriculation and our pass rates are historically very high with our pupils often amongst the top-ranked, nationwide. King David Schools have consistently been ranked in the top 2 feeder schools to the University of the Witwatersrand which is testimony to the fact that we equip our students excellently for post-matric studies.

The King David Schools also achieve in various sporting activities and thrive in the fields of art and culture. Each school is involved in several outreach and charity programs, focused on the broader communities, including educational support and enrichment programs for Schools in Alexandra and Soweto. Many King David alumni are noted for their achievements in South Africa and internationally.

The King David Schools empower our students to navigate their personal journeys through a complex world, instilling a strong sense of community, menschlichkeit, chesed and the shared values of our Jewish people.

King David seeks to provide students with the widest possible choices to participate in and to “own” their school and foster a true sense of belonging.  It is also our sincere desire to acknowledge, nurture and grow each individual student by recognizing and celebrating the contribution that they make.

The top management of the school is firmly structured and students and staff are divided into director and tutor groups each under the directorship of a senior member of staff, a proven system which affords each student the best possible opportunity to be nurtured, stimulated and engaged, thus enabling them to reach their true potential.

There is a long history of outstanding Matriculation results with an unbroken record of 100% pass rate. King David High Schools are very proud of their academic reputation and are consistently rated in the top achieving schools in the country. We also take very seriously our responsibility to support pupils who have learning challenges. To this end we have an educational support programme to cater for those pupils who are in need of support structures.

We also offer the extension activities and qualifications of many national competitions and Olympiads and Advanced Programme Mathematics and Advanced Programme English.

A positive work ethic is encouraged and supported by an experienced, highly qualified and dedicated staff. Our pupils sit the Independent Examinations Board (IEB) School leaving qualification which is offered by many independent schools. We strive to maintain top levels of achievement by writing the ACER international benchmarks as well as internal benchmarking through our Master Maths programme.

At King David Schools we endeavour at all times to offer our students the best sporting opportunities possible. We make it our business to fulfil our role in the education of the child through effective, well-rounded physical education, building self-esteem and confidence suitable to the individual.

The core sports of cricket, soccer and netball are offered along with aquatic sports like swimming and water polo. Rugby, golf, basketball, touch rugby, cycling, girls soccer and squash are also on offer. Highly qualified teams of coaches guide and lead the various sport disciplines.

Holistically, King David Schools adopts a wellness approach, offering some form of physical activity on a daily basis for all pupils and in addition, offering a healthy lifestyle.