St. Andrew's College

St Andrew’s College is an innovative independent school that embraces new frontiers. This premium Anglican boarding school caters for over 450 pupils from across the globe. From Grade 8 to Matric, pupils experience individual attention with a focus on fostering individual talent.

The school is passionate about ensuring that each boy is schooled for life, develops character and strives to reach his full potential. The school motto is Nec Aspera Terrent (Difficulties do not dismay us) – this ideal of fearless acceptance of challenge sums up what the school aims to instill in its pupils as preparation for future life.

St Andrew’s College enjoys a unique co-ordinate relationship with our neighbouring sister school, the Diocesan School for Girls (DSG). Classes are shared by boys and girls from Grade 10-12, while retaining the distinctive features of life in a boys’ school and a girls’ school. The resources and strengths of each school, and sound relationships, are optimised through co-operation and interaction.

The St Andrew’s College curriculum offers a wide range of options to pupils with many different interests and talents, and allows for individual attention and assistance. High achievers who need extra challenges are continually stimulated and pupils of lesser academic capability can progress in a group that builds esteem and confidence.

From Grade 10-12, pupils are generally divided into “sets” according to individual ability in each subject, while in Grades 8 and 9, there is a combination of setting and mixed ability groups. The teacher:pupil ratio is about 1:10 which enables both a range of subjects and individual aspirations to flourish in classes which are usually upwards of 20. Within these small classes, pupils are encouraged to think independently, to develop enquiring minds and the capacity to do research using resources such as the Internet and our own Intranet.

Each boy is assigned an academic tutor who monitors his progress and assists with any personal problems that may arise. The tutor is, in turn, responsible to the Housemaster, who is in charge of the pupil’s overall development. This personal attention, together with small classes, dedicated and well-qualified staff and a system that allows for the boys to progress at a rate which builds self-esteem, gives each pupil the best possible learning environment. St Andrew’s has a fine tradition of academic achievement to prove this.

In Grades 8 and 9, most of the classes are single-gender which allows for boys and girls to settle into the own environments, but from Grade 10, classes are combined with the Diocesan School for Girls (DSG). This gives pupils to co-educational experience and, thus, optimises both schools’ resources and strengths.

Pupils write the matriculation examination of the Independent Examination Board (IEB) which enjoys a high profile both within South Africa and abroad. The IEB is benchmarked with the Scottish Highers and with the New South Wales education authority in Australia. Pupils with an IEB matriculation certificate have gained access to British universities when backed by an ‘A Aggregate’ which amounts to an average of 75%+ across the six subjects written.

Access to such events as the National Arts or Science Festivals significantly enriches the academic and cultural programme enjoyed by St Andrew’s pupils.

The Cawse Library is run by a qualified librarian and an assistant. It is fully computerised and pupils have access to the Internet and our own Intranet for research purposes.The David Wynne Music School is shared with DSG. It consists of a concert room, five teaching rooms and 12 practice rooms. Here the wind orchestra, the jazz band, the chamber orchestra, the string and brass quartets and the chapel and chamber choir practice and prepare for their performances.

The Art Department has well equipped senior and junior art studios as well as an audio-visual room where History of Art is taught.The Design and Technology Centre is widely recognised as one of the finest in the Southern Hemisphere. In a sense it is the intellectual nerve-centre of the school and activities conducted in the Centre are focused on cross-curricular work and creative thinking. The building has an extraordinary "cutting-edge" atmosphere to which pupils respond with resourcefulness and ingenuity when faced with a range of problems.

130 computer terminals are linked by a network and the computer rooms have two full-time information technology teachers and a network manager. On-line facilities exist for teachers and pupils to find resources for their subjects and assignments. A range of projects, from research to presentations and programming, is undertaken. The extensive network encourages collaboration between the pupils of St Andrew’s and DSG, and those of other schools. Email provides for a social and communicative aspect of computer usage and each boy, on acceptance to College, is given an email address.We have six Life Science and Physical Science Laboratories.

The Centenary Hall was designed by Herbert McWilliams (OA 1923) and was built in a spectacular hurry in order to be ready for the Centenary Celebrations in 1955. It is in this beautiful hall that we have our weekly assembly's, host drama productions and write exams.