“The aspirations for the iThemba Academy this year are to develop the learners into confident children with high self esteem,” said Natalie Cunniffe, Principal of the newly established school on the iThemba campus.

 

An excellent education from early years is crucial for shaping a child’s future. It can be very challenging to endure a trying childhood with a fragmented education and then to slot into mainstream schooling.

 

The children at iThemba have varying educational backgrounds each with individualised needs. It became apparent that there were inconsistencies in achievement across the range of academic subjects, for example some excelling in English but behind in Mathematics. This led to frustration and dips in confidence. A need was highlighted for a private Christian independent school to be established on the campus to cater for these unique needs, hence the birth of the iThemba Academy.

 

A derelict building on the campus was renovated for the first roots of the new school. Initially there will be three classrooms with future plans to renovate other nearby buildings for additional facilities.

 

There was great excitement amongst the children and staff when the new school uniforms arrived and the reality of the new Academy became clear. The first lessons commenced on 21 January with pencils being sharpened and shoes polished.

 

The school follows the ACE curriculum, an individualized educational programme, within an environment designed to encourage achievement. Classes will be offered from Grade R to Grade 12; presently Brenda, Brian, Lindo, Musa, Sanele, David, Peter and Nandi are enrolled in various Grades. The services of both a social worker and a psychologist are available for learners, parents and educators.

 

“During the course of the year we will focus on development of character and spiritual growth,” said Natalie. “We will also aim for a holistic education which includes arts and physical education.”

 

She went on to explain that the continuous development of the teaching staff was key, as well as to reach the goal of opening the doors of the school to the local Embo and Hillcrest community towards the second half of the year.

 

An intensive fundraising drive is being implemented to raise capital to expand the school’s facilities and to enrol children from the broader communities with similar needs.

 

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