Introduction

Each year, the top twenty candidates in the Senior Certificate Examination are recognised and rewarded. In addition this year, schools which perform outstandingly in two further categories are honoured by means of Ministerial Awards for Meritorious academic Performance: for excellence in academic results, improvement in senior certificate results and for improved throughput or retention rate. In all these categories, consistency of performance while maintaining or increasing Grade 12 enrolment levels were taken into consideration when identifying recipients. In order to provide statistically relevant comparisons, only schools which have maintained a minimum Grade 12 enrolment of 20 or more full time learners in each of the years under review are included. All schools (including independent schools) entering candidates for the senior certificate examination of the WCED were eligible to win an award. The categories are as follows:

CATEGORY 1:  EXCELLENCE IN ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE

In the category of academic excellence there are two sub-categories: excellence in academic achievement in the context in which the school operates and excellence in academic achievement on a set of given criteria.

Category 1a - Excellence of outcomes within the context in which the school operates

In this category awards are made to ten schools where the academic performance over the three years 2001 to 2003 illustrates consistently meritorious outcomes relative to the contexts within which the school operates, while maintaining or increasing enrolment levels of full time candidates in Grade 12. The 'context within which a school operates' is based on the annual school fee charged by the school in 2003, while 'meritorious outcomes' are based on a weighted index which includes both numbers and rates (i.e. %) of successful candidates, matriculation endorsement passes and successful girl-learners in the senior certificate examinations.

Award-winning schools in this category are:

Atlantis Secondary School
Bridgton Secondary School
Bulumko Secondary School
Intlanganiso Secondary School
Kasselsvlei Secondary School
Kwamfundo Secondary School
Sekondêre Skool Langeberg
Sinethemba Secondary School
Sophumelela Secondary School
Zisukhanyo Secondary School

Category 1b – Excellence measured against a set of given criteria

In this category awards go to all schools in the province which have achieved the general criteria listed above and also achieved excellence in academic results over the three years 2001 to 2003 on a set of given criteria. These criteria are:

• an overall pass rate of at least 95% AND
• a matriculation endorsement rate in excess of 70% AND
• a merit pass rate of at least 60%

Award-winning schools in this category are:

Hoër Meisieskool Bloemhof
Cedar House
Hoërskool D F Malan
Deutsche Schule Kapstadt
Diocesan College
Fairbairn College
Herschel School
Herzlia High School
Paul Roos Gimnasium
Rondebosch Boys’ High School
Rustenburg Girls’ High School
South African College Schools (SACS)
St Cyprian’s School
Hoërskool Stellenberg
Springfield Convent of the Holy Rosary Category
Westerford High School
Wynberg Girls’ High School

CATEGORY 2:  IMPROVEMENT IN SENIOR CERTIFICATE OUTCOMES

Category 2a - Improvement of throughput or retention rate

In this category we acknowledge improvement in the throughput rate, with awards made to those TEN schools where the retention rate has consistently shown the greatest improvement over the three year period 2001 to 2003. (The retention rate is calculated by expressing the number of senior certificate passes in Grade 12 in 2003 as a percentage of the Grade 8 enrolment in the same school in 1999, Grade 12 passes in 2002 as a percentage of Grade 8 enrolment in 1998, and so on).

Award-winning schools in this category are:

Belhar Secondary School
Hoërskool Durbanville
Hoërskool Graafwater
Hoërskool Hugenote
Livingstone High School
Percy Mdala Secondary School
Portland Secondary School
South Peninsula Secondary School
Sekondêre Skool Swartberg

Category 2b – Improvement in the Matriculation Endorsement rate

Awards are made to those FIVE schools where the matriculation endorsement rate has consistently shown the greatest improvement over the three year period 2001 to 2003, while enrolment levels of full time candidates in Grade 12 was maintained or increased.

Award-winning schools in this category are:

Sekondêre Skool Breërivier
Center of Science and Technology
Cravenby Secondary School
Hoër Landbouskool Oakdale
Zeekoevlei Secondary School

Category 2c – Improvement in Senior Certificate pass rate

In the third improvement category we acknowledge improvement in the Senior Certificate pass rate, with awards to be made to those FIVE schools where the Senior Certificate pass rate has consistently shown the greatest improvement over the three year period 2001 to 2003 while maintaining or increasing enrolment levels of full time candidates in Grade 12.

Award-winning schools in this category are:

Fezekile Secondary School
Kulani Secondary School
Perseverance Secondary School
Sekondêre Skool Paulus Joubert
Sekondêre Skool Valhalla

CATEGORY 3:  SPECIAL SUPERINTENDENT-GENERAL AWARDS FOR HIGHLY MERITORIOUS
                        PERFORMANCE IN A CATEGORY NOT DEFINED ABOVE:

Should any school achieve at a particularly meritorious level in an area not covered by the above criteria, such school may be recommended for a special award at the discretion of the selection panel, the final decision being the prerogative of the Superintendent-General.

This year, in pursuance of the strategic aims of the WCED, Special Superintendent-General Awards are made for:

3.1  Exceptional Academic Output where the school produced an overall pass figure in excess of 250 candidates: these awards go to

Hoëskool Brackenfell and
Hoërskool Outeniqua.

3.2  Exceptional Performance in Mathematics and Science, where there were more than 100 candidates who passed in both Mathematics and Physical Science on the Higher Grade:  these awards go to

Hoërskool Stellenberg and
Westerford High School.

R Swartz
Head: Education
2003:12:30