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Media Release

19 June, 2006

Profile of a no-fee school

Paulus Joubert Primary School in Huguenot, Paarl, is s shining example of a school that is striving to provide quality education for learners from one of the poorest communities in the Western Cape.

The school has a strong management team lead by the principal, Mr Granville Isaacs, supported by two deputy principals and four department heads. The school has a staff establishment of 19 teachers and an enrolment of 1 056 learners.

The community surrounding the school is ranked among the poorest in the province.

As a result, allocation of funding has been relatively high, totaling R238 per learner in terms of the norms and standards formula, which provides the poorest schools with up to seven times more funding that the least poor schools.

The Western Cape Education Department (WCED) has increased the allocation to the school to R527 per learner from 1 May 2006, thanks to the new "no fee" status of the school.

Thanks to strong leadership at the school, the WCED does not have to apply "interventions" to ensure development in the school.

Instead, the West Coast/Winelands Education Management and Development Centre (EMDC) of the WCED is working closely with the school and the local community to build partnerships designed to improve the quality of education at the school.

Examples of these partnerships include the following:

  1. Whole school development

    The EMDC staff member responsible for Institutional Management and Governance (IMG) support works with the School-based Management Team to plans and design structures and processes to support Whole School Development planning.

    The IMG officer provides quarterly training sessions for school management and works with the management team to develop the best approaches to management and leadership issues at the school.

  2. Curriculum support and initiatives

    Thanks to the quality of work at the school, Paulus Joubert is not regarded as a focus school requiring special remedial interventions, other than support for specific learners needing remedial attention.

    In addition to routine visits, standard setting and moderation, Paulus Joubert was one of three schools in the district that participated in the pilot programme to test the use of Grade R teaching kits in 2005.

    The school has also taken the lead in a Special Project for Mathematics and Science among schools in Paarl in the Senior Phase.

    Learners from the school attend holiday courses for Mathematics and Science; they also take part in the annual Science Expo and Mathematics Olympiad.

    The WCED has provided 100 books per classroom to ensure that learners read at least 100 books during the year, to develop literacy skills.

    The school and the WCED’s Khanya Project have worked together to install a new computer laboratory, that is being used to support teaching and learning using computer technology.

    The WCED provides regular training programmes and ongoing curriculum support for teachers to develop their teaching knowledge and skills, as well as computer training.

  3. Learners with special education needs

    Staff responsible for Special Education Support at the EMDC are working closely with the school to provide remedial teaching for learners needing special support at the school.

    The EMDC and the school are identifying children needing special support early are developing support programmes that also involve the parents. The parents have expressed their appreciation for this support.

  4. National Primary School Nutrition Programme (PSNP)

    The WCED added Paulus Joubert Primary School to the list of schools benefiting from the PSNP when the WCED took over the programme from the Department of Health in 2004.

    The WCED currently provides food packages to 194 needy learners at the school every day. The department pays an honorarium to two women from the community to prepare the packages.

    The department plans to provide a cooked meal to the learners from 20 July 2006. The NSNP School Liaison Officer based at the EMDC is training volunteers who will prepare the food, in Food Safety, Gas Safety and Food Storage.

  5. Book keeping training

    EMDC staff have provided training to the school on book keeping, which is ongoing. This training is essential, to ensure that quarterly report are completed and submitted on time to the WCED, among other requirements.

  6. Safe Schools

    The EMDC’s Safe Schools Coordinator works closely with Paulus Joubert to ensure a safe teaching and learning environment at the school.

    Ongoing work has included fixing the fence, fitting burglar bars on windows, erecting an electric gate and fence, and surrounding the kindergarten section with mesh wire.

    Safe Schools activities have included organizing a Youth Day Basketball tournament and hosting the launch of the Paarl East Neighbourhood Watch at the school.

    The principal has attended a course on the Occupational Health and Safety Act and other staff have attended a basic First Aid and CPR course. The school has received a crisis resource kit, a trauma board kit, and a first aid kit.

  7. Other needs

    Needs identified by the school include a basket ball court, a cricket net for practicing cricket, and a shelter for a school bus that the parents have bought.



Issued by:
Gert Witbooi
Media Liaison Secretary
Office of the MEC for Education
Western Cape
E-mail: gwitbooi@pgwc.gov.za
Tel: 021 467 2523
Fax: 021 425 5689

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