Excellence in Primary School Leadership
Name: Ms Anthea Williams
School: Dorothea School, Stellenbosch
District: Cape Winelands Education District
Ms Willliams has been in a leadership position for 12 years. She is a lifelong learner and has assumed various leadership roles in schools, making her understand the full scope of how to manage and lead a school.
She is an ambassador for inclusive education and therefore has a personal vision of ensuring that no child gets left behind. As a visionary she believes that the school is a beacon of hope.
Ms Williams oversaw an unconventional Severe Intellectual Disability (SID) school and a need for an autism unit for learners on the spectrum was identified. This resulted in the opening of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) Early Childhood Development classes in 2017, thus ensuring access and realising the vision of the school of being a beacon of hope.
As an instructional leader, she is committed to the core business of teaching and learning, through a shared vision of leading the school for optimal growth. She believes that her human capital is one of the biggest resources to improve school performance.
Professional development is key in ensuring that staff members are developed. She ensures that regular in-service training opportunities are available for staff, inclusive of taking care of staff mental wellbeing.
She has embraced technology at school and ICT has been integrated to set up smart classrooms with eBeams and projectors in all SID classes. The school received iPads in 2019 and has used them in classrooms with ASD students and teachers to deliver the curriculum.
She believes that it is essential to create partnerships on behalf of the school. Some of the partnerships include a cone recycling project with ACA Threads generating an income for the school. Through this programme a great opportunity exists to expose learners to the world of work.
Despite the school being situated in a high poverty and a low socio-economic community, Ms Williams believes that nothing should hinder the school from becoming a school of excellence.
Ms Williams is a hands-on leader who is a worthy nominee for this coveted award.