Westlake Primary School embraces values
30 January 2020
Excellent leadership and compassionate towards the students.” This is one of the glowing reviews on Westlake Primary School’s Facebook page.
In 2019, Westlake Principal, Landeka Diamond, won the provincial award for Excellence in Primary School Leadership and she has vowed not to rest on her laurels in 2020.
Visitors to the school are welcomed by a big bold sign stating, “When you enter this loving school, consider yourself one of the special members of an extraordinary Westlake family”.
Diamond is very passionate about her values-driven school environment as well as her values-based leadership and management. The school identified 12 values for each month of the year with CARING as their value for January, and RESPECT as their theme for the year.
In and around the school, the values are visible since 2011 when the school was built and they have sustained the values driven approach and infused it with the current WCED Transform to Perform (T2P) strategy and approach to education. The staff and learners have embraced the theme and this has influenced the school positively, impacting staff and learner morale.
The diverse and multicultural school is a home away from home for learners with 13 different home languages from all over Africa. The learners are encouraged to celebrate the diversity by providing opportunities to promote social cohesion.
While learners are impacted by social issues like poverty, gangsterism, alcohol and substance abuse, Diamond strongly believes that current social circumstances will never determine the intelligence of the learner. She also believes that these learners can rise above their current situation and circumstances with the necessary encouragement and support that they receive from the school.
A wonderful example of a growth mindset and values-driven school!
We wish Ms Diamond and all of our other Provincial winners the best in the upcoming National Teaching Awards!