A Quick Glimpse

Academics – the top priority

Boys are inspired and motivated to achieve the best they can in the classroom. The College has an outstanding record of academic achievement in the IEB Matriculation Examinations.

The academic measures put in place had paid off, as reflected in the exceptional results over recent years.

Kearsney will continue to offer boys the Independent Examination Board school-leaving certificate. The IEB’s credentials and integrity are acknowledged worldwide, enabling boys to gain access to overseas universities. Furthermore the thinking skills cultivated in preparing boys for the IEB examinations assist in their success at University level. For more information, read here.

Christian ethos

Kearsney College is founded on Christian principles and has a resident Methodist Chaplain. Kearsney believes in tolerance and includes boys from varying backgrounds, cultures and religions.

What does Kearsney offer day scholars?

Day scholars are fully integrated into all aspects of school life, including the boarding houses and may be accommodated on occasions when they would like to stay overnight. Daily bus services are offered to day scholars to assist parents. For more details, see our “Transport” page on this link.

State-of-the-art ICT facilities

Kearsney stands apart from other South African schools with SMART Boards in over half of the classrooms. These allow for a visually enhanced and vibrant style of lesson delivery, which the boys find more fun and helpful in understanding concepts. The campus is covered by a wireless LAN, allowing boys access to Kearsney’s intranet and the internet.

Inclusive education

Kearsney College has adopted a policy of inclusive education to accommodate and provide support for boys with barriers to learning or who are physically challenged.

Good habits for life-long health

All boys at the College are exposed to a Well-being Programme. Through talks, newsletters and surveys, the programme aims to educate the boys about general wellness and encourage them to adopt a positive lifestyle for life-long health. Professionals in their fields contribute to this programme.

Mandarin

Constantly aware of the changing environment in which the boys are growing up, Kearsney introduced Mandarin into its curriculum in 2006 at the Grade 8 and 9 level. “If China is going to be at the centre of global business, we want to provide students with the tools to operate in a global economy dominated by China,” says headmaster Elwyn van den Aardweg.

How relevant is the education offered?

Kearsney’s vision is to contribute to our country by providing highly skilled, healthy, ethical and capable citizens democratically contributing to a balanced and safe society and growing economy.

Sport

Kearsney believes that participation in sport is integral to a boy’s personal development and has a policy of “sport for all”. The College promotes a culture of fair play and respect and offers sport across 12 codes – from basketball, canoeing, cricket, golf, hockey, rugby, soccer, squash, swimming and tennis to water polo. Kearsney’s world-class indoor SportZone has seven indoor cricket nets with four bowling machines, two basketball courts, an indoor hockey/soccer field, two swimming pools (one heated) and a 280 sq metre high performance weights gymnasium to complement the existing High Performance Sports Programme offered, as well as an Astroturf hockey field.

Serious sportsmen can be assured that they will have access to world-class facilities and receive outstanding coaching. Boys on the well-established High Performance Sports Programme have access to the expertise of a biokineticist, strength and conditioning coach, dietician, physiotherapists, sports psychologist, a gym instructor and medical professionals. The unprecedented sporting successes in recent years, together with this provide sound foundations for a bright future for all sportsmen at Kearsney.

Mentorship

To teach boys that “emotional courage is courage and that courage and empathy are the sources of real strength in life”, the Mentorship Programme pairs senior and junior boys in a mentoring capacity, under the guidance of a staff tutor. The tutor shares time with a small group of boys each morning. This Tutorship Programme in turn strengthens relationships between boys and staff.

The Mentorship Programme is regarded as an integral and vitally important part of a pupil’s life at the College. It is designed to integrate the junior boys into the life of the College and the houses as quickly as possible. It also provides leadership opportunities for the senior boys, as well as an opportunity to serve.

Grade 12 / Grade 9 Mentorship System

Where possible, each Grade 12 boy is mentor to a Grade 9 boy in his House. A contract is signed between the two, with the Housemaster as witness.

As per the agreement, the senior’s responsibilities to his junior are:

• To assist with his junior’s academic, sporting and cultural endeavours;
• To see to his general wellbeing;
• To build a healthy relationship with his junior, based on treating him with respect and dignity, and introduce him to the Kearsney way of life, routines, procedures and traditions;
• To produce a written report in July for his parents, outlining his progress, and to phone his parents in the first term, and whenever else necessary, to provide feedback.

Note:
Seniors may not send juniors on errands, have them carry books or laundry, or fetch and carry food in the Dining Hall.
Prefects alone may ask their junior to make tea/coffee according to a duty roster.

Student Council

The College is served by a Student Council overseen by the Deputy Headmaster in charge of Student Affairs .

The Kearsney College Council represents the boys of the College. The function of the Council is to foster the ideals of the College, to promote pupil welfare, to act as liaison and to interact with other school councils where possible.

The Councillors are elected annually. The Council has regular meetings each term and office bearers are sometimes called on to represent the College at community events.

Service on the Council offers an important leadership opportunity for the pupils in the democratic structures of the College.

The Honour Code

Our Honour Code introduced in 2010 is a means of ensuring the highest standards of personal integrity. The code is the boys’ own approach to dealing with misconduct that is essentially moral in character.

The Kearsney Boys’ Pledge: “As a pupil of Kearsney College, I embrace the virtues of honesty and integrity, and believe that these qualities are an essential part of Kearsney. I will uphold the Code of Honour and I will, to the best of my ability, promote these virtues in myself and others.”

Outreach

The College continues to take to heart its mission statement, which includes the words “to serve with empathy”. Each boy is encouraged to complete at least 15 hours a year of community service. Boys volunteer at old age homes, conservation and animal welfare organisations, hospitals, beach life-saving, children’s homes, AIDS orphanages and the like.

International Exchange

International exchange provides an excellent opportunity for boys to learn first-hand about other cultures and customs and to gain new perspectives on South Africa and the world. Each year several Grade 10 boys are privileged to spend a term overseas broadening their horizons.

Welcome

The special welcoming atmosphere and rich traditions of Kearsney have been created by the cumulative influences of boys and staff over more than 100 years. That passionate commitment continues to this day, taking Kearsney confidently into the future.