Westerford High School is a

public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the ''Öffentlichkei ...

English medium co-educational high school situated in the suburbs of

Rondebosch Rondebosch is one of the Southern Suburbs of Cape Town, South Africa. It is primarily a residential suburb, with shopping and business districts as well as the main campus of the University of Cape Town. History Four years after the first Dutch s ...

and

Newlands Newlands may refer to: Places Australia * Newlands, Queensland, a locality in the Whitsunday Region New Zealand * Newlands, Wellington, a suburb of Wellington South Africa * Newlands, Cape Town, a suburb of Cape Town * Newlands, Johannesbur ...

Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...

in the

Western Cape The Western Cape is a province of South Africa, situated on the south-western coast of the country. It is the fourth largest of the nine provinces with an area of , and the third most populous, with an estimated 7 million inhabitants in 2020 ...

province of South Africa. It has a campus in

where the main school buildings are located and a secondary campus in

used for sport. The school is located close to the Newlands Rugby Ground and

Table Mountain Table Mountain ( naq, Huriǂoaxa, lit= sea-emerging; af, Tafelberg) is a flat-topped mountain forming a prominent landmark overlooking the city of Cape Town in South Africa. It is a significant tourist attraction, with many visitors using the ...

. The school opened on 21 January 1953 and celebrated its Diamond Jubilee on 7 March 2013. Westerford enjoys a prominent position in the local community, hosting visits from key figures within South Africa such as the then

President of South Africa The president of South Africa is the head of state and head of government of the Republic of South Africa. The president heads the executive branch of the Government of South Africa and is the commander-in-chief of the South African Nationa ...

Nelson Mandela Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (; ; 18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013) was a South African Internal resistance to apartheid, anti-apartheid activist who served as the President of South Africa, first president of South Africa from 1994 to 1 ...

and guest speakers such as former Minister of Education

Kader Asmal Abdul Kader Asmal (8 October 1934 – 22 June 2011) was a South African politician. He was a professor of human rights at the University of the Western Cape, chairman of the council of the University of the North and vice-president of the A ...

. In 2009, Westerford High School was ranked by the Sunday Times newspaper as the top state school in South Africa and one of the largest feeder schools for the

University of Cape Town The University of Cape Town (UCT) ( af, Universiteit van Kaapstad, xh, Yunibesithi ya yaseKapa) is a public research university in Cape Town, South Africa. Established in 1829 as the South African College, it was granted full university statu ...

History

Westerford opened at the beginning of January 1954, housed in an old homestead which no longer exists. The site was originally known as Westervoort (Afrikaans for "continue West"), but the school was known as Claremont Secondary School from the name of the school which shared a property with a small primary school on Dean Street. The pupils from Claremont Secondary school had transferred their desks to the new property at the end of 1952 Noel Taylor, the first headmaster, began referring to the institution as Westerford Secondary School and in 1953 the Cape School Board recognised the name. In 1956 when the first pupils matriculated the school became Westerford College Schools. The institution enjoyed rapid growth from 29 pupils to 34 in its first year and grew further until 1959 when a new hall, named for the first headmaster, was opened as part of new school buildings for the 504 pupils and 27 staff members employed.

Origin of School Badge

The first headmaster, Mr Noel Taylor, is credited with the design of the school badge. It is said that when he paid a visit to the site, he saw the sun setting behind Devil's Peak, the light shining through the oak trees on the property. Based on this scene he sketched the design, which is still in use today. However, the badge is also very similar to nearby Oakhurst Primary School (established 47 years earlier) and the two schools share the same motto.

Campus

The institution is currently based on the same site as the original homestead, although no trace of the homestead remains. The school now has extensive facilities for use by the students, including a dedicated sports centre and AstroTurf.

Students

The school has approximately 900 pupils in 5 grades ranging from ages 14 to 18. There are roughly equal numbers of girls and boys in classes kept ideally below 30 learners. A Westerford Matric pupil was placed 12th in the Senior Certificate Examination results for 2005. The school also received a book voucher award in the Senior Certificate Awards for 2005 for achieving excellent academic results. The school was placed in the top 10 schools in the Western Cape with a 100% pass rate, 47% distinction and 96% matriculation endorsement rate. In July 2006 a Westerfordian won the national English Olympiad. In the final results in 2006 the school was again in the top 10 with a 100% pass rate, 46% distinction and 98% endorsement rate. In 2007 again the pass rate was 100%, the distinction rate 43% and endorsement rate 97%.

Faculty

The current school headmaster is Mr Mark Smith, and the school has 100 teaching, administration, maintenance and grounds staff.

Former School Headmasters

*Mr Noel Taylor 1953-1976 *Dr John Gibbon 1977-1995 *Mr Alan Clarke 1995-2005 *Mr Rob le Roux 2005-2019

Extracurricular activities

The institution currently has over 40 clubs and societies run by pupils. These are involved in many facets of the school's life from art and culture through to religion, politics and social welfare. One of the most prolific of these clubs is History and Current Affairs, a student-run society which holds events where speakers come and address students and teachers. Examples of speakers who History and Current Affairs have hosted include

Jacob Zuma Jacob Gedleyihlekisa Zuma (; born 12 April 1942) is a South African politician who served as the fourth president of South Africa from 2009 to 2018. He is also referred to by his initials JZ and clan name Msholozi, and was a former anti-aparth ...

, Justice

Albie Sachs Albert "Albie" Louis Sachs (born 30 January 1935) is a South African lawyer, activist, writer, and former judge appointed to the first Constitutional Court of South Africa by Nelson Mandela. Early life and education Albie Sachs was born on ...

among many more.

Curriculum

Westerford is a state school that offers quality education and has an art and a music department. Students have ten specific learning areas in grades 8 and 9 and eighth subjects for grades 10, 11 and 12 with an elective ten subjects.

Notable alumni

* Thuthukile Zuma, Chief of Staff for the

Department of Telecommunications and Postal Services The Department of Communications and Digital Technologies (formerly the Department of Telecommunications and Postal Services and the Department of Communications) is one of the departments of the South African government. It is responsible for ove ...

. * Brendan Young, cricketer. * John Bauer, South African potter.

References

External links

School website
{{Cape Town, education Schools in Cape Town Educational institutions established in 1953 1953 establishments in South Africa High schools in South Africa Rondebosch