Bridge House School is a forward-thinking independent school for boys and girls located in beautiful surroundings in the Western Cape
Situated in a magnificent, safe country setting close to Franschhoek, Stellenbosch and Paarl in the Western Cape, Bridge House is an independent day and boarding school for over 850 boys and girls from playschool to grade 12.
Bridge House has excellent teachers and facilities, but the combination of an amazing setting in the most beautiful Cape valley; the fact that the school is young (22 this year) and engaged in the invigorating challenge of writing its own, extraordinary history; Round Square membership; international exchanges; a strong President’s Award programme; being co-educational from playschool to grade 12; an independent matric examination (Independent Examinations Board) with consistently excellent matric results (100% pass rate to date); boarding, and warm relationships, make Bridge House unique. Add an emphasis on future thinking and relevance (as opposed to adherence to past practices) and you have a distinctive, vibrant school that is proudly different.
As a member of the Independent Schools Association of Southern Africa, Bridge House is dedicated to playing its role in building a democratic, non-discriminatory South Africa and a diverse and equitable school and community.
Facilities
The campus is positioned on 28 hectares of land and has the following facilities: a brand new maths and science centre with state-of-the-art laboratories; a well-equipped “learning commons” — a beautiful space designed to promote and enable critical thinking in a collaborative learning hub; a fully equipped theatre which seats 450 people; an indoor sports gymnasium for indoor hockey, soccer, netball, tennis and many other activities; two swimming pools, tennis and netball courts; a world-class, water-based astroturf hockey pitch and large, open sports field areas for cricket ovals, soccer and rugby.
Boarders from grades five to 12 are housed on campus in four modern boarding houses with spectacular views of the surrounding mountains. Boarders come together for relaxation in large communal areas with fireplaces, and eat together in the dining room. A programme for prep and recreation is supervised by the academic staff living on the premises, who also provide pastoral support for the boarders.
Opportunities
The school has dynamic art, music and drama departments and in grade 10, pupils can choose to continue with one or two of these subjects for matric. The music department offers a wide range of instruments for individual tuition.
A variety of team and individual sports such as hockey, indoor hockey, football, netball, sevens rugby, cricket, tennis, water polo, swimming, golf, mountain-biking, trail running and canoeing is offered, and pupils are expected to take part in at least one winter and one summer sport.
The school is a member of the International Round Square Organisation and is guided by the Organisation’s six “IDEALS” (Internationalism, Democracy, Environment, Adventure, Leadership and Service). As a member of Round Square, Bridge House is part of a network of more than one hundred schools worldwide and offers conference opportunities and international exchange experiences to a large number of pupils. Exchanges take place with countries all over the world in Africa, Asia, Europe, Australia, North and South America.
President’s Award
The President’s Award is a programme that seeks to encourage young people to chart their own path of self-discovery and growth. All the pupils at Bridge House are expected to undertake the Bronze level of the Award. The four components of Sport, Community Service, an Expedition and Skills and Interests are designed to provide a balanced experience of life. Students in the prep school undertake the Learning for Life Leadership programme, and in the college pupils are registered for The President’s Award at Bronze, Silver or Gold Level.
Mission
Bridge House’s mission is to be a globally relevant and sustainable learning community, realising each individual’s potential to lead, innovate and serve with confidence in a changing world.