Saheti attributes success at matric level to a collaborative approach and preparation from an early age.
Saheti School in Bedfordiew celebrated a record set of matric results at the end of 2014 — an achievement that reflects team dedication and years of effort, says the school’s executive headmaster, Warwick Taylor.
The school, which has a Greek ethos and attracts children from diverse cultures, maintained its unbroken record of a 100% pass rate, with its 61 matric candidates achieving 185 distinctions and a 91.8% bachelor’s degree pass. Top candidates included George Cambanis with nine distinctions and an average of 93.1%, placing him in the top 5% of candidates nationally in six or more subjects.
Chloe Kikillus achieved 10 distinctions and an average of 90.1% and was in the top 5% of pupils nationally in five subjects. Eleanore Angeliniadis achieved nine distinctions and a distinction average. Numerous pupils were placed in the top 1% for various subjects, and the school is recognised as one of the top 10 feeder schools for Wits University. Its past pupils have a record of excelling at tertiary education level.
Taylor says that while teachers willingly offered extra classes and holiday programmes to help prepare the matric pupils in the run-up to the exams, the achievement of the 2014 matric class is in fact the result of 12 long years of collaboration between school, teachers, parents and pupils, and ongoing efforts to help pupils excel over the years. The pursuit of excellence extends beyond academics to every area of the child’s development, he says. “Within a broad offering of subjects, sports and activities, every child will find an area in which they can excel, and finding an area they can be good at helps to enhance their performance in other areas,” he says.
Taylor believes that Saheti’s success can also be attributed in part to its role as a community school. “Our pupils have an important sense of belonging, which improves their confidence. They are also exposed to what happens within the community, so they engage, reach out and help. There is an accountability structure and everybody knows everyone else. This ensures that while they do develop confidence, they do not become arrogant.”
Many schools are challenged in that there is a disconnect between schools and their communities, and even within families, he says. In that environment, addiction to academic or material success comes to the fore. In contrast, Saheti’s pupils benefit from a connection with their community, an awareness of self and their role within society.
Saheti will not rest on its laurels, says Taylor. “We are increasing our focus on every individual and we will work even harder to help pupils excel.” He notes that pupils today are under mounting pressure to perform, due to the limited number of places available in local universities. “They are under pressure to succeed and get into university. Our role is to help them excel and pre- pare them for university through ongoing support and guidance.”
The school also plans to step up its information technology (IT) programme this year. Smart boards are already in use by the school, but this year, new learning management systems, online sup- port and educational resources will be made available to supplement the educational materials pupils already have access to. Taylor says that while the school is increasing its use of IT in delivering education, IT remains a tool and cannot supplant the teacher in the classroom. “There may be a wealth of information on the internet, but the motivation to learn comes from the relationship between teacher and pupil,” he says.