St Mary's has done its research and developed a programme designed for the real world and that aligns with skills modern employers are seeking
As Johannesburg’s oldest school, (it was established in 1888) St Mary’s School, Waverley, is steeped in tradition — yet it constantly strives to stay relevant. The role of schools is changing in an increasingly rushed world, where the demands of the workplace have evolved, forcing change in the systems that educate and train future workforces.
St Mary’s head of school Deanne King says the school is continually adapting in terms of the role it plays in delivering holistic education that enables each pupil to develop into a confident, well-rounded individual.
Times have changed, she notes. Today’s parents work long hours and are challenged in finding quality time to be involved in their children’s development. New threats and challenges face adolescents and teenagers in the digital age. And involvement in institutions such as the church and activities such as Brownies and Girl Guides is becoming less common, leaving schools as a critical supportive institution in society.
“We find more parents looking to us for guidance on issues such as adolescent behaviour and managing social media access,” says King. “To help our pupils’ families cope with modern challenges, we regularly invite guest speakers such as child psychologists to address parents on issues such as adolescence. Our GIRLS committee, formed to discuss topical issues, also invites a variety of speakers to the school to address the girls on a wide variety of topics.”
Believing that character development depends on involvement across multiple areas, St Mary’s actively encourages participation in sport and cultural activities, with its sporting excellence serving as a springboard for some learners to win scholarships to study abroad. “In fact, one of our 2016 matric pupils has won a scholarship to Harvard on the strength of her sporting achievements,” says King.
Academic excellence is the key indicator for any school, and St Mary’s has a long track record of 100% bachelor’s degree passes. In 2016, the school’s matrics excelled again, achieving a 100% bachelor degree pass rate, with 54 A+ symbols (over 90%) among 351 distinctions; 34% of the learners passed with an aggregate of 80% or more, and 16 placed in the top 1% in a subject. Top achievers included Julia Huysamer with nine distinctions, and Simone Batchelor, Christine Hill, Sophia Mayet, Courtney Mocke, Cheyenne Padiyachy and Genevieve Shahim with eight distinctions each.
“These results are commendable, but they aren’t the only measure of our success,” says King. “We follow our old girls’ progress in tertiary education and into their working lives and we take heart from the fact that they all go on to tertiary education, and all appear to have the confidence to follow their hearts in terms of career choices.”
St Mary’s strives to equip its learners for life in the real world, so it actively engages with large corporates to discover which attributes and skills are in demand. It then sets out to equip its pupils to meet this demand. “We have met with large consulting firms to assess what employers want from their 21st century employees, and we’ve then adapted our teaching programmes to help our girls thrive in the modern workplace.” Soft skills such as writing, presentation skills, research ability and creativity are increasingly regarded as just as important as technical skills and academic qualifications by employers.
St Mary’s has tasked a core team of staff with driving innovation in education to foster pupils’ confidence, communication skills and self-starter abilities. “Last year, we implemented E4 projects for our grade eights, in which multiple subject areas were covered in project themes. The four Es — effective, engaging, exciting and enriching — were designed to stimulate participation and initiative. We found that our pupils responded exceptionally well, and we saw benefits in many areas, right down to the professionalism of the emails they sent by the end of the project.”
The school aims to do even more in future to develop its learners’ engagement, independence, confidence and responsible citizenship.
In a message to the school, King noted: “Institutions of learning have come under the spotlight, and there is a need for us to reassess institutional culture and relevance. On the morning of 8 November, I was surprised at how much of the conversation on the corridors was about Donald Trump’s winning the US presidential election. It pleased me to hear the girls’ interest in global politics, and their ability to discuss the issues in an informed and interested manner. We certainly do want St Mary’s girls to be informed citizens with knowledge and understanding of current affairs, and the ability to express their opinion on such matters.
“In this same spirit, it is necessary for our girls to be engaged in learning, listening, thinking and talking about the issues that confront our country. The work of nation building is for all of us and the school’s expectation is that each individual girl will take the opportunities to join conversations, listen to speakers and commit to furthering the spirit of ubuntu in our school.”