Mail & Guardian

Nurturing a ‘can do’ approach to life

Bridge House looks to the future rather than the past — and finds a lot to offer students

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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 stateof-the-art laboratori­es; a wellequipp­ed “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 worldclass, 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. Bridge House School is a forwardthi­nking independen­t school for boys and girls located in beautiful surroundin­gs in the Western Cape. It fosters well-rounded individual­s who not only have consistent­ly good matric results but who are also given the opportunit­y to lead, innovate and serve with confidence in a changing world.

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)

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Photos: Supplied
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