Redhill School: Making a difference to education
Redhill School embraces diversity while inspiring academic and physical excellence in its students
Redhill School is one of the leading independent schools in South Africa, with its educational practice showing an impressive heritage and an interesting mix of the traditional and the modern world of education. In 2016, the school once again led the field in receiving a 100% pass rate, and the head and the teachers continue to look for new ways to make education relevant for the modern world.
“Over the past year, we have made quite a few changes in the school,” explains Joseph Gerassi, the executive head of Redhill School. “We believe that schools have a huge responsibility to not only support children in getting the distinctions they require to get into certain universities but in giving them the skills they need togo into the workforce with confidence.”
Redhill places a strong emphasis on preparing students for the challenges of the 21st century. The school has incorporated a number of elements into both its curriculum and school facilities to support its students’ development in this regard.
“We prepare our students academically, socially and emotionally,” says Gerassi. “We see our success as not being only in terms of how we educate children, but in how we support them throughout the whole process. We help them throughout the difficult years of matric and give them the right tools to move confidently into the next stage of their lives.”
Redhill recognises that the matric year can be a heavy load for young shoulders. Students can be captains or SRC members, all while staying on top of their studies and examinations. At Redhill, the matriculants are brought in a week before school starts so they can prepare for the year ahead and the school ensures it has systems in place to help them cope. However, these new ways of thinking about and supporting students are not limited to the matriculants alone.
“We have started looking at the ‘no homework theory,’ as research shows that doing piles of homework makes absolutely no difference to a student’s academic progress,” says Gerassi. “We have also looked at doing away with some of the testing, instead, placing more emphasis on formative testing and assessments, using these to see where a child is in their educational journey. Our parents are also invited to assess their own children so they feel that they are part of the process.”
Redhill is committed to making the learning experience into an enjoyable one, where every subject and skill is learned through experience and problem-solving. The Future Focus Centre at the school is designed to provide students from Grades seven to eight with space where they can spend one full day a week solving specific problems that they can relate to.
“Generally, the problems are chosen by the students themselves and are based on real-world scenarios,” explains Gerassi. “We also bring the parents in [and] get them involved through project-based learning so they understand how the system works.”
Redhill’s shift in focus does not mean that the traditional methods of teaching and learning are thrown out or ignored, but rather that they are cleverly blended with new ideas and research to create a holistic educational solution. The basics and fundamentals remain just that, but children are also taught to become critical thinkers, problem-solvers and innovators.
“The labour economy of the 19th and 20th centuries does not exist anymore — today it is all about the knowledge economy,” says Gerassi. “How do you work with knowledge and become more creative? How do you become an entrepreneur? These are the questions that Redhill matriculants can answer as they go on to be the changemakers of the 21st century.”
The 2016 matric results for Redhill School are a testament to the success of its new way of thinking. The outgoing group has produced the best results school has ever had, with 20% of the students getting seven or more distinctions each. Redhill students featured 29 times in the Top 1% of subject results and the school was one of the few institutions with four students in the IEB’s outstanding achievements list.
“The innovative way we have been teaching the kids, the way we have been looking after them — it shows in these results,” concludes Gerassi.