Kirkwood school’s pass-rate miracle

Dramatic jump from 36% to 100% in five years

AKIRKWOOD school is celebrating a remarkable achievement – increasing its matric pass rate from 36% to 100% in a matter of five years. St Colmcille Senior Secondary School obtained its first 100% matric pass rate in 2017 – a far cry from the little more than a third of its matric class passing in 2012.

While the two years following 2012 also saw a vast improvement, this was set back in 2015 with the introduction of the progressed pupil system.

But from scoring a 56.8% matric pass in 2015, the school went on to achieve 74.3% in 2016 and finally its golden 100% goal in 2017.

According to principal Ian Balie, the dramatic jump was as a result of dedicated and determined teaching staff and pupils who, since 2014, have given up weekends for additional classes.

Balie said the 100% matric pass rate was a first for the school since becoming a state school 22 years ago, with 70% of 2017’s 34 matric pupils achieving a diploma pass.

“This milestone of a 100% pass rate is a remarkable achievement for the school,” Balie said.

“The success can be attributed to the outstanding and very professional staff. Their continued sacrifice and passion for this calling can’t be counted in rands and cents.

“Every activity, study session or lesson is preplanned to benefit the pupil through efficiently managing a workable time schedule for various topics.

“But we also need to thank the parents and the broader community of Kirkwood for their unending and wholehearted support.

“What makes the achievement even more impressive is that the majority of the pupils at the school come from rural backgrounds, living and working on neighbouring farms.

“But what this has done is motivate the next group, who will also be working to maintain the new success.”

Balie said while the school had started to display its upward trajectory much earlier, having obtained a matric pass rate of 59.6% in 2013 and 81.4% in 2014, the introduction of progressed pupils in 2015 saw the pass rate drop by more than 25%. “Once we identified the problem and saw how the curriculum was implemented, we were able to address the issues,” he said.

“By introducing regular weekend classes throughout the year, we were able to complete the syllabus which saw us annually increasing our pass rate.”

Deputy principal Sedrick Gouza said the results were achieved through the visionary leadership of Balie.

“He [Balie] is a very modest man, but if it wasn’t for him this would have never been possible. Since he arrived in 2013, the school has just improved,” he said.

“At the beginning of last year, he sat us down and said 100% was our goal.

“He organised study camps where matrics were accommodated in the hostel over the weekend to study intensely – and look at the results.”

St Colmcille headgirl Renicia Ceasar said: “My results are good simply because of the teachers. They gave me the support I needed, they gave up their time over weekends to help us.

“I passed with two distinctions because of their sacrifice.”

‘ Teachers gave up their time over weekends to help us