Steyn City School in a league of its own September 2016 - Although the South African private education sector is dominated by a number of well-known private brands which have gained credibility through their offering, Steyn City’s Board has announced that the highly anticipated Steyn City School will be a completely independent world-class educational facility.  “It is vital to us that the school is a reflection of our values, which are rooted in family, community and relationships. Although the school is to be non-denominational, it will have a very firm ethical foundation,” Steyn City CEO Giuseppe Plumari states. “We felt that the best way to ensure this outcome was by developing our own legacy rather than buying into an existing school brand.”

In fact, the company engaged with several of the country’s most well recognised education brands; yet, in each case, it was felt that too much emphasis was given to the bottom line. With several hundred million rands scheduled for the first phase investment in classrooms, sports amenities and equipment, this is an area on which the Steyn City management refuses to compromise.

"Our philosophy has always been to provide the very best of everything, and our school is no different," comments Plumari. He adds that, as with the rest of Steyn City, the plan has been to implement all infrastructure and facilities ahead of time, rather than trying to raise funds and then build. The Board is adamant that the education offered to learners should be of the utmost quality, on par with the very best schools in South Africa and overseas. To ensure that this is the case, the school is assembling a team comprising of the country’s top educators, teachers and coaches who have already developed a stellar reputation within the industry. Facilitating the team are Marcus Oshry and Miles Wilson, both stalwarts in the South African education industry. Both have impeccable credentials, with Oshry being a co-founder of a group of international schools, while Wilson has an enviable track record in education as director and co-founder of Trinity House Schools.

Both have agreed to come on board to help Steyn City implement a marketing drive to search and appoint outstanding teachers, coaches and other staff and partner in the educational process.

The curriculum on offer is also critical. The preparatory school will adhere to CAPS assessment standards, while the high school’s syllabus will initially be affiliated to the IEB, with plans to introduce a Cambridge curriculum for parents interested in following an international track. In the meantime, construction on the school site is making great progress, with the earthworks having commenced. Like all other facilities at Steyn City, the school is being developed as an integral part of the lifestyle resort, rather than off plan.

“There are several advantages to this,” Plumari notes, “the most important of which is that we are not making empty promises; we are delivering something concrete. Added to this, the school is fully funded and capitalised which means that, although there may be fundraising for social causes or charities which reflect our values, parents will not be expected to raise funds for school facilities. This is a major plus, as the need to fund buildings is often a deterrent to parents considering a new school.” Phase 1 of the project includes the pre-primary and primary campuses, and encompasses 23 classrooms, each of which will accommodate 25 learners, and teaching assistants will be introduced to the younger grades.  All classrooms have external verandas and are equipped with air conditioning, television sets and fibre connectivity. Other facilities include state-of-the-art science laboratory, music and art rooms, as well as a tuck shop and school shop, and a 400m² media centre. From a sporting perspective, the school will offer two rugby/hockey fields, a cricket oval, a fully resourced aquatic centre and three multi-courts, which may be used for tennis, basketball and netball.

There is, additionally, a grandstand and multifunction hall. Learners will, furthermore, be able to access Steyn City’s outstanding facilities, which include a 60km mountain bike track, 20kms of road cycling lanes, a golf course and equestrian centre. The administrative block will be equipped with parent consultation rooms, a sick room, security and school shop. A second phase is also set to be rolled out, equipping the school with a further 28 classrooms and more science, art and music facilities, as well as a school pavilion. Steyn City School will be accessed via the Cedar Road Gate, from where children who are not resident within the development will gain entry. The school will ultimately be able to accommodate up to 2 000 learners from pre-primary to Grade 12. Fee schedules will be made known at a later date, however the intention is to offer an international standard of education at competitive school fees to those of other local private educational institutes. The school is expected to open its doors in January 2018. Additional information will be available to interested parents when the Steyn City School website goes live in October 2016.

In the interim, all interested parties can submit details and queries to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Issued on behalf of Steyn City Properties by Grapevine Communications

Grapevine Communications
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