The Ridge School supports the ISASA school-based teacher training programme. Each year we sponsor a number of learnerships: we provide the student teachers with accommodation and pay for their studies; we also give them experience in the classroom and in school life generally. Each student is allocated to a mentor who guides him/her through the year with us.

At the end of each year the intern may move onto another independent school to benefit from a different set of experiences, until the course of study has been completed.

Community Partnership School

We commenced an association with Salvazione Christian School (SCS) of Mayfair in May, 1999. This school had been in dire straits with the teachers unpaid since the February of that year. There was inadequate financial administration, yet nowhere else for the children, largely from an informal settlement, Slovo Park, in the Langlaagte/Coronationville area, to go to. A new Board of Trustees was elected under the guidance of the Gauteng Education Department, comprising 6 people, one of whom is the Headmaster of The Ridge.

In our time working with the school, we have been able to create sufficiently sound structures for the Department to be able to release the subsidy to the school. Accordingly, salaries and other amounts owing have been partially settled, although the backlog has been such that we have had to look for fund-raising options to supplement the grant and the minimal fees. Fund-raising is and an ongoing necessity.

Having negotiated the initial crisis, we then implemented some systems for more effective administration. SCS teachers have ‘shadowed’ The Ridge staff and attended several workshops. They are a capable group, working in difficult circumstances.

Currently, the school operates in a church hall at the Baptist Church in Crosby. It is hoped soon to relocate the school on ground to be leased at a nominal cost from Spoornet. This is a very exciting development, but one which will need additional funds.

We have been blessed with some generous Ridge parents and outside corporate bodies who have supported this needy school. Anyone interested in donating to this worthy cause should contact Paul Channon, Headmaster of The Ridge.

Bursaries

The Ridge is working with the Vuleka Schools, the Gauteng Cricket Board and the Soweto Gifted Child Unit to identify promising boys from disadvantaged backgrounds, with a view to offering them places at The Ridge if deemed of suitable potential to benefit. (Substantially reduced fees are charged in these cases.)

Community Projects

We encourage our boys in Grade 7 to undertake community work as part of their leadership experience. In the junior grades, boys undertake tasks at home, for which money is collected for CHOC. We also hold an annual community day, and undertake fund-raising through events such as Civvies Days for various children's causes.

Salvazione Christian School

On the 23rd of March, in the 10th year of a Democracy in South Africa, the Grade 7's of The Ridge and Salvazione hosted a SUPERB visual art and performance display in a marquee on the land for the proposed Slovo Park Community School. Building is hopefully to commence shortly.

The learners made a variety of artwork in several workshops with invited artists including mixed media, drawings, photography and video. Images of themselves were made on sheets of paper and made them into fantasy folk, including zebras, paraplegics, society people and even 007 was there! Some made images of themselves through performances displayed that evening. The Salvazione learners did several traditional dances wearing traditional outfits. Mrs Olley and her Marimbas were also there.

Our Art teacher Mrs Kathrin van Rensburg says the main aim of this project was to explore different ways of presenting arts and culture in South Africa and extending the boundaries of outreach.

Special guests included Ms Helena Dolny (widow of the late Mr Joe Slovo); the new school is named after Joe Slovo and her presence was very special to all those who live in Slovo Park. There were also several GDE and ISASA representatives including Mr Tom Bourquin, Regional Director of ISASA, and his wife.

We hope that an annual arts and culture project will bring us all closer together so that we can learn from each other.

Written on behalf of the Grade 7 Art classes of The Ridge and Salvazione.