Smart questions to ask when considering a new school for children

"QUESTION SERIES" - Smart questions to ask when considering a new school for children

Ikonic Real Estate's interview with Mr. Pierre le Roux, Executive Head - Curro Hazeldean

It is a pleasure to interview today the Executive Head of Curro Hazeldean, Mr Pierre le Roux. Curro is a leading independent school situated a stone's throw from Silver Lakes Golf and Wildlife Estate. Many Silver Lakes residents have selected Curro as the school of choice for their children. Grade R to Grade 12 are offered as well as nursery education. This is an Afrikaans and English medium school. (For other top schools in the area, more information can be found here).

1. What makes Curro unique and different to other schools?

PLR - Curro is built on Christian values with strong emphasis on "being part of a family" for all learners and staff, however students belonging to other religions are welcome.

2. How large is the average class size, what is the student-teacher ratio and does this differ between the primary and high school?

PLR - The primary school has 1000 students with a split of 40% Afrikaans and 60% English speaking students. The secondary school has 522 students. There is a maximum of 25 students per class. The school has a 100% matric pass rate (matric students write the National Senior Certificate examination set by the Independent Examination Board).

The Curro Group has more than 200 schools and 60 000 students countrywide and also has schools in Namibia and Botswana. Curro Hazeldean has a total of 190 teachers and support staff as well as a hostel which has capacity for 60 students.

3. What are the educational qualifications of the teachers and are teachers encouraged to continue to learn and grow professionally?

PLR - Curro Group has their own Curriculum Development Centre with experts in every subject. Emphasis is placed on the appointment of subject specialists, as an example a science teacher will need to have a Bachelor of Science degree to be considered for such position.

4. Tell us more about the kinds of extramural activities on offer at Curro?

PLR - Curro offers a wide selection of different sports and in most cases external professionals are involved with coaching and training.

5. This year has been a challenging year to say the least, how has Curro supported its students and teachers while the schools were closed?

PLR - Thanks to Curro online learning platform, COVID-19 has had very little disruption or affect on the 2020 school year. Currently students have a choice to either attend school or to login for online classes. In 2021 the Curro Group will introduce an online school for certain specialised subjects with French and Mandarin also being available.

6. What facilities (sporting and other) does Curro have available to students?

PLR - Facilities include an indoor swimming pool with coaches from the University of Pretoria. In September 2020 Tatjana Schoenmaker broke a short-course swimming record at an event held in the Curro pool. Hockey (on AstroTurf). rugby, cricket, athletics, tennis and netball are all offered. Mountain biking was also introduced and students are coached by an ex-professional cyclist. Chess is offered by an external chess master as a subject in preschool. Year on year Curro has improved on the sporting field.

7. Are parents encouraged to be involved in their child's education and tell me more about Curro's governing structure?

PLR - Parents are encouraged to be involved in the Parent Advisory Committee.

8. What measures are in place to safeguard the health of students and staff during the COVID-19 pandemic?

PLR - Students and staff are screened daily and all the results are uploaded so that infection trends can be seen and followed.

Thank you for making the time for this interview. It has been an interesting and insightful meeting. Let's keep in touch and here's to hoping that Curro goes from strength to strength and continues to play an important role in shaping the leaders of tomorrow.