Tafelberg School

Tafelberg School is an English medium Grade 1–12 public school in Bothasig, Cape Town, South Africa which offers remedial activities for children with special learning needs.[2][3][upper-alpha 1] The school was located in Sea Point before mid–2010.[5] As of 2014, the school accommodates its full capacity of 400 students.[6][7]

Tafelberg School
Address
Tafelberg School
2 Swellengrebel Avenue, Bothasig

Cape Town
,
7441

South Africa
Coordinates33.856°S 18.543°E / -33.856; 18.543
Information
School typePublic, special school
MottoNihil nimis difficile
(Nothing is too difficult)
Established23 July 1983 (1983-07-23)
StatusOpen
PrincipalLionel Benecke[1]
Grades1–12
Number of students400
Medium of languageEnglish
School colour(s)white, gold, navy blue
Websitewww.tafelbergschool.co.za

History
Sea Point building
Vacant building in Sea Point's Main Road previously used by Tafelberg School
An aerial view of the old Tafleberg High School building in Sea Point, Cape Town after the school had moved premises and was vacant.

Tafelberg School was established on 23 July 1983.[8][9] It was originally a school for white students,[upper-alpha 2] and was based in Sea Point from the 1980s until 2010.[5] The school was located at two separate sites in Sea Point and catered for children with special learning needs referred by schools throughout the Cape Peninsula.[8] The junior school was located at 3 Kings Road, on the corner of Tramway Road.[5][11][upper-alpha 3] The senior school was located in a building at 355 Main Road which had previously housed Ellerslie Girls' High School from 1899.[upper-alpha 4][upper-alpha 5][upper-alpha 6] In 1989 Ellerslie Girls' High School vacated the building following a merger with Sea Point High School, formerly Sea Point Boys' High School, which had become co-educational and Tafelberg School subsequently occupied the vacant building.[16][upper-alpha 7]

Tafelberg School became racially integrated in a post-apartheid South Africa,[18][upper-alpha 8] and junior and senior sections of the school have merged and moved to a new location in Bothasig in June 2010.[5][20][upper-alpha 9] The construction of the new school building in Bothasig, "the first fully accessible resource centre in the province, both from a physical and curriculum accessibility point of view", cost R45 million.[11] The move to a "more friendly learning environment" reduced the school's capacity in terms of student numbers and necessitated a one-third reduction in the number of classes per grade.[22]

The 17,000 square metre site in Sea Point's Main Road previously used by the school and Ellerslie Girls' High School before that was declared a provincial heritage site in a government gazette dated 15 December 1989.[13][14][23] The disused site has been proposed for redevelopment by the Western Cape Government, which says that it is suitable for a mixed-use development and has requested expressions of interest from parties interested in buying the property or leasing it for a period of up to 60 years provided that the original 1899 building and an avenue of wild fig trees are preserved.[13][24]

In February 2014 it was reported that the Kings Road site in Sea Point previously used by the school was to be leased by the French School of Cape Town and R18 million worth of upgrades were planned for it.[5][23][11]

Academics

In 2002 Tafelberg School received a Special Superintendent-General Award from the Western Cape Education Department for having students achieve National Senior Certificates with matriculation endorsements. A matriculation endorsement allows students to study for a Bachelor's degree at any South African university.[4] In April 2012, it was reported that Tafelberg School had achieved a 100% matric pass rate since the new school building opened in 2010.[25]

International exchange

Tafelberg School is twinned with Longcause Community Special School in Plymouth, England, an international exchange partnership facilitated by Afri Twin,[26] which has linked over 250 schools in the United Kingdom and South Africa.[27] Tafelberg students travelled overseas and visited the school and some other nearby schools including Hele's School and Woodcote High School[28] in 2008, and again in 2010 during a tour of the United Kingdom. The visits incorporated cultural exchanges and sporting events.[29][30][31]

Ritalin use

In 1999 it was reported that an estimated one third of all pupils attending Tafelberg School were using Ritalin. School psychiatrist Suzette Swart said the use of the drug at the school was strictly controlled and it was only administered with permission in writing from a pupil's parent. She said they use the drug "to help children concentrate better", but not all children who have difficulty concentrating need it.[32]

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References

Notes
  1. "Tafelberg High School – This is a school which caters exclusively for learning disabled children, yet in 2002 it has for the first time in the period under review had candidates who have achieved the Senior Certificate with matriculation endorsement."[4]
  2. "The 11 applicant schools all provided for white children only."[10]
  3. "Erven ... (formerly known as Tafelberg Junior School) ... situated at 3 Kings Road, Sea Point"[12]
  4. "First property up for discussion was Tafelberg Remedial High School on 355 Main Road Sea Point. The developers would have to retain the 1899 Ellerslie Girls School building and the lane of wild fig trees on the properties."[13]
  5. "The so-called Ellerslie Girls' High School building complex, situated at 355 Main Road, Sea Point, Cape Town."[14]
  6. "Erf 1424 has a long tradition as a place of learning, dating back to 1899 when the property was purchased by the Department for Education for the establishment of Ellerslie Girls High School. From 1899 buildings were added incrementally to accommodate the Ellerslie Girls School and later the Tafelberg Remedial High School. The buildings stood vacant since the Tafelberg Remedial High School was relocated."[15]
  7. "In 1989, we amalgamated with Ellerslie Girls' High School after it had become clear that it was not viable to continue with separate schools for boys and girls in the Sea Point area. The decision was taken to use our premises for the new school and Tafelberg High moved into the vacant premises of Ellerslie Girls' High."[17]
  8. "The formerly white Tafelberg School..."[19]
  9. "The pupils of the Tafelberg School moved to their new school building in the third term of 2010, which merged the primary and high schools, says the provincial education minister's spokesperson Bronagh Casey."[21]

Citations
  1. Gontsana, Mary-Anne (1 June 2010). "Taxi driver dies, 13 pupils hurt in crash". IOL News. Archived from the original on 11 October 2014. Retrieved 23 August 2014.
  2. Tafelberg School website
  3. Tafelberg School – Western Cape Government
  4. "Media Release". Western Cape Education Department. 27 December 2002. Retrieved 23 August 2014.
  5. Hassen, Tauriq (14 August 2012). "Occupy school grounds". People's Post. Archived from the original on 22 August 2014. Retrieved 22 August 2014.
  6. "New Resource Centre: Tafelberg School". The Guardian. 7 November 2013. Archived from the original on 13 October 2014. Retrieved 13 October 2014.
  7. "A win for Tafelberg School with Grand Slots". The Guardian. 5 June 2014. Archived from the original on 13 October 2014. Retrieved 13 October 2014.
  8. "Tafelberg-skool vier 21 trotste jare" [Tafelberg School celebrates 21 proud years]. Die Burger (in Afrikaans). 22 March 2004. Archived from the original on 12 October 2014. Retrieved 12 October 2014.
  9. "Tafelberg School in Bothasig celebrated their 30th birthday on Tuesday 23 July". Die Burger. 31 July 2013. Archived from the original on 12 October 2014. Retrieved 12 October 2014.
  10. "Bel Porto School Governing Body and Others v Premier of the Province, Western Cape and Another (12126/99)". Southern African Legal Information Institute. High Court of South Africa. p. 2. Retrieved 23 August 2014.
  11. McCain, Nicole (13 February 2014). "Sea Point welcoming the French". People's Post. Archived from the original on 11 October 2014. Retrieved 7 September 2014.
  12. "Notice for the proposed lease of provincial movable asset". Provincial Gazette (Western Cape) (7186). 11 October 2013.
  13. Coetzee, Cobus (27 March 2014). "Province presents 4 properties to market". Cape Times. Archived from the original on 11 October 2014. Retrieved 23 August 2014.
  14. "Ellerslie Girls' High School, Main Road, Sea Point, Cape Town". South Africa Heritage Resources Agency. Archived from the original on 23 August 2014. Retrieved 23 August 2014.
  15. "Investing in the Western Cape" (PDF). Western Cape Government. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 October 2014. Retrieved 12 October 2014.
  16. Sea Point High School. Retrieved 7 September 2014
  17. Botha, P (March 2014). "Sea Point High School – 130th Birthday: Established 21 April 1884". The Good Times. 2 (1): 16. Archived from the original on 12 October 2014. Retrieved 12 October 2014.
  18. "SA Cricketer visits Tafelberg School". The Guardian. 6 June 2013. Archived from the original on 13 October 2014. Retrieved 13 October 2014.
  19. Marks, Susan Collin (2000). Watching the Wind: Conflict Resolution During South Africa's Transition to Democracy. United States Institute of Peace Pres. p. 45. Retrieved 22 August 2014.
  20. Bekker, Jana (23 June 2010). "New spot for Tafelberg school". Die Burger. Archived from the original on 22 August 2014. Retrieved 22 August 2014.
  21. McCain, Nicole (14 March 2014). "Final tenant to contest eviction". People's Post. Archived from the original on 12 October 2014. Retrieved 12 October 2014.
  22. Booysen, Henry (20 October 2009). "Parents disgruntled over remedial school move". Die Burger. Archived from the original on 12 October 2014. Retrieved 12 October 2014.
  23. "Historic Sea Point school attracts many proposals". Cape Argus. 2 May 2014. Archived from the original on 11 October 2014. Retrieved 11 October 2014.
  24. "Redevelopment of Tafelberg School". Archived from the original on 11 October 2014. Retrieved 22 August 2014.
  25. Bakkes, André (4 April 2012). "Roadworks to improve road safety". Die Burger. Archived from the original on 13 October 2014. Retrieved 13 October 2014.
  26. "Longcause Community Special School hosts its Cape Town Twin School". Plymouth International. Retrieved 24 August 2014.
  27. Bourn, Douglas; Cara, Olga (2013). School linking – where next? Partnership models between schools in Europe and Africa (PDF). Development Education Research Centre, Institute of Education, University of London. pp. 14–15. ISBN 9780957454620. Archived (PDF) from the original on 4 October 2014. Retrieved 10 September 2014.
  28. Chris Eloff
  29. "Longcause Community Special School hosts its Cape Town Twin School". City of Plymouth International Newsletter. Plymouth City Council (Autumn 2008/9): 17. Retrieved 24 August 2014.
  30. "Award for special school". West Briton. 4 November 2009. Retrieved 24 August 2014.
  31. "Teens fly flag for South Africa". Western Morning News. 17 June 2010. Retrieved 23 August 2014.
  32. Nicodemus, Aaron (4 June 1999). "Ritalin kids:Doped to wake up or shut up?". Mail & Guardian. Archived from the original on 23 August 2014. Retrieved 23 August 2014.
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