Page 8 - Education Supp February 2022 Digital
P. 8

Mark Naidoo

                                   Kyalami Schools Group (NPC), led by the Group Head of
                                  Academics and Innovation - Mark Naidoo, along with his
                                dedicated team of deputies across the campuses of Beaulieu
                                  College, Beaulieu Preparatory and Kyalami Preparatory,
                                    have worked to modify the academic offering to our
      Kyalami Schools                             community of schools.
             (NPC)


                            EVEN WITH FIRM FOUNDATIONS,

                           EVERY HOME NEEDS A REFURB!


        OUR TEACHING AND LEARNING APPROACH                    the teacher who demonstrates a spirit of imagination, creativity
                                                              and innovation that will lead the way.
        The Kyalami Schools Group has a holistic approach to
        education; in addition to academic prowess, the emotional,   WHY CONSIDER THE KYALAMI SCHOOLS GROUP?
        social  and  physical  well-being  of  our  pupils  and  staff  are  of   At the heart of every formidable school, is a strong teaching
        paramount importance. While we have modified our programmes   faculty. In a recent pupil poll, over 90% of pupils reported that
        to strive toward holistic development, living with the pandemic   the ongoing academic support offered by the staff was a pivotal
        compels us to be innovative. The research points to the notion   factor in their progress. As a community of schools, our ability
        that teaching and learning is fundamentally a social activity.
                                                              to work closely as a team and use our collective expertise has
                                                              aided staff and pupils to feel secure during these challenging
        Social interaction and play, especially for younger children in the   times. Each child is nurtured and feels part of the greater
        pre-primary and primary phases, are a necessary part of their   community. There is an innate generosity that our teachers
        development. Teachers also depend on social cues to guide their   express - we understand that learning thrives when there is a
        pedagogy. Subsequently, questioning techniques, facilitating   healthy relationship between pupil and teacher. An inclusive
        a meaningful discussion, debating opinions and giving effective   education model is high on our agenda as we seek to ensure
        feedback all form part of the everyday educational experience.   that every child develops to their full potential.
        In this context, the value of an inquiry-based learning and
        experiential learning approaches can never be underestimated.  The Group has made significant investments in upskilling staff
                                                              in the Google workspace and we have developed a reliable
        Through the pandemic, we have observed an accelerated   ecosystem, using Chromebooks as our device of choice from
        development of resilient pupils. Better time management, active  Grade 5 into high school. Online, hybrid and in-person teaching
        self-discipline, an increase in independent thinking and the use   demand  a  range  of  teaching  modalities;  our  staff  continue  to
        of multiple technologies have become a norm in the current   explore  these  modalities,  refine  their  skills  and  determine  to
        approach to learning. Teachers have found new ways to engage   remain adaptable.
        their learners, pupils experience a greater level of personal
        attention through one-to-one interactions. Teacher creativity,   Expanding our offerings to address the needs of our community
        peer collaboration, critical thinking and the ability to   is regularly reviewed. To this end, we have added Sesotho
        communicate effectively via online mediums have strengthened   to  our  First  Additional  language  offering  from  Grade  0  and
        our approach to teaching and learning. Leveraging these   Grade  1 and French (Second  additional  language)  at  Grade
        competencies allows us to  present a dynamic approach to   8. Grade 1, 2 and 3 classes will begin learning Computational
        learning.                                             Thinking skills this year, in order to better equip our children with
                                                              essential problem-solving tools.
        NEW CHALLENGES
                                                              Unemployment is a massive issue and continues to affect our
        Access to quality education remains an obstacle in South Africa;   economy. Taking an aggressive approach to addressing this
        parents need to be wholly cognisant of the variation in the rigour   within the school’s curriculum has to be a starting point if we
        of academic offering and must interrogate the academic profile   wish to see incremental, systemic change. As a result, we have
        of the school, before making any long-term commitment.
                                                              reworked our Economic Management and Sciences curriculum
        Over the last two years, we saw a plethora of online schools   to focus sharply on Entrepreneurial Skills Development, from
        mushroom and the home-schooling  alternative became  an   Grade 7, culminating  in the Stallions  Den competition  in high
        attractive option for parents and children who needed flexibility.   school, where business mentors and pupils meet.
        More recently, our Admissions department reported an unusual   Access  to  the  Kyalami  Schools  staff  and  management  is
        spike of applications from parents who wish to return to the   seamless, which is important for constructive engagement. As
        conventional model of in-person schooling. Our internal   a Group, it has always been our values of Integrity, Consistency,
        assessment processes regularly show a deficit in development   Accountability, Respect and Excellence (ICARE) which have
        markers, especially in the junior primary phase (age 7-10 year   driven our commitment to our pupils and parents. Our values
        olds). It is our view that we will see a surge of this occurrence,   will determine who we really are and we strive to inculcate the
        the impact of which will remain for a while. The challenge will   same spirit in our pupils.
        be for schools to negotiate this dynamic and rapidly respond to
        address the developmental lag in learning.            LOOKING AHEAD
        Covid-19  has  confirmed  that  providing  access  to  education   As  an  established  educational  institution,  our  confidence  is
        through multiple technologies  is possible. The large majority   based on tried and tested strategies, however, the last two years
        of pupils do not have access to devices, data and reliable   (2020 and 2021) have highlighted that there is no place for the
        connectivity. For South Africa to speedily address this, the   ordinary,  business-as-usual  sentiment.  Adaptability  and  agility
        private and public sector have to collaborate. Kyalami Schools   have become common behaviours.
        Group is  actively seeking  partnerships  with private  entities  to
        make this a reality, and we have begun to explore an offering in   Mark Naidoo
        niche subjects. We maintain the view that technology remains an   Group head of Academics and Innovation
        enabler – great teachers know how to leverage technology. It is





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   Mark Naidoo | Editorial.indd   1                                                                          2022/01/28   08:43
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