Page 31 - Blue Valley News March Issue 2023

Innovative Excellence - Developing

Global Achievers with Future-Skills.

Kyalami Schools
(NPC) Beaulieu
Preparatory and Preparatory and
Nursery School Nursery School
OUR TEACHING AND LEARNING APPROACH WHY CONSIDER THE KYALAMI SCHOOLS GROUP?

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

Visit our website to view our campuses: www.kyalamischools.org

EIA | Patrick Editorial 2023 B.indd 1 2023/01/27 17:56