High School

To the Class of 2024, congratulations on your outstanding achievements. Your hard work, resilience, and determination have set a benchmark of excellence for future matriculants. As you step into the next phase of your lives, we are confident that you will continue to make us proud and inspire others with your success.

Looking Ahead

We remain committed to providing a holistic and enriching education that empowers our pupils to achieve their dreams and make meaningful contributions to society. Here’s to building on this legacy of excellence in the years to come!

Southdowns College provides a dynamic and progressive education, prioritizing individual needs, diversity, and change while striving for academic, sporting, and cultural excellence. This independent day and boarding school cater to learners from Grade 0000 to Grade 12, offering top-tier facilities and dedicated educators. The school promotes academic, physical, social, and spiritual development within a Christian-based value system, helping students reach their full potential. Emphasizing sports, teamwork, cultural talents, and community service, Southdowns College nurtures leadership skills to create independent, confident, and compassionate leaders for a global society. The focus is on developing well-balanced, productive individuals.

Principal's Welcome

Welcome to the High School!

It is with great pleasure and excitement that I extend a warm welcome to all pupils, parents, guardians, and members of our school community to the Southdowns College website. As the Principal of this lovely school, I am honoured to be a part of a vibrant learning community that is dedicated to academic excellence, personal growth, and the pursuit of knowledge.

At Southdowns College, we believe that education is not merely about imparting knowledge; it is about nurturing the unique talents and potential of each and every student. Our dedicated staff are committed to providing a safe, inclusive, and inspiring learning environment where pupils can thrive academically, socially, and emotionally.

We take pride in our comprehensive and diverse curriculum that encompasses a wide range of subjects and extracurricular activities, ensuring that pupils have the opportunity to explore their interests, develop critical thinking skills, and discover their passions. Whether it's in the classroom, on the sports field, in the arts, or through community service, we encourage our pupils to actively engage in their educational journey.

As we navigate the challenges and opportunities of the 21st century, Southdowns College is committed to preparing our pupils for success in an ever-changing world. We emphasize the development of 21st-century skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving, communication, and collaboration, which are essential for future success.

I encourage you to explore our website and discover the incredible opportunities that await you at the High School. Together, we can create a nurturing and dynamic learning environment that empowers our pupils to reach their full potential.

Thank you for choosing Southdowns College as your educational partner. I look forward to an exciting and successful school journey with you, filled with growth, achievement, and memorable experiences.

Warm regards,

Suzan Thupane

HIGH SCHOOL PRINCIPAL

Welcome to College House, a home away from home!

With our College House, for learners in grade 8 to 12, we are able to provide a caring and disciplined environment in which the learners are encouraged to participate in sport and cultural activities whilst providing them with a comfortable and homely environment. This special environment is highlighted in the words of Shaugnah Ambros, a previous grade12 learner: “Being in College House has been one of the most amazing experiences. 

Everyone has such a unique way of making others feel special and at home. The College House boarders have become a very close-knit family. It’s good to know you’re living with the people who are going through the exact same thing as you are, and you can relate to everyone around you. We know when someone’s having a bad day or when someone’s trying to contain good news!”

College House is a fully fledged boarding facility which is adjacent to the Senior College. There are 67 beds available for boarders. We accommodate weekly boarders (Monday – Friday) and monthly boarders (seven days per week, excluding school holidays and mid-term break). The College House staff ensure that the children are provided with opportunities to attend various weekend activities.

College House is a modern, well-equipped boarding house, offering double bedrooms with en-suite bathrooms, recreational facilities and a home away from home atmosphere. Pupils also have controlled wireless access to the internet to assist in projects and research when needed. Meals are provided at the onsite restaurant and caters for many tastes.

Our boarding community is diverse in culture and cosmopolitan in nature, and a great joy to have within the whole school community. It is an environment which is conducive to achieving outstanding academic results and developing lifelong friendships.

Our outreach programme was created to pursue one of the Southdowns College’s core values, namely: nation building through outreach across the community, and this is precisely what we have achieved! Parents, children, staff and ground staff have all been proactive and we have continuously contributed to and make a difference, to those less fortunate.

Our annual 24-hour CANSA Swim-a-thon is always a huge success and supported by our whole community. Other projects are to support Madibatlou Middle School, Irene Homes for the Mentally Disabled, Dove’s Nest Place of Safety, the SPCA, to name a few.

The Outreach Team consists of representatives of all three phases. Mrs Estéan Stirrat (College), Ms Dominique van der Westhuizen (Primary School), Mrs Sheila Naidoo (Primary School) and Mrs Aziza Domingo (Pre-Preparatory School). Each of these ladies heads up committees in their different phases. The phases run projects together as well as several smaller projects geared towards the specifics for each phase. Each phase also has a pupils outreach team. 

Leadership

“The youth of today are the leaders of tomorrow.”

– Nelson Mandela

Leadership is important in all educational contexts. At Southdowns College, our aim is to create as many opportunities as possible for our pupils to get involved in leadership roles, activities and programmes that will expose them to various skills and shape them into true servant leaders.

The search for secrets of great leadership often begins by searching for answers about how to influence others, change them, guide them, or develop them but, the true secret to great leadership is to first attend to the most important, most rewarding, and most life-changing step on the journey: to develop oneself.

Pupils are therefore afforded various opportunities throughout their years at the College to experience leadership and put the skills and knowledge they are taught to good use. These include various prospects such as empowerment days, camps, tours, captaining a sports team or leadership positions within a certain cultural sphere for example leading a band, heading up the choir or editing for the school newspaper as well as attending workshops such as a Mentorship Workshop, Ambassadors Workshop or Master Speaker Workshop, representation on the Student Representative Council (SRC) and Parliament and finally the opportunity to apply for a place on the Student Executive Council (prefect body).

The house system also extends the range of leadership opportunities through the many house competitions that occur throughout the year and an opportunity to apply for Head of House positions.

Pupils are rewarded using an accumulated points system for specific leadership roles that they have fulfilled and are able to use these points to attain colours in leadership (one of the five pillars of our school).

At Southdowns College, we view discipline as far more than just a set of rules and consequences. It serves as the cornerstone of our educational approach, guiding our pupils towards becoming responsible, respectful, and well-rounded individuals.

We hold the values of respect and dignity at the forefront of our disciplinary approach. Every member of our school community, regardless of their background or beliefs, deserves to be treated with respect and kindness. Discipline is closely intertwined with personal responsibility. We encourage our pupils to understand that their choices have repercussions and to take ownership of their actions.

We firmly believe that education is a powerful tool for personal growth and empowerment. Our approach to discipline includes providing opportunities for pupils to learn from their experiences and to make positive changes. Discipline is not solely about punitive measures; it's about support and restorative measures. Our dedicated staff is committed to providing guidance and resources to help pupils succeed academically and personally.

Open and effective communication between pupils, parents, and school staff is crucial. We encourage collaboration to address challenges and find solutions together. Discipline is a journey of continuous growth and improvement. We encourage pupils to view their mistakes as opportunities for personal development. The safety and well-being of our pupils are paramount. Our disciplinary practices are designed to create a safe and inclusive space where all pupils can thrive.

We understand that discipline is not a one-size-fits-all approach. Each student is unique, and our disciplinary measures are tailored to individual needs and circumstances. Our dedicated staff is committed to guiding pupils toward making informed choices and helping them develop into responsible, ethical, and compassionate individuals.



We invite every member of the Southdowns College community to join us in fostering a culture of discipline that is rooted in respect, responsibility, and personal growth. Together, we can create an environment where our pupils can excel academically, socially, and emotionally.

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