Stepping Stones Pre-Primary School in Beyers Park is in the transition phase from a pre-primary to a primary school, following its acquisition by Nova Pioneer.
In a statement issued by Nova Pioneer, Stepping Stones will undergo the process of being gradually transitioned to Nova Pioneer over the next year.
Nova Pioneer managing director, Belinda Godfrey, said there will be an increased investment in the campus to accommodate an expanded learning model for current and future learners.
Stepping Stones, which has been in existence and part of the Boksburg community for more than 20 years, was founded, and still headed, by a long-standing community member, Lyn Matthews.
“When I started Stepping Stones, I was eager to create an environment where learners could engage in fascinating, age-appropriate, action and experience-focused activities that would propel them along the path of their early development,” said Matthews in a statement.
“Over the years, I have received countless requests from many parents to expand and start a primary school so that our learners could continue to grow and thrive in an environment that truly recognised their individual talents and equipped them for academic and life success.”
Admittedly, the expansion was one that Matthews reportedly felt she could not do alone and needed an education partner whose approach mirrored that of Stepping Stones.
“However, I knew this would never be an easy task. It was imperative that I find an education partner that I could have full confidence would take us into the next step but in keeping with our values,” said Matthews.
“I am so glad to have found exactly that in Nova Pioneer, and extraordinarily excited about what that means for the future of our learners and families.”
The Nova Pioneer Education Group is a Pan-African independent school network that builds and operates world-class, affordable schools serving learners from pre-school through secondary.
Godfrey stated that this acquisition will allow Nova Pioneer to build on the fantastic foundation that has already been built by Matthews and her team.
“Rather than starting from scratch at an alternate site just down the road, we felt this opportunity would give Nova Pioneer Boksburg learners a great advantage of already having a beautiful campus that is built around a learning approach that reflects our own philosophy of student-centred and enquiry-based learning,” added Godfrey.
“The 2.3hectare campus currently has 12 classrooms and more than three playgrounds. We will continue to invest into the spacious grounds, with plans to add new sporting facilities, including a pool and tennis courts, and modernising the learning spaces to enhance the space to accommodate Nova Pioneer’s signature innovative approach to learning.”
Nova Pioneer uses the Cambridge curriculum and has developed its signature approach to learning that incorporates techniques used by the most forward-thinking schools globally to develop critical thinking, problem-solving and key 21st century skills.
Nova Pioneer students learn through practice in real-world projects, problem-solving in groups, entrepreneurship, debate and public speaking, and by building digital fluency so that they are equipped to succeed in a rapidly changing world.
“The results will be that Nova Pioneer learners develop into leaders and innovators who are prepared to take on the world,” said Chinezi Chijioke, Nova Pioneer CEO.
“Our learning approach prepares learners to be globally competitive in the 21st century, and these are the learners who will go on to change the continent and the world.”
Chijioke, a graduate of Harvard and Stanford, also started his career in the classroom and says he’s always known he wanted to be part of rethinking and transforming how education can better serve the youth in Africa.
Also Read: Hefty prices for school uniforms
Follow us:
For more #hyperlocal news at your fingertips, visit Benoni City Times, Springs Advertiser, Brakpan Herald, African Reporter and Kathorus Mail.
