Headmaster at Pridwin Preparatory School, Patrick Lees took over leadership at the school at the beginning of the lockdown but was amazed at the school community which welcomed him.
“There is an incredible Pridwin community that is so supportive of the school and they have made my start so comfortable,” said Lees.
He added that the school’s online programme worked very well and Pridwin was fortunate to have no learners or staff test positive for Covid-19.
“Obviously the Covid-19 virus on the whole has been the greatest challenge as it has been for everyone, but for me personally, to not be able to meet my staff, the boys and the parents in person was very difficult. Meeting online is just not the same, however, we made it work and I think we did very well.”
Lees said 2020 had been a historic year and a year where the school had learnt a lot.
“We have learnt to be resilient, we have learnt to be flexible, we have had to introduce many new initiatives which have been fantastic and are probably here to stay.”
Looking ahead to next year, Lees said the item on top of their agenda was transformation.
“We have been working hard at this these past few months and I look forward to transforming our wonderful school into a place where every boy, every staff member and every parent feels like they belong.”
The school will also introduce a new subject, social and civic justice, equipping boys with skills so desperately needed in South Africa.
An Advancement Office will be introduced to ensure Pridwin is sustainable but also relevant to the South African context and is making a difference in the community.
Pridwin looks forward to growing their teacher intern programme with the aim to have an assistant teacher in every class. The school hopes to do this to contribute to the development of quality teachers which the country so desperately needs.
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