St Raphael’s celebrates 35 years

JOVIAL was the spirit as Montclair-based special school, St Raphael’s School celebrated their 35th birthday on Tuesday, 30 April. Learners indulged in a delicious cake sponsored by Yellowwood Park Spar.

St Raphael’s humble history dates back to 1984 when it started out as a small school in Wentworth which when it primarily catered for learners with cerebral palsy and physical disabilities in the disadvantaged community during the times of Apartheid, with Muriel Phillips, the current principal, as one of the first educators at the school back then. Looking back 35 years later, the school has undergone several progressive changes; from moving to a much bigger building in Montclair, to admitting larger numbers of children in need of high levels of support.

Acting deputy principal, Rhona Peters, said that it is a fulfilling experience to witness the growth and development of many of the learners both physically and within the different grades and co-curricular activities.

St Raphael’s School specifically caters to learners with autism, cerebral palsy, physically handicapped and those have chronic medical conditions. “We have a dedicated staff compromising of staff, therapists, a nursing sister, class assistants, cleaners, security officers and admin. St Raphael’s works closely with organisations that would benefit the learners at our school and we also have embarked on autism specific training to provide affordable, practical and experiential ASD specific training to teachers, therapists and classroom assistants,” explained Rhona.

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