Cape Town - For those parents struggling to get the young ones ready for school in the morning, independent school group Curro Holdings has just the answer with its innovative new schooling model introducing afternoon classes for children of school-going age.
CurroPM will offer an afternoons-only teaching schedule as of 2023 at its Durbanville High School campus, from 1.45pm to 6.30pm, with remote access to live lessons and a chance to review recorded classes later.
CurroPM will have its own management team and a more relaxed uniform and hair rulebook.
Learners will also not be expected to take part in extracurricular activities, the school announced in a statement.
Curro Durbanville executive head Riaan Stroebel said: “At Curro, we are always looking for new ways to reach and support our learners and have seen some exceptionally promising learners suffer from thwarted potential simply because they are put off by the current way of doing things.
“For them, the liberalised yet structural approach of CurroPM is the answer to making their school journey relatable and enjoyable.”
CurroPM is currently only available to learners in Grades 7 to 9 after meeting the qualifying requirements, with higher grades phasing in annually. Learners must have reached an academic benchmark of 60% in numeracy and literacy.
Afternoon classes will be held in a smaller school with a separate entrance at the new Phesantekraal campus.
“We know that not all learners and their families are suited to the nature and character of a traditional school routine and have therefore incorporated various elements of personalised learning over the last few years.
“One of these is our Curro Choice programme which offers every Curro high school learner a much broader range of subject choices. Our CurroPM offering is the latest offering that forms part of our personalised learning approach,” Stroebel said.
Stellenbosch University professor in the Department of Education Policy Studies, Aslam Fataar, said there would always be willing parents with children willing to experiment with this type of school time arrangement, with children opting to attend such a school for a range of personal reasons.
“They probably will get an education that gets them to pass exams, acquire the matric certificate, etc.
“But questions will remain about whether such a school arrangement will provide children an optimal educational environment for holistic growth via playing sport, doing extra-murals, and being part of a vibrant student community that will allow them to grow into interdependent humans who will develop the critical citizenship capacity to make a constructive contribution to community, society and neighbourhood building, etc,” Fataar said.