This article contains promotional content .(May 2015) |
Founded | 1987 |
---|---|
Founder | John Gilmour |
Type | Nonprofit organisation |
Focus | Eliminate Educational Inequity |
Location |
|
Method | Full time senior schooling with extended hours |
Owner | PBO |
Key people | John Gilmour – Founder - now Board member Joe Kainja – Board chairman Ray Bontle – Member of the Board Thandi Moyo – Member of the Board – Lee SwanMember of the Board – Member of the Board Heidi Raubenheimer – Member of the Board – Member of the Board Solomon Madikane – Member of the Board – Member of the Board Dr Mamphela Ramphele - Patron |
Revenue | Parent contributions; State subsidy; Corporate Social Investment; Foundations and Trusts |
Employees | 160 |
Website | leapschool |
LEAP Science and Mathematics Schools or LEAP Schools is a collection of eight low-fee secondary education schools in four provinces in South Africa. The first LEAP school opened in 2004 in rented premises in Observatory, Cape Town and mainly served the township of Langa. [1] LEAP is an independent school mainly funded by small parent contributions, South African Corporates with limited subsidies from the Department of Basic Education.
John Gilmour was a teacher at Pinelands High School [1] in Cape Town in 1987 when he decided to respond to a call from the South African business community, to contribute to the redress of the devastation of the Bantu Education Act, [1] a segregation law imposed in the education sector by the Apartheid system in 1953.
“Africa Week" was then introduced by a team led by John Gilmour to bring black learners under the "Bantu Education" system to spend a week at Pinelands High School, which was then a whites-only school. The program became the precursor for the Langa Education Assistance Program (or LEAP) which aimed at providing one hundred black students from the Langa township with support tuition from Pinelands High teachers in English, Mathematics, and Science three afternoons a week.
The prohibitive transport cost of bringing learners from the township schools to Pinelands High School forced the model to be revised. In 1996, it was then decided that instead of learners being bussed in to Pinelands High, teachers will be transported to meet learners in township schools. [1]
When John Gilmour realised that there was no increase in the proportion of black learners entering university, especially science-based disciplines, he sought for an alternative model. LEAP Science and Maths school was the alternative model.
LEAP Science and Maths school aims to increase the number of black learners who take science and maths-based modules at high school to increase the chance of being accepted at university, particularly in disciplines where these modules are a prerequisite. [2]
Gilmour resigned as headmaster of Abbot's College in 2002, where he had been since he left Pinelands in 1997, to focus on LEAP Science and Maths School. In January 2004, the first LEAP Science and Maths School opened in Observatory, Cape Town, with seventy-two learners, seven teachers, and one administrative staff member. [1] The school has replicated in 8 sites across South Africa.
The LEAP Science and Maths School, which started in Observatory, later moved to Pinelands and became known as LEAP 1. It is now located in Langa itself, in the St Francis Centre. It serves Langa Township. It is the first and oldest LEAP Science and Maths school. [1] The school is headed by its operation leader, Patricia Mudiayi.
LEAP 2 opened in 2007 in Pinelands. It is now located in Crossroads. It serves learners from Gugulethu, Delft, Philippi, and Crossroads townships. In 2013, the school opened satellite classes to serve grade 9 and 10 learners from the township of Delft. School learners are taught in English and isiXhosa. The head of the school is Nomveliso Qaqa, an alumnus of LEAP, who also assumes the role of operations leader. [1]
The school opened in 2008 to serve learners from the township of Alexandra in Johannesburg. It is situated in Linbro Park. Learners are taught in English, isiZulu, Sepedi, and Sesotho under the operations leader. [1] In 2019 LEAP 3 received its first 100% matric pass rate after being stuck on 96% for a number of years. [3] It followed further with its 100% pass rate in 2021, 2022 and 2023. The current school leader is Asanda Sigigaba who was also a LEAP learner when the organisation opened its first school in Cape Town in 2004. [4] [1]
This school is situated in the township of Diepsloot, just outside Johannesburg. The school opened in 2011 through a partnership with the South Africa corporate Aveng Group. [5] LEAP 4 teaches learners in isiZulu and Sepedi as home languages, along with English. The school is led by Neo Motsepe
In 2012, LEAP 5 opened its doors in Jane Furse, Sekhukhune in Limpopo province. The school is led by Raphael Mukachi.
LEAP 6 is situated in Ga-Rankuwa near Pretoria. The school opened in 2012 at the request of the Anglican Diocese of Pretoria, which was concerned with the community's poor educational results and high unemployment rate among young people. It is led by its operations leader, Wilhemina Motileng.
LEAP 7 is situated in Paarl in the Western Cape. The school opened at the start of 2024, serving the community of Mbekweni and surrounding areas. A local Family Foundation funds the school, led by Alinane Phiri. In 2024, the school began with 90 students in grades 8 and 9.
LEAP 8 is situated in Kuruman in the Northern Cape. It opened in 2024 and is funded by the Assore mines through 5he Boleng Trust. The school works from the Kuruman Moffat Mission Station site. The leader is Nosipho Qongo, an alumnus of LEAP. In 2024, the school began with 90 students in grades 8 and 9.
LEAP schools focus on maths and science and emphasise the emotional development of learners. [6] John Gilmour acknowledged the importance of the emotional development in a country where "eight million children come from single-parent households and a further 4.3 million reside with neither biological parent". [7]
LEAP's model is based on engagement with the broader community and building partnerships and collaboration with other organisations, particularly schools. It is a three-way collaboration approach where each LEAP school partners with a more privileged school as well as a less privileged school (a township school) in the community where it operates to promote a culture of shared resources and cultural exchange. [8]
LEAP is "Teach with Africa's" partner on the continent and together they have established the Teacher Institute which seeks to develop teachers and supports individuals wanting to enter the teaching profession [9]
Sesotho sa Leboa is a Sotho-Tswana language group spoken in the northeastern provinces of South Africa, most commonly in Mpumalanga, Gauteng and the Limpopo provinces. It is also known by Pedi or Sepedi and holds the status of an official language in South Africa.
At least thirty-five languages are spoken in South Africa, twelve of which are official languages of South Africa: Ndebele, Pedi, Sotho, South African Sign Language, Swazi, Tsonga, Tswana, Venda, Afrikaans, Xhosa, Zulu, and English, which is the primary language used in parliamentary and state discourse, though all official languages are equal in legal status. In addition, South African Sign Language was recognised as the twelfth official language of South Africa by the National Assembly on 3 May 2023. Unofficial languages are protected under the Constitution of South Africa, though few are mentioned by any name.
Reitz is a small maize, wheat and cattle farming town located in the east of the Free State province of South Africa.
Pinelands is an affluent garden city suburb located on the northern edge of the southern suburbs of Cape Town, South Africa, neighbouring the suburb of Thornton, and is known for its large thatched houses and green spaces. The suburb is primarily residential and is often praised for its peacefulness and abundance of trees. Pinelands is one of the few areas in Cape Town in which sale of alcohol to the public is prohibited, but some clubs have private liquor licenses. It is a popular place for senior citizens to retire to. While there are several retirement homes in the suburb, younger people are increasingly moving in.
Atteridgeville is a township located to the west of Pretoria, South Africa. It is located to the east of Saulsville, to the west of West Park; to the north of Laudium and to the south of Lotus Gardens. The settlement was established in 1939, and is named after Mrs MP Atteridge, chairwoman of the Committee for Non-European Affairs on the Pretoria City Council at the time. The Lucas Masterpieces Moripe Stadium is located in Atteridgeville.
Langa is a township in Cape Town, South Africa. Its name in Xhosa means "sun". The township was initially built in phases before being formally opened in 1927. It was developed as a result of South Africa's 1923 Urban Areas Act, which was designed to force Africans to move from their homes into segregated locations. Similar to Nyanga, Langa is one of the many areas in South Africa that were designated for Black Africans before the apartheid era. It is the oldest of such suburbs in Cape Town and was the location of much resistance to apartheid.
Education in South Africa is governed by two national departments, namely the Department of Basic Education (DBE), which is responsible for primary and secondary schools, and the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET), which is responsible for tertiary education and vocational training. Prior to 2009, both departments were represented in a single Department of Education. Among sub-Saharan African countries, South Africa has one of the highest literacy rates. According to The World Factbook - Central Intelligence Agency as of 2019, 95% of the population aged from 15 and over can read and write in South Africa were respectively literate.
Nyanga is a township in the Western Cape, South Africa. Its name in Xhosa means "moon" and it is one of the oldest black townships in Cape Town. It was established as a result of the migrant labour system. In 1948 black migrants were forced to settle in Nyanga as Langa had become too small. Nyanga was one of the poorest places in Cape Town and is still one of the most peaceful parts of Cape Town. In 2001 its unemployment rate was estimated at being approximately 56% and HIV/AIDS is a huge community issue.
Milnerton High School (MHS) is a public English medium co-educational high school for grades 8 to 12, situated in the Milnerton suburb of Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa.
Cannons Creek Independent School, situated in Pinelands, Cape Town, South Africa, was founded in January 1997 by Mrs Carol Barhouch together with four teachers, Mrs Hazelmay Duncan, Mr Kevin Wroth, Ms Nicola du Plooy and Ms Lesley Jacobson, as a primary co-educational English-speaking Christian school. The school currently incorporates a primary school and a high school.
The Cape Academy of Mathematics, Science and Technology, often abbreviated to "Cape Academy", is a co-educational public boarding school, situated in the Constantia Valley of Cape Town, South Africa. The Cape Academy was founded in 2004 by the Western Cape Education Department to offer quality instruction in the sciences to students from previously disadvantaged backgrounds, as part of the government's strategy to fill the skills gap present in South Africa.
The Central Line is a commuter rail service in Cape Town, South Africa, operated by Metrorail Western Cape. Central Line services operate along two routes from central Cape Town to Langa, and then along three branches from Langa to various areas in the south-east of the city. The first branch runs to Mitchell's Plain, the second to Khayelitsha, and the third passes through Belhar to terminate in Bellville.
Equal Education (EE) is a democratic movement of learners, post-school youth, parents and community members striving for quality and equality in the South African education system through activism and research. Equal Education aims to build understanding of the education system, while drawing attention to problems faced by schools and their communities.
Parklands College and Christopher Robin Pre-Primary are private schools situated in Parklands, near Cape Town, South Africa. The college is managed by a board of directors represented by the managing director.
Pinelands High School is a public English medium co-educational high school situated in Forest Drive, Pinelands in the city of Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa. It was opened in July 1952 and the founding principal was Jack Kent. The school now enrolls approximately 980 students.
Sinenjongo High School is a high school in Joe Slovo Park, Milnerton, Cape Town, South Africa.
Pinelands railway station is a Metrorail station situated on the western edge of Pinelands, a suburb of Cape Town, South Africa. It is served by trains on the Cape Flats Line and the Central Line. Cape Flats Line trains travel from Cape Town through Pinelands and Athlone to Retreat. Central Line trains travel from Cape Town through Pinelands and Langa to Mitchell's Plain, Khayelitsha and Bellville.
Fezeka High School is a public high school located in Gugulethu, Western Cape, South Africa. It is one of the high schools in the City of Cape Town Metropolitan Municipality.
Baxolile Babongile Nodada is a South African politician for the Democratic Alliance who has been a Member of Parliament since 2019. He served as the Shadow Minister of Basic Education and the Parliamentary Counsellor to the Leader of the Opposition in John Steenhuisen's Shadow Cabinet from 2020 until the DA entered national government in July 2024.
King Edward High School is a semi-private, English-medium high school situated in the Buxton Park suburb of Matatiele, in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. It was founded in the 1902.