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Can a broken school be fixed? These alumni think it can.

Sandringham High School, established in 1967, is located in the northeastern suburbs of Johannesburg, just before the city officially becomes Ekurhuleni. Its rolling campus sits at the bottom of Linksfield Ridge, where Mahatma Gandhi once meditated, across from Huddle Park Golf Club and next door to the hospital where Desmond Tutu was once treated for tuberculosis.

Since its founding as a government English-medium school, it has produced generations of young people who have contributed to South Africa and the wider world. Among its alumni are writers, lawyers, plumbers, tech founders, politicians, psychologists, media personalities, businesspeople, and activists, among many others. Perhaps its most famous alumnus is Trevor Noah, who detailed his time at Sandringham extensively in his book Born a Crime.

After the end of apartheid, Sandringham became what is now known as a “former Model C” or “Quintile five” school. Essentially, this means that while it receives government support, it is also permitted to charge school fees in order to fund additional teachers, repairs, maintenance, and extracurricular activities.

For the sake of context and transparency, I should note that I was head boy at the school about twenty years ago. At that time, Sandringham was a remarkable place, a diverse and value-for-money school that offered a wide range of academic, sporting, and cultural opportunities at a high level for the growth of its students. Due to its suburban location, but also its proximity to nearby townships, the student body was made up of both middle-class and working-class children, as well as students from genuinely poor households for whom the school represented a pathway out of poverty.

The influx of immigrants from Africa, Europe, and Asia during the 1990s meant that a walk down the corridor could expose you to five or six different languages. Like many English-medium schools, the boys were passionate about rugby. However, other sports such as netball, squash, volleyball, tennis, and hockey also thrived. Every year, King David High School would arrive for the local derby known as “The Battle of the Ridge.”

But sport was not the only area in which those with “teal blood”, the official school colour, excelled. Scholars regularly performed well in chess, Mathematics and English Olympiads and arts competitions.

Every year, the school hosted an inter-house theatre production competition, as well as a major annual production. School events were opened bya troupe of Irish dancers, students participated in first aid courses, the library, debating, coding, golf, and even a bonsai club. Many of the teachers had been at the school for decades and won competitions for being among the best in the country.

Decline

Over time, however, things began to deteriorate. The immediate cause was the appointment of a corrupt, gambling-addicted principal with a dubious background, who began his tenure by promoting and demoting teachers according to race and persecuting those who questioned his authority.

Teachers fled in droves, taking with them more than a century of collective experience. He was eventually dismissed following a revolt by students and staff, as well as misconduct involving school funds. He left behind a school that was a shell of its former self.

Even before this, however, government policies had already placed enormous strain on the institution. Former Model C schools were increasingly required to absorb students who could not afford fees, while disciplinary policies often kept persistently disruptive learners in the system. This placed pressure on the school’s finances, governance structures, and educational offering, and caused many prospective families to think twice before enrolling.

The result was that Sandringham became a failing institution. Matric pass rates plummeted, infrastructure deteriorated, and the school became associated with crime and social disorder.

This could easily have become yet another story of South African state failure were it not for a group of passionate alumni, education activists, teachers, and private-sector supporters determined to reverse the decline.

The first step in turning the school around was the appointment of a capable principal. The school now has this in the form of Pascal Rekhoto, who is deeply committed to improving mathematics and science results. Another important contributor has been CAP Edu Safe, an initiative focused on securing and revitalising public schools in the city, and which has already made a significant impact at schools such as Jeppe High School for Boys.

With the school becoming more secure, the alumni association, led by businessman Frankie Coda, began focusing on the facilities, many of which had fallen into severe disrepair. To address this, they introduced a system of “social leases” for facilities not directly tied to classroom teaching.

The gym, which had been abandoned, has been refurbished and reopened to the public for those interested in Hyrox and Crossfit.The condition is that schoolchildren will have access to it. The same model has since been applied to the library and sports fields.

Work has begun on the tuck shop, and this week the school swimming pool was reopened for membership in a moving ceremony attended by members of the school community. The NSRI and Arctic Ape will put together a programme to ensure every learner at SHS is water borne and capable of getting to safety.

Success

The success of these initiatives has encouraged the private sector to invest corporate social investment funding into the alumni association, which now co-ordinates refurbishments in consultation with the school about what is most urgently needed. As a result, Burgess Plumbing has redone the bathrooms, of which there were previously almost none suitable for a school of 1 200 children. JoJo tanks have also been donated to ensure a reliable water supply during the northeastern suburbs’ notorious outages.

Alumni and philanthropic groups have donated funds to construct new classrooms, with former classmates often pooling resources together to support new projects. Special monitors have also been appointed to ensure that facilities are not vandalised and that students out of class are directed back to their learning spaces.

The results are beginning to show. At the pool reopening ceremony, guests were greeted by senior learners who guided visitors through the various upgraded sites. Posters advertised meetings for student-led school improvement committees dedicated to keeping the grounds neat and orderly. Last month, the school fielded its first rugby team in more than a decade.

There is still much work to be done at Sandringham High School. But those working to rebuild it have shown that with initiative, creative thinking, and a great deal of passion, a better future for South African education is still possible.

For those interested in progress at the school or wanting to support, go here https://sandringhamhighschool.co.za/our-alumni/