GREEN SCHOOL SOUTH AFRICA ON INNOVATIVE & SUSTAINABLE LEARNING
Something green has taken root between the fruit orchards and vineyards of the Paarl Valley and it is a complete, sustainable, forward looking approach to children’s learning – guided by Head of School, Andy Wood.
Born from one family’s passion for education, Green School South Africa is taking education back to basics, as they use a child’s natural curiosity to drive learning.
Green School South Africa aims to educate its learners sustainably and in a progressive, learner-centred way. Using a carefully researched educational approach, the school prepares students for life in a changing world.
“We’re doing something innovative in education, we’re not only teaching content, we’re teaching skills, attitudes and values,” explains Andy Wood.
The school offers classes from Kindergarten (ages 1 to 6) to Grade 9 and hopes to be able to educate learners up to Grade 12 by 2025.
As part of preparing the youth for the changing and challenging world, the campus is green, as are the school’s habits and curriculum.
Green School South Africa is fortunate to be surrounded by breaktaking natural environment and mountain ranges of the Paarl-Franschhoek Valley. The campus has been designed to function as one with nature.
As a result, the school produces its own electricity and water, and has its very own zero-waste landfill site where neighbours from the surrounding area are encouraged to drop off their waste as well.
“The school’s grounds are a garden and most days, the children are out in the garden, busy planting the seeds and the vegetables,” says Andy.
In addition, the school made a conscious effort to re-establish endemic flora and by doing so, has positively contributed to the biodiversity of the area.
All of the school’s efforts are done to create a generation of young people who we’ll need to steer things in the right direction.
“We’re about creating a real love of nature and a love of the environment in the sense that children can be a force of good and a force of change in the world.”
It is a thorough approach but at heart, it’s about getting back to the basics of working with planet Earth and not against her.
