*** South African schools : individual schools








South African School Uniform: Individual Schools


Figure 1.--We have no information about this school portrait. We believe that it was probably taken in the 1970s. Many South African schools had khaki uniforms. It looks like it may be a South African school, but this is only a guess at this time. A reader tells us that this is a school in Kenya.

We do not yet have much information on individual South African schools. Hopefully our South African readers will provide us some information on their schools. We will archieve information on individual schools here as we acquite it. We have some images, but at this time little information about the schools to go with them. We have no information about this school portrait. We believe that it was probably taken in the 1970s. Many South African schools had khaki uniforms. It looks like it may be a South African school, but this is only a guess at this time. Given the photograph was taken in front of the school's main building should make this school fairly easy to identify.

E

(Laerskool) Ellisras

Laerskool Ellisras is a public coeducationl primary school in Lephalale, known also as Ellisras, a coal mining town in the Limpopo province of South Africa. The school began on a farm called Grootfontein (1926). There were only 16 students at the time. The first classroom was inside of an old barn owned by Mr MP van Staden. The only furniture available, where 6 long desks, big enough for 30 children, one teacher's desk and a chair, a bookshelf and two black boards. Thevblsck board needed to be repainted with tar once a week. It is now a substabtisl school with modern fcilities. A sign says 'Maximum School ....'. That may identify the maximum age of the students. It is a 6 year primry school with an attached pre-school. There are about 35 teachers and 660 students, meaning there were several classes at each grade levrel. The school describes itself as, "Laerskool Ellisras is a school where we are driven by values. A place where we can walk barefoot and the noise of Maroelas falling on the roof is no stranger. Laerskool Ellisras is the place where we ensure that each child maintains a healthy balance between academics, sports and culture. Here our children have space to grow, to develop, to really LIVE. It is on these grounds that we achieve great heights through silent effort." Sports seem an important part of the program.

F

Fairway Primary School (Johannesburg)

Here is a very encouraging image from the new South Africa. It was taken on the sports field at the Fairway Primary School, at unban primary in Johannesburg. It shows two friends, a black anf white boy. This short of relationship was unimaginable during apartheid time.

G

Goudkop Primary School

A reader has provided us some images from the Goudkop Primary School, apparently from the 1960s. Unfortunately, we know nothing about the school. Apparently Goudkop is a town in South Africa. This we would assume it is a town in a rural area of South Africa. The building in the background suggests it was a substantial school. The boys wear a simple uniform of open necked grey shirts and matching short pants. The girls wear dresses. Most of the boys and girls go barefoot.

H

(Laerskool) Helderkruin

Here we have a photograph that was taken at Laerskool Helderkruin. The children are going home after the school day. It is a primary school in Roodepoort, near Johannesburg in Gauteng Province. The school is categorized as public school, but the families have to pay a fee of 20,000 rands (1,400 dollars) pro year. This of course is a minimal cost compared tp private schools. It must mean that the government is paying the bulk of the school's operating costs. We are not sure just how South Africa defines pubkic schools. While the feevis very low, it precludes much of the population from attending. It is clearly not a private school becuuse so little of the operating costs are covered by such a small fee.

(Laerskool) La Hoff

This snapshot was taken in Klerksdorp, North West Province, South Africa. It shows Quintus, Jason and Zander De Bruyn, three South African brothers, leaving home on the first schoolday 2010. Zander, who was 5 years old, attended the preschool. Both Quintus (10) and Jason (8) attended Laerskool La Hoff, a public primary school in the township of La Hoff (city of Klerksdorp). The school has two different uniforms: a uniform of shorts and polo shirt with the school name and the classic grey uniform with the school logo. We don't know if the uniforms are worn for different activities and why the brothers are wearing different uniforms for their first schoolday. As most South Afican schools, according to the Ministry of Education guidelines, both the preschool and the primary school allow, or perhaps encourage, the pupils to attend barefoot.

P

Paarl Boys' Primary School

We notice the boys at the Paarl Boys' Primary School in the Western Cape during 1955. The school uniform was white shirts and what looks like grey short pants. The boys are all barefoot, very common in South Africa. The boys are carrying their desks as part of the move to a new building.

Panorama Primary School

The Panorama Primary School is is a South Africa state primary school. We are not sure just where it was located. There are several Paronrama primary schools in South Africa, including schools in Capetown and Johannesburg. We are not sure which one this was. We note a class portrait in 1987. Itt was Standard (std) 2 K27. We are not sure what the K27 meant, perhaps the room rumber. We think that South African children began school at age 6. Thus presumably the children here are 7-8 years old. The girls wear white dresses and white socks. The boys wear open-collar white shirts, short pants, and knee socks. The shorts and knee socks are some color. They may be blsack, but we are not sure.

(Laerskool) Piet Retief

This is a class photo taken in 1964 at Laerskool Piet Retief. It is a private primary school in Piet Retief, a town in Mpumalanga province, South Africa, not far from the Swaziland border. This is an Afrikaans primary school, but the children wear very English-looking blazers as part of their uniform. Mosdt of the children wore ties, but footwear was optional.

R

Rustenburg Primary School

We have found iphotographsfrom the Rustenburg primary school during 1924. Schools like this generally did not have names other than that of the town where they were located. The school ould be referred to as the Rustenburg School. Rustenburg was a town about 100 km west of Pretoria. Most children at the time did not progress beyond primary school. The Rustenburg School was a coed school. All the boys wear short pants. Most are barefoot.

(Laerskool) Rynfield

The Laerskool Rynfield is an Afrikaans speaking primary school in Benoni, near Johannesburg. The school has a vet English-looking school uniform. The school has a grey blazer with light-blue trim. The summer uniform includes a short-sleeved white shirt worn without a tie and grey short pants. There are bpth grey and light blue sweaters that are optional wear. The grey V-neck sweaters have blue trim. There are sleeveless sweaters for summer and long-sleeved sweaters for the winter. The school has grey kneesocks with a yellow and blue band at the top. Footwear is optional and during the summer most boys come to school barefoot, at least during the summer term.

S

(Lerskool) Saamtrek

Lerskool Saamtrek is an Afrikaans-speaking comprehensive primary school. We are not sure what the term 'comprehensive' means in connection with a primary school. The school is located in Wilkoppies, a suburb of Klerksdorp, NW Province, South Africa. The school had a required uniform. A reader has sent a photograph taken during the first school day, on January 13, 2010.

(Laerskool) Silverton

We notice the Scholar Patrol at the Laerskool Silverton in the 1970s. The Patrol boys have added berets and shoulder straps to their school uniform.

V

(Laerskool) Voorpos

We note a family portrait at the Laerskool Voorpos in Pretoria. Two siblings had a snapshot taken with their parents on the first day of school. Unlike someschools, the boys and gierks uniforms are not coordinated. The girl weares a yellow shirt with burganhdy accents and a burgunday skirt along with burgandy socks. The boy wears a basic grey shirt and shorts. We do not know what color socks the boys wore as this boy has chosen to come to school basrefoot. To wear or not to wear shoes at the school was the child's choice.

V

(Laerskool) Witpoort

Laerskool Witpoort is an Afrikaans speaking Christian primary school in Bronkhorstspruit, a small farming town, about 50-km east of Pretoria, Gauteng. In the school's website we read: "Here you can still have a barefoot childhood!" This can be be taken as allegorically reference to the traditional Christian values of a school that wants be "A rural school in the town". They also refers to the school's policy of encouraging the children to attend barefoot in the summertime. Bare feet are not compulsory, but the school uniform recommends this. In winter the footwear is compulsory and the dress code simply says "Sneakers". With the summer uniform. The children can choose between "Black shoes with navy socks" and "Bare feet". It seems that most of the children choose bare feet as most comfortable. The school uniform is: Boys winter: navy tracksuit; navy polo shirt with badge; windbreaker and / or navy sweater; sneakers. Boys summer: grey shorts; navy polo shirt with badge; navy socks with yellow stripes and black shoes or bare feet. Girls winter: navy tracksuit; navy polo shirt with badge; windbreaker and / or navy sweater; sneakers. Girls summer: plaid culottes; navy polo shirt with badge; navy socks and black shoes or bare feet.

Unidentified


Unidentified Rural Primary School

This is a group of students typical South African rural primary school. This seems an unusually small school. Note that all of the children are wearing uniforms. I'm unsure why all the younger children are boys. We do not know the name of the school, but believe the photograph was taken about 2006. Note how well uniformed the children are, even though this is a rural school.






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Created: June 11, 2004
Last updated: 9:08 AM 2/18/2021