Grace Primary School held a dedication service for the completed second phase of its building last week.
Guests at the ribbon cutting, including parents and Western Cape Education Department officials, were given a tour of the Pinelands school.
The second phase includes three more classrooms for a total of eight, a library, a science room and a music room.
The idea for the school came about in 2013 when Judy and Darrin McComb’s and Chris and Sophie de Witt’s children were heading to Grade 1. Drawn to the philosophy of British educationalist Charlotte Mason, the families decided to open their own school based on a Christian ethos.
In January 2014, they opened their school with 14 children and one teacher, renting a room from Pinelands Congregational Church.
As the school expanded, they bought a piece of land in Protea Close from Garden Cities for around R410 000 after submitting a formal application for a “family scale school”.
In 2017, they moved into phase one of their new building, and they have now taken full occupation.
Speaking at the dedication ceremony, Ms McComb said the previous principal, Mabel Laubscher, had laid a solid foundation for the school.
“When we started building in June 2016, it was not just good fortune. There are many people who helped to get this building off the ground and others who saw to its completion,” she said.
Karen Wood, who took over as principal in 2019, said 2020 had proven tough with lockdown and teachers having to adapt to a new style of teaching.
“Teachers had to improvise and make do, but it was in this time where we found that the heart of this school lies in its relationships.”
Mr De Witt said: “We are not the biggest on the block, but that was a deliberate choice. We wanted a family-scale school where we see children grow up as they ought. The building is about more than bricks and mortar.”
