Our goal is to assist your son in becoming the best version of themselves, whatever that may look like. As a school we work with our community, including old boys and parents, to help our young men become confident, thoughtful, academically curious and aspirant individuals. Additionally, we believe in core values – such as respect, kindness, honesty and hard work… believing them to be the building blocks for meaningful and fulfilling lives for our young men.
Our goal is to give your son the confidence to take control of his life and create his own bright future.
Helping parents as the primary educators of their boys
‘It takes a village to raise a child’ is a well-known African Proverb. Well-known and entirely correct. As a school we believe we have a great role to play in shaping and moulding young men of value, but never could we do it alone. Education is a team effort. Parents are the primary educators of their children and will always be a cornerstone for reaching young people. Our parents have chosen Jeppe High School for Boys as partners in raising good men, and it is something which we passionately undertake to do. There is a mutual recognition of the school’s expertise, experience and values, and the parents’ duty of care and love for their children. Our parents choose Jeppe because of the investment we make in the education, character and development of their boys, and we are grateful to them for doing so – ours is the greatest work there is in the world!
SUPPORTING BOYS IN REALISING THEIR GOALS
Jeppe Boys must always be the masters of their fate and take responsibility for their journeys. Jeppe High School for Boys hopes to provide the opportunities for young men to thrive, to fail, to succeed and always to grow… but it is not done for them, or to them, but with them. As they grow from early childhood to adulthood, young Jeppe learners are required to take on increasing responsibility for their education and broader lives at Jeppe High School for Boys. We make no apologies for the incredibly high standards which we hold for our boys. Importantly, however, these are standards which the boys have chosen for themselves, too. As they progress through the school the subject choices available and co-curricular options increase. As a school we believe we must provide opportunities for boys to excel, while also expecting all to participate. With opportunity and the landscape at their disposal, the rest is up to them.
THE FINAL MILESTONE IN SCHOOL EDUCATION – MATRIC
Ultimately a strong Matric certificate must always remain the core priority for any learner who goes to school. The achievement of this credential opens the doors of opportunity and allows students to begin the next chapter of their life with the widest possible range of options. The more doors which we can have available to them, the better. However, it would be wrong to think that schools are only about the final academic result. Additionally, our experience proves that happy, involved, active and diligent young men always produce better academic results. Our commitment remains to help a learner achieve their very best across all spheres, recognising that we are always working with the same individual boy at the core of all we, and they, do.
Providing challenging, stimulating learning in a safe, supportive environment
The school experience of a boy at Jeppe is not just a means of gaining a mark; the journey is the fabric of his life for years. The Jeppe experience is challenging and stimulating, it broadens a boy’s horizons, and it takes place in a safe and supportive environment. What he experiences at Jeppe must ultimately prepare him for the challenges, twists and turns of life outside of school.
There are a number of school-based academic support systems in place. All Jeppe boys are part of one of eight Houses and will spend each morning with a tutor group which includes a vertical cross-section of boys from their House. This is the first level of support. The House System is supported by our strong Grade structure, integrated with a School-Based Support Team (the school’s counselling department). Assistance for struggling learners is sought and provided within those structures. In their final two years at the school, learners who need it are given help in preparing for the matric examinations through our Bravehearts programme. There is also an academic support programme run by the senior boys themselves, giving assistance to the juniors, particularly in the hostels.
While it is accepted that there may be valid exceptions, every Jeppe boy is expected to be involved at school after the classroom day is done. Ideally, they should participate in two activities – one each in summer and winter. There is a very wide range of activities available through our sporting, cultural and clubs and activities offerings. The principle is that there should be something on offer to cater for the interests of every Jeppe boy, and new additions are made whenever a sufficient demand emerges. The extra-curricular programme supports the mission of the school – to produce well-rounded young men who can enter the world with skills and confidence after they matriculate.
While much effort is taken to ensure that the elite sporting teams (the 1st teams and A teams in the age groups) are developed and prepared to be competitive in inter-school competitions, the benefits of mass participation are not overlooked. The wide range of sporting activities on offer is intended to cater for the interests of every Jeppe boy and, within that, we will enter as many teams as there are boys who want to participate. Every team at Jeppe has a coach and a manager and the sports department goes to great lengths to ensure that they are given regular opportunities to compete against other schools.
Jeppe High School for Boys believes wholeheartedly that educators make the best coaches for young people. While we do employ external coaching assistants and relevant experts where needed, the vast majority of teams will be overseen by full-time educators with a passion for coaching the relevant sport. This, we believe, differentiates much of the experience for our boys, particularly within lower sides.
The range of cultural activities and clubs and societies on offer at Jeppe attests to a commitment to provide opportunities for every boy to participate. Many of our cultural activities are competition-based, where learners compete in leagues and inter-school competitions, while other activities, chiefly clubs and societies, are activities that the boys are involved in within the school. All the activities have coaches guiding and mentoring the boys, while every club and society has a teacher in charge of it.
The code of conduct is available to all. The school has a disciplinary process in place which is in line with Departmental regulations and the South African Schools Act.
The Jeppe Boys Association has a database of old boys and keeps in touch with them. There are a number of events during the year that old boys are invited to participate in, and there are 10-year anniversary reunions annually. Old boys are welcome to visit their school and they can arrange to be taken on a tour to see the latest developments that have taken place.
Joseph Van der Merwe has shown the resilience and determination of a true champion this year as he overcame the challenges of his school commitments,
The 1st football team has made a great start to their season by going unbeaten at the Association of Boys Public Schools festival at Pretoria
The Wildlife Club went to Marakele National Park in Limpopo for three busy, fun-filled days during the holidays. Among other things, they listened to Jeppe
