Cannons Creek Independent School
| Cannons Creek Independent School | |
|---|---|
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A School with a Difference | |
| Address | |
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Nursery Way, Pinelands 7405 Cape Town, Western Cape South Africa | |
| Coordinates | 33°56′24″S 18°30′24″E / 33.94000°S 18.50667°ECoordinates: 33°56′24″S 18°30′24″E / 33.94000°S 18.50667°E |
| Information | |
| Type | Co-educational independent school |
| Established | 1997 |
| Principals | Mrs. C. Booth (Primary School) and Mr. M. van Haght (High School) |
| Grades | RR–12 |
| Number of students | 396 |
| School fees | R62,975 (High) / R50,545 (Primary) / R44,935 (Pre-Primary) |
| Website |
www |
Cannons Creek Independent School, situated in Pinelands, Cape Town, South Africa, was founded in January 1997 by Mrs Carol Barhouch (now Booth) together with four teachers, Mrs Hazelmay Duncan, Mr Kevin Wroth, Ms Nicola du Plooy and Ms Lesley Jacobson, as a primary co-educational English speaking Christian School. The school currently incorporates a primary school (grades RR to 6) and a high school (grades 7 to 12, writing WCED Matric exams).
History
When Cannons Creek started in January 1997, there were only 37 pupils and 5 teachers. The school was then housed in the Pinelands Club Hall.
However, with the continued demand for places in the expanding school, it was soon realised that the school would need a building of its own. The initial concept was to only provide a primary school; however, in 1998 there was a demand from the parents for Cannons Creek to establish a high school. In 1999, two years following the opening of the Cannons Creek Primary School, a high school was opened, with Mr Mike van Haght as the principal. That same year, Cannons Creek took occupation of the land and a building was built specifically for the school. Due to the increasing number of pupils, the high school building was built and opened in February 2003.
Cannons Creek Primary and High School were then housed in two buildings located alongside each other in Nursery Way, Pinelands with a sports field. In 2006, a Grade R class was started with Mrs Christine Underwood.
In February 2012 a new primary school campus of 16 classrooms was opened, and the old primary school building was taken over by the high school.
In 2016, on the school's Founders' Day, a new Cultural Centre was inaugurated adjacent to the high school's Lonsdale Building. The Cultural Centre has three sound-proofed music teaching venues, and a gallery. It is used for both primary and high school assemblies and for cultural events.
In 2016 there are 396 pupils and 58 staff. The school endeavours to keep classes to a maximum of 16 pupils per primary school class and 20 per high school class. In 2011 double streaming of classes was started in both the high and primary school, with the exception of the Grade RR class.
Principal of high school:
- Mr. Mike van Haght, 1999-
Principal of primary school:
- Mrs. Carol Booth (née Barhouch), 1997-
Academics
Cannons Creek has an acceptable academic record. Since the inception of Grade 12 in 2003, the school has maintained a 100% Grade 12 pass rate.
| Grade 12 WCED results | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pass Rate (%) | 100 | 100 | 100 | 86 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| Subject A's | 45% | 26% | 25% | 18% | 21% | 31% | 12% | 30% | 31.6% | 31% |
| Class aggregate | 59% | 71% | 74% | 66% | 66% | 69% | 71% | 73% | 72% | 71% |
| Top aggregate | 94.9% | 90.5% | 84.7% | 85.9% | 87.0% | 85.3% | 79.4% | 86% | 88.4% | 86.4% |
In 2014 Cannons Creek was given the WCED Award of Excellence.
Compulsory subjects for grades 7, 8 and 9
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Subject choices for Grades 10, 11 and 12
From Grade 10, pupils are required to make their subject choices which they will carry forward to their final Grade 12 (Matric) exams. Cannons Creek offers the following subjects, and below shows how they are combined for the 7 subject group. The final subject choice is made during the pupil's Grade 9 year. The subject choice has been designed so that any combination yields the official HEE (Higher Education Endorsement) which is needed in South Africa, if the child wishes to pursue tertiary education.
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Sports and extramural activities
Primary school
Cannons Creek Primary offers a wide variety of sports and extra mural activities, including the following:
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Over the years the school has had many of its sports players be Western Province sport players, with some even representing South Africa, such as in the U13 Hockey team, U13 Softball team, U13 Tennis team, indoor hockey, cross country trails, karate and kickboxing.
High school
The high school also offers a variety of sporting and cultural activities such as:
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Sport is compulsory at Cannons Creek. The history of the high school's sport scene is filled with well-qualified sport players, with people from hockey, equestrian club, cross country, ladies' golf, body boarding and ice hockey reaching the Western Province trials or level. The school also had a South African touch rugby player who graduated in 2006.
Adventure Week
Adventure Week is a week in which all the students and teachers in the high school complete a hiking trail or attend a camp. The camp is usually five days (in Grade 9 it is a ten-day event) and is always held in the final week of the first term. Each grade has their own set of hiking trails or places that they go. The aim of Adventure Week (a compulsory event) is for the students to experience nature, be out of their comfort zones, learn life skills, and, most importantly, bond with their schoolmates.
In Grade 12, the students have the opportunity of travelling to Namibia and canoeing on the Orange River.