This new grade addition allows the school to be both a middle (Grades 6 to 9) and high school (Grades 10 to 12), says Shaun Fuchs, founder and chief executive officer of Centennial Schools.
“We are very excited to bring an expanded education offering to our students. Our ethos of 21st century education can now be introduced at a younger age – giving younger students the opportunity to embrace and develop skills they will need in an ever-changing world,” Fuchs says.
Aside from the usual Caps curriculum subjects, Centennial Schools offers additional carefully curated courses and subjects designed to empower students to actively engage in the real world, thus enabling them to thrive in a rapidly evolving society, Fuchs says.
Touch-typing, digital literacy, coding, and eSports will form part of the Grade 6 curriculum.
“Technology and digital literacy lie at the heart of our education philosophy because we have realised that the education offering in South Africa is not geared towards 21st century workplace skills. By exposing and teaching our students these skills and new technologies, we are cultivating young people who can enter the world of work ready and able.
“While many schools in South Africa have embraced some form of modern technology in their education offering, they are still stuck with an outdated model of educating, which is tied to the one size fits all approach. At Centennial we focus on individualised learning because each student learns and grows at a different pace. With the help of technological advances in Artificial Intelligence we can customise learning for our students,” Fuchs says.
Technology is at the centre of the school’s education model and students get to grips with the full suite of Microsoft applications, subjects like CoinED (cryptocurrency and Blockchain), the full Adobe Suite of applications and coding.
Centennial Schools boast the largest eSports arena in Africa where students participate in games-based education and the option of competitive gaming. Last year the school awarded three gaming scholarships.
Physical activity plays an important role in developing healthy bodies and minds, and in developing skills crucial in work life. To optimise this, Centennial Schools have specialist coaches who offer individualised training in boxing, personal fitness, basketball, netball, hockey, 5-a-side soccer, and yoga.
“The Grade 6 offering is one of the first steps in expanding our school. We already offer a vastly different learning experience and school environment for our students, and with a younger grade now entering the school ecosystem, we can start future proofing an even bigger group of South African students.
“Besides the technology-forward focus of our education programme, we also place great emphasis on health and wellness, entrepreneurial training, and personalised learning. This we believe is the recipe for equipping our young people with the skills they will need in the real world, a world that is rapidly changing the way we work and what we do,” Fuchs says.
