Constantia Primary grows from farming community to educational beacon

Constantia Primary School marked its 115th anniversary this year, celebrating a legacy of education that dates back to its farming community roots in 1910.

The school, located at the junction of Spaanschemat River Road and Ladies Mile Extension, was originally built on the Constantia farmlands to serve children living in the area.

“Historically, it was children living in the farming community who would come to this school, though today this school is inclusive for everybody, where they have children coming from areas like Hout Bay, Westlake, Nyanga, Philippi, Khayelitsha, and all over the Cape Metropole,” said principal Alastair Adams.

“It became a school of choice where everyone is welcome to come here.”

Mr Adams, who has been the principal since 2019, said they want to continue to give the pupils quality education.

“Inside the classroom, we want to develop the pupils holistically and outside the classroom through their extra mural activities,” he said.

The school, with 530 pupils, has undergone several changes in recent years. In 2023, Constantia Primary, a public school previously categorised as a fee-charging quintile 4 school under the National Norms and Standards for School Funding policy, was declared a no-fee school from Grade 1 to 7 due to its location and the surrounding community’s socio-economic profile.  

While teachers’ salaries and basic funding come from the Western Cape Education Department, additional projects like building upgrades, new technology, and extra-curricular activities will rely on fund-raising.

Three years ago, the school also released its new school song, made possible through a donation of musical instruments from the public. (“Constantia Primary is alive with the sound of music,” Constantiaberg Bulletin, 2022)

Teacher Nicole Frank, who joined the school in 2020, also made history by becoming the first deputy principal, having acted in the role since 2023.

“Our staff and our team encourage us to keep pushing forward through the amount of effort they put in every day,” she said.

Ms Frank said apart from offering quality education, they have also added many extracurricular activities for their pupils since 2023. They play soccer, table tennis, rugby, netball, cross country running, robotics, choir, dance, and drama. 

“What makes us special is that the time for doing extramural activities is additional time that the teachers give for their pupils and do not get paid extra for doing that,” she said. 

"We don’t find problems, we find solutions. If we don’t have money, we find someone to help us; if we don’t have equipment, we will network with someone,” Ms Frank said.

Long-serving teacher Shareen Bruce, who has been at Constantia Primary for 27 years, said the school had always found ways to adapt.

She said she also had to adapt to how teaching changed with the introduction of new technology. “It took some time to adapt, though we fell in with the new way of teaching.”

General foreman Eloise Williams has worked at the school for 43 years.

“It was a good experience working here, I grew and learnt a lot over the years,” she said.

Ms Williams said she has built a good relationship with her colleagues, and working with the school children always kept her going.

Looking ahead, Mr Adams said they are seeking more support for their food garden and feeding scheme.

While the Peninsula Feeding Scheme provides 72 meals daily, the school feeds more than 200 children each day.

“We are always in need of more fruit and vegetables so that we can supplement each pupil and not leave any child unfed,” he said.

He added that the school’s dream is to one day have a hall and an administrative block.

“Those are dreams, though I believe that with the team that we have, which is so vibrant, we can make it happen,” he said.

For more information, email constantia.prim@wcgschools.gov.za or visit www.constantiaprimary.co.za.