When Marching to the Beat of a Different Drum Becomes an Asset

At Abbotts College High School, we treat our students like the young adults they are. There are no bells, no uniforms, no prescriptive hairstyles rules, and most importantly, there are no distractions due to obligatory extra-curricular activities. Learning happens best in an environment where learning, exploring and curiosity form the main culture of learning. Students thrive in a setting where the teachers and mentors are attentive to their individual needs, and where they can learn to take responsibility for their time management and academic progress. 

Abbotts Colleges are not fixated on the way students look, how they dress, what their individual identity is nor normative group identities. Abbotts Colleges place emphasis on learning impact; showing progress and developing a sense of curiosity in the world. Even more importantly, Abbotts Colleges are about not settling for second best: there are three pillars that support what is accomplished at Abbotts. These are comprehensive individual support, value-added education and specialists teaching and learning.

You might think that with no bells and no set uniform that it must be a very liberal environment, however, Abbotts Colleges are effective because of our structured approach. We have systems in place to assist students and guide them on their educational journey. For example, students receive 7 reports during the year which allows them to track their own progress in a much more comprehensive and self-driven (yet fully supported) way. This high frequency feedback ensures that parents and students know sooner rather than later whether they are on track. An effort level replaces a class average to help the students measure their own progress against themselves and not the group. After each report, a mentor assigned to each student has a progress discussion to help them set new progress targets and decide what plan of action they will follow to achieve these targets. Continuous discussions during the term helps students stay dedicated to their target plan.

True value-added teaching and learning means to ensure that education is more than just copying down lines of work from a textbook or staring at formulas on a board. Value-added education can only lead to establishing an effective learning environment if it includes academic mentoring, access to hand-picked teachers and subject specialists. Our students also attend daily guided homework sessions during which time they plan their academic program and have access to teachers to provide one-on-one support. Most significantly, the skills and attitudes that make learning effective can only be fostered if the student can learn in a non-judgemental, safe and supportive, mature environment, where learning is more important than rules and regulations.   

Our teachers don’t use reports as a way to instil a sense of anxiety in our young people, but rather make use of each report as a learning and progress discussion on an individual basis to make sure the student and teacher understand what additional support is needed and what the next steps in learning should be.  

Emotion and behaviour are inextricably linked. Young people behave in a specific way because we feel a specific way, and if anxiety overshadows learning, it is inevitable that learners’ achievement will not be actualise in the way they have envisaged. Mentoring and social and emotional support are integrated into the structure of every day. 

At Abbotts Colleges no student should never give up on achieving their dreams. We think that students shouldn’t reach for a plan B, but rather work a plan A 2.0. We invest in second chances, new opportunities, and comprehensive individual mentoring and support. 

While catering for Grade 8-12, the unique approach to education of Abbotts Colleges is underpinned by an understanding that this final and critical phase in a student’s education will shape and determine each their future. Abbotts Colleges aim to ensure that every student achieves academic success in a non-traditional school environment geared towards belonging and inclusion of all.  

For more information please visit www.abbotts.co.za

A renowned educational expert with more than two decades of experience locally and internationally, Dr Mostert holds a BEd Honours (Cum Laude) and MEd in Curriculum Design from University of Johannesburg. He completed a UK Qualified Teacher Accreditation from the University of East London in the UK as well as a Postgraduate Diploma in Social, Emotional and Behaviour Difficulties from Leicester University in the UK. He completed his PhD in Psychology of Education through the University of Johannesburg. Dr Mostert was awarded the Outstanding grade for Teaching and Learning by Her Majesty’s Office in Standard in Education (Oftsed), has published peer reviewed articles in international journals, presented and international education conferences, led and presented staff development seminars and is currently the Brand Academic Manager of ADvTech’s Niche School Brands in South Africa. Dr Mostert has conducted research in teaching and learning practices in Denmark, the UK, South Africa and The Netherlands.