Kylemore Secondary School in Stellenbosch achieved a matric pass rate of 95.1% when the results of the 2022 exams were released on 20 January. It was a 5.5% improvement over the previous year’s 89.6% pass rate, and possibly the school’s highest pass rate. (It was the highest since 2010 when the Department of Basic Education (DBE) started compiling data on pass rates, and no data are available for the years before that.)

 “We are really surprised that [the pass rate] was so good. We had a few students who we struggled with through the year, but at the end of the year they showed that they did put in. We are happy for them,” said Gavin Baxter, the acting deputy principal.

“We have around seven subjects where we have a 100% pass rate,” said Tertia Jefthas, the acting principal. These subjects include English First Additional Language, Physical Sciences and Afrikaans.  

Of the 102 learners who wrote the matric exam, 38 received a Bachelor’s pass, 38 a Diploma pass and 21 a Higher Certificate pass.  

Extra classes

Baxter said one of the reasons for the school’s high pass rate was its dedication to providing extra classes, including on Saturdays. Learners were also pushed to attend after-school classes, with extra classes being made available during the exam periods and throughout most of the academic year.  

Carin Venter, Kylemore Secondary’s former principal, addresses the Class of 2022. (Photo: Joel Ontong)

Baxter said of the classes: “They evidently worked when you look at the results we got. And you know it’s difficult to get a child here on Saturdays.”  

The school usually has winter and spring schools, taught by teachers from outside the school whom the learners may not be used to, which lessens their ability to absorb the work, said Baxter.

“We tried to motivate them, pull them in and keep them busy till the end,” said Jefthas. “We have a winning recipe, but we also pray a lot. The Class of 2022 have now set the bar; they have set the standard. But for the Class of 2023, they must improve it.”

“You have to walk with the matrics through the whole year,” said Carin Venter, a former principal of Kylemore Secondary. She believes that checking in with learners, caring about them, loving them, and motivating and supporting them are essential. 

Venter told the 2022 matrics: “We did what we could. We had extra classes, I fetched people at home, I begged people, I made phone calls and you did what you could.”

From left: Ralphton Adams, a ward councillor in the area; Carin Venter, former Kylemore Secondary principal; and Tertia Jefthas, acting principal of the school. (Photo: Joel Ontong)

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Challenges

Baxter said the school had faced a number of challenges in 2022, including not having enough resources. It is a no-fee public school, which falls in the Quintile 2 category. “Quintile 2 schools cater for the [second] poorest 20% of schools,” according to the DBE. 

“Many of these kids come from very difficult circumstances,” said Baxter. Some come from nearby informal settlements, while others travel via bus from Klapmuts, La Motte, Franschhoek and other areas.

“We are in need in many aspects,” said Baxter. The teachers often use their own funds to buy resources like printing paper.  

The learners faced challenges including the Covid-19 pandemic and rolling blackouts. Baxter said that those who taught the Class of 2022 in Grade 10 laid a solid foundation for their following grades. “Something right is being done here, with the little things we get.”  

Pride in their school

The learners of Kylemore Secondary expressed pride in their school. Markon Davids, a 2022 matric pupil, said he hoped this year’s matrics can do even better than them, while fellow pupil Matayo Hendriks said  the extra classes were really helpful.

Though rolling blackouts were a challenge for the learners, they adapted by managing their time, said Vernon Conradie, another matric pupil of 2022. 

Leighthan Julies is Kylemore Secondary’s top-achieving 2022 matric student and headboy. (Photo: Joel Ontong)

Leighthan Julies, Kylemore Secondary’s top achieving 2022 matric pupil and head boy, who passed all his subjects with a B aggregate, said: “This is good for me because it is the expectation that I set for myself. I knew there were going to be some subjects that I wasn’t going to do so well in, but I did better this year than last year.  

“My mother raised me alone; she was a single parent. The reason why I worked so hard was to make her proud. So, it was just to show that everything she does for me isn’t for nothing.

“I don’t come from a rich household. My mother had jobs and left jobs; with a single parent it’s really difficult.” 

He said the most important traits for academic success are endurance and confidence.

Venter said Julies, who will study Human Resources at Stellenbosch in  2023, was a “dream student”.  

“We’re thankful that the students worked so hard. They serve as motivation for this year’s matric class. The team this year must try to reach the same heights. If they can do that, then it will make us very happy,” said Baxter. DM