Nova Pioneer Schools for Innovators and Leaders, recently celebrated their Ormonde Senior School students’ Cambridge A-Level results, with 83% of Nova Pioneer’s graduating class already achieving University Exemptions. Nova Pioneer students exceeded the global subject pass average in English, Physics, Chemistry, Geography, Business and History.

Nova Pioneer is a pan-African independent school group that builds and operates world-class, affordable schools, offering students grades from preschool through to secondary. The school offers Cambridge, an internationally accredited curriculum, where students can write their IGSCE, AS-Level and A-Level examinations.

The A-Level year is ostensibly the equivalent of Grade 13 at a high school level and provides students a world-recognised exit qualification to widen the scope of their university studies both locally and internationally and, depending on how they performed in their IGCSE and AS levels, gives students the opportunity to improve their options of getting into their preferred course.  

Theuns Opperman, the school leader for Nova Pioneer Ormonde Secondary, said that he was proud of students’ results as they, again, did Nova Pioneer’s “Always Growing” culture principle proud.

“It is a pleasure to share in our students’ successes and excitement about their futures and to hear personally from them how attending Nova Pioneer has laid the foundations for  their aspirations. Their exceptional results reflect the tremendous diligence of our students and their tenacity, as well as the unstinting support and inspiration of their teachers,” said Opperman.

“We believe these results demonstrate the value in the completion of an A-Level year for those who wish to apply to the top South African and international tertiary institutions, and also for those students wishing to improve on their previous year’s AS level results.”

 

Academic excellence a priority 

 

Chief of Schools, Rahel Wondwossen said they were proud of the results achieved by their Grade 13 class of 2022. 

“I wish to commend our students and teachers for their commitment and hard work. The results achieved this year are a testament to their hard work and dedication leading up to this point and will underpin their successful progression into the future. Many of our students have now earned the necessary grades to secure places at universities locally or internationally should that be their plan,” said Wondwossen.

“We want to see students leave Nova Pioneer with the best possible academic qualifications for them and a love of learning that will remain with them for life. We are passionate about ensuring excellent outcomes for our pupils in order to improve their life opportunities. Thus, we are exceptionally proud of what the students have achieved,” she said.

 

Student spotlight

 

Top performing student in 2022, Andrew Williamson who will be pursuing his tertiary education at Stellenbosch University says he is excited about the newfound independence he will gain and finding both like-minded people and unlikely friends at university. 

“I’m most proud of the increased effort I have put into my studies this year. It was far more intensive than last year and it allowed me to discover a level of endurance that I didn’t know I had.”

When asked about what she is most proud of when looking back on 2022, top performer Sinovuyo Titi says, “If I had to pick just one, I would say I’m proud of my growth on how to adapt in uncomfortable situations. The past year has been a roller coaster academically and mentally and I taught myself that the only way to achieve your goals is to navigate through your challenges with a Novaneer “Solutions First” mindset. In that way, you don’t allow inconvenience to overwhelm you and you learn to overcome it.”

Isabel Enechi, another top performer receiving A’s in English and Maths says, “I think I’ve grown to really understand my psyche, and this has helped me in achieving a lot of goals I set for myself this year.” 

 

 

Prepared to thrive post school

 

Departing Nova Pioneer students who have completed their A-Levels, leave feeling confident as they  know what they want to pursue beyond school. Wondwossen says this was made possible through the support of the Post School Success (PSS) Team and the school’s Psycho-social Support Team.

Wondwossen explains, “We established the PSS Team with the aim of equipping students with practical tools for preparation in life after school. The team supports students in understanding their options and what benefits and challenges each may come with.” 

The PSS team, in collaboration with the psycho-social support team, provides students with personalised assessments and career guidance based on each of their unique talents and skills. They support students in cultivating pathways for success after leaving Nova Pioneer.  For many of our students, that may be university, but others pursue launching businesses amongst other pursuits.  Our PSS program, with the aid of our other support structures, supports students in their self discovery of passion and interest as they lead our communities beyond Nova Pioneer.

Both teams have, and continue to, support all students’ as they explore their options to study further or to pursue other paths.

“Also, it is important to note that the journey of a Nova Pioneer student does not end with their exit examinations – once a Novaneer, always a Novaneer. We look forward to engaging with our Novaneers who will now be part of Nova Pioneer’s active and networked pan-African Alumni community,” she added. 

Nova Pioneer is currently operational in both South Africa and Kenya with the  mission to develop generations of innovators and leaders who will shape the African Century. 

The expectations we set for our students are based on the data we collect, that also guides us in mapping their educational growth goals. 

Our view, is that our students are capable and competent individuals with unique abilities to achieve their goals. Our job is to facilitate the process and assist them in developing a growth mindset.

Teaching and learning at Nova Pioneer is firmly grounded in our culture principles, especially: Always Growing, High Expectations, and Joy of Learning. We continuously seek feedback on our students and the learning process in order to inform our teaching, and in turn enable our students to grow and reach their individual academic potential. The learning environment created by the teachers is pivotal in ensuring that each student meets their individual academic goals. 

Here are some of the methods our teachers use to collect data during teaching and learning: 

• Questioning during small group and whole class instructions 
• Observations during centre rotations 
• Student self-reflections 
• Reading assessments 
• Regular checks for understanding 

In addition, we also use more formal assessments such as end of term assessments, Cambridge Progression and Checkpoints, as well as Measure of Academic Progress (MAP). The end of term assessments are written tests used to gauge whether students have mastered concepts covered during a term or year. 

The Cambridge Progression Tests (taken from Grade 3) and Checkpoints (taken in Grade 6) are written tests used to assess knowledge, skills and understanding in English, mathematics, and science. MAP is an international adaptive computer test which measures students’ growth in reading and mathematics, and helps us compare our students’ growth with their peers internationally. Our rotational small group teaching model creates multiple opportunities for students and teachers to provide feedback on the learning process.

We assess our students on a continuous basis, and this provides us with rich data that we use to improve academic performance. The purpose of this data is threefold: 

1. To understand where our students are currently at and what their current needs are 
2. To outline where our students need to be 
3. It helps us develop the path necessary to get them there 

Once this is clearly defined to us, we then continuously revisit and develop these skills using our teaching and learning model. The data we collect is the cornerstone of our teaching and learning, and the individually tailored learning experiences. 

It’s that time of the year again and we have an exciting incentive to share. 

Stand a chance of receiving 25% of the first term’s tuition fees in 2023 if you pay your enrolment fee between the 21st of November and the 16th of December. Lookout for a pop-up ‘Mystery Day‘ each week, on a specific day between this period (21 Nov-16 Dec) and if you made payment on this day, you are one of the lucky winners to receive 25% of your child’s first term’s tuition in 2023. 

 

Term’s and Condition’s below: 

• The campaign runs from 21 November 2022 to 16 December 2022.
• During the campaign, there will be six randomly selected ‘Mystery Days’. These dates will be selected prior to the campaign commencing by an independent party and kept confidential. These dates will not be made public and will only be known by that party and only revealed the day after the ‘Mystery Day’ date has passed. 
• Should a prospective parent make their enrolment fee payment on any one of these ‘Mystery Days’, they will receive 25% off their Term 1 fees for 2023 at Nova Pioneer.  
• The ‘Mystery Day’ will only be publicised the day after and those parents, who made payment, will be informed that they will have the discount applied to their Term 1 fees in 2023, at Nova Pioneer.
• Parents are required to pay at least 50% of their enrolment fee on one of these ‘Mystery Days’, in order to qualify for the discount. 
• Parents who have already part-paid their enrolment fee would not be considered for the discount. That is, settling of- or contribution to a partial enrolment fee payment will not qualify for a discount should said part payment be made on a ‘Mystery Day’.
• A parent’s eligibility of this discount is provisional on there being space available in the requested grade – spaces are limited.
• Only “enrolment fee” payments will qualify for entry should the payment take place after all of Nova Pioneer’s due processes have been completed (e.g. an academic assessment, an affordability assessment, documentation verification etc.). 
• The discount will be applied to tuition costs, equivalent to 25% of the amount due for tuition for the Term 1 2023, specifically.  The discount cannot be used for any other Term’s tuition costs or on non-tuition costs.
• The discount will be 25% of the termly fees of the students grade regardless of their school fees payment option (i.e Monthly, Termly or Annually) The offer is non-transferrable and cannot be substituted for cash or a refund.
• The offer is non-transferrable and cannot be substituted for cash or a refund
• In order to benefit from the offer, the student needs to be enrolled at Nova Pioneer in January 2023.
• The discount can only be applied to the tuition costs for the child for which the refundable enrolment fee is intended, and cannot be applied to any other child’s fees.
• Nova Pioneer staff do not qualify.
• This does not apply to any current students making top-up enrolment fee payments.

Don’t miss out on this amazing opportunity! Apply today!

“Teaching is conceptual and intellectual, abstract and concrete, creative, and sequential. It’s about people but framed through ideas. It’s about content, hearts, minds, the past, the future–whatever we can imagine, teaching and learning are both causes and effects.”-Teach Thought Staff

It has been said that “those who can’t do, teach,” which means that getting a job teaching how to do something is easier than actually doing it. This is obviously a lighthearted jab at one of history’s most noble professions – imagine the hands that carved the Venus of Willendorf or Beethoven composing the Moonlight Sonata – the care, patience, love, and intention that went into it, and now imagine every teacher as an artist responsible for shaping masterpieces whose impact will influence future generations. Every master must pass through the hands of a teacher, meaningful change begins with a teacher, and educational transformation begins with teachers.

Annually on the 5th of October,we celebrate the critical role of teachers in transforming learners’ potential by ensuring they have the tools they need to take responsibility for themselves, for others and for the planet. We call on countries to ensure that teachers are trusted and recognised as knowledge producers, reflective practitioners, and policy partners.It is truly an honour to reflect on the crucial role played by one individual who has devoted their life to what one of our senior resident Pre-Primary teachers (Asmaa Khan) refers to as a “calling, an opportunity to inspire, give the young ones a space where they can dig into their curiosity and explore the world around them.”

The bow from which every arrow springs, a career from which every career is created-the challenges that our educators face should not be solely theirs; it is our collective responsibility to improve the conditions that pave the way to developing our leaders.

The theme of World Teachers’ Day, 2022, “the transformation of education begins with teachers,” is incredibly appropriate. It serves to remind us we are because our teachers are.

In appreciation of our educators we close with the wise words from one of our star educators Ms Ilhaam Patel, “my role as a teacher at Nova Pioneer is to create a safe and exciting environment for my students to develop a passion for acquiring skills and knowledge to make the world a better place in the future. My role is to nurture each individual learner and appeal to their unique interests and personalities so that they can contribute to our ever-changing society. Nova Pioneer has created an environment that allows me to work towards these objectives. We are Greater Together as a school and an organisation, working to develop future leaders and innovators beyond the borders of African countries.”

 

Guest: Masego Solomons 

Nova Pioneer South Africa Alumni Chapter President and Law student at Varsity College, Masego Solomons , joins Jabu to chat about the ongoing process behind the formation of Nova Pioneer South Africa’s Alumni Chapter and being elected as President of the Chapter. Masego also shares her biggest learnings from her experience in church and youth leadership and her thoughts on the negative socio-cultural constructs about women in leadership positions particularly in Africa.

To listen in – Click here

Want to become a Novaneer? Apply to Nova Pioneer now by visiting www.novapioneer.com. Remember to select “Novaneer Podcast” on the “How did you hear about us” section of the online application.

To listen to the full episode, gain early access to the latest episodes and bonus content, become a patron for as little as $5 per month. Visit Novaneer Podcast’s Patreon page to sign up today.

If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or whichever podcast platform you use. Doing this helps grow the reach of the Novaneer Podcast and helps us improve the podcast content offering to you. Your contribution to and feedback of the podcast is invaluable. Email your thoughts, comments, questions and voice recordings to novaneerpod@gmail.com.

Produced by Jabu Mtwa. Theme music by Hazy.

Guest: Tshegofatso Langa

Wits University B.A. Law student and Golden Key International Honour Society member, Tshegofatso Langa, returns to the Novaneer Podcast for a special exam preparation advice session. In this episode, Langa shares his top tips for preparing for a Cambridge level exam and discusses vital academic practices that he employs that have helped him achieve excellent grades in A-Levels and university.

 

To Listen in – Click here

Want to become a Novaneer? Apply to Nova Pioneer now by visiting www.novapioneer.com. Remember to select “Novaneer Podcast” on the “How did you hear about us” section of the online application.

To listen to the full episode, gain early access to the latest episodes and bonus content, become a patron for as little as $5 per month. Visit our Patreon profile to sign up now.

Your contribution to and feedback of the podcast is invaluable. Email your thoughts, comments, questions and voice recordings to novaneerpod@gmail.com.

Produced by Jabu Mtwa. Theme music by Hazy.

Guest: Josh Elder (Co-founder of Nova Pioneer)

On this episode, extended interview with Siegel Family Endowment Director and Head of Grantmaking, Joshua Elder, Josh talks about moving to South Africa for a teaching post in Cape Town, the story behind co-founding Nova Pioneer in 2014. Josh also discusses his experience being Nova Pioneer’s first Chief Academic Officer, the importance of student-teacher 360 degree feedback cycles and having a house named after him at Nova Pioneer.

To listen in – click here

Want to become a Novaneer? Apply to Nova Pioneer now by visiting www.novapioneer.com.
Remember to select “Novaneer Podcast” on the “How did you hear about us” section of the online application.

To support the podcast, gain early access to the latest episodes and bonus content, become a patron for as little as $5 per month. Visit Novaneer Podcast’s Patreon page to sign up today.

If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or whichever podcast platform you use. Doing this helps grow the reach of the Novaneer Podcast and helps us improve the podcast’s content offering to you. Your contribution to and feedback of the podcast is invaluable. Email your thoughts, comments, questions and voice recordings to novaneerpod@gmail.com.

Produced by Jabu Mtwa. Theme music by Hazy.
*episode titles and descriptions are subject to change

Simikazi Deyi expresses the importance of mother tongue languages in an article in 2018 that states, “Language is not just a series of words, but includes certain nuances that emerge in the form of idioms, metaphors and euphemisms, as well as praises. Language is therefore tied intrinsically to a sense of belonging, which is in turn linked to society and its values”. In a country where our differences have so often divided us, our school is always looking for tangible opportunities to acknowledge the spectrum of who we are. 

 

Language has historically been a divisive tool in education. Used to disempower, to segregate, and to alienate children from access to quality education. One simply needs to reflect on the 1976 Soweto Uprising to realise how powerful a tool language is in creating equitable access to education. In modern day South Africa, we still struggle with classism and bias based on people’s accents when they speak in English. As schools serving children on the African continent, it is our responsibility to work to create a cohesive society, and the acknowledgement of our language diversity is one of many ways we can make this possible for our learners. 

 

A starting point for us was to embrace the different languages spoken by our students. In social and break settings, we do not prohibit students from speaking in their mother tongue. Rather, we seek to empower our students to understand how to include their peers, and not allow children of differing languages to feel excluded from a social group. We also encourage our students to learn language through socialising with their peers, who may speak a different language. This is a more complicated approach than simply saying everyone must speak English, however, the long term impact on social cohesion is more meaningful. 

 

With all this in mind, our team launched our first Love Your Mother Tongue Week (LYMT Week) in 2019. LYMT Week is a week where parents can book a slot to come in to visit their child’s class during the Morning Meeting, which is the first half hour of the day. During this time parents are invited to read a story, teach the children a song, or recite a poem in their mother tongue. During COVID parents have been able to join via Zoom. Since starting LYMT Week, we have been treated to the most rewarding recognition of who we are as a nation. Our children have experienced parents celebrating the various indigenous South African languages, Asian languages, English, Afrikaans, languages from the Middle East, as well as languages from throughout Africa, by introducing them to the rich nuances of their languages, through music, poetry and storytelling. 

 

We host this each term in an effort to normalise the differences that make us who we are, and being mindful to not just doing this once a year on a national holiday. Operationally, this is a very simple event, which requires no changes to our timetable, and is facilitated with a simple booking form. While it is very little work to organise, the power and impact of it is huge. It is however, important that the true shift does not just come from a termly event, but rather from interrogating our policies about language, and language diversity, both formal and informal. We should continue to strive to create cohesion through our everyday actions and daily acknowledgement of our differences, or else events like this will remain hollow and will be unable to affect the change we need to see in our society.

In our fast and ever-changing world, it is important that children learn a few key skills from a young age, most of which should be taught at school level. A student’s ability to become successful in the real-world (and face the daily challenges presented in the workplace) weighs heavily on their ability to problem-solve and to think “outside the box”.

It is to be expected that there will be myths and misconceptions surrounding the Cambridge curriculum, given it’s not widely taught in the majority of South African schools. The majority of the myths and misconceptions are baseless. 

Formed by the UK’s University of Cambridge more than 150 years ago, Cambridge Assessment International Education (CAIE) is the world’s largest provider of international education programmes to over 8 million candidates in 160 countries. 

Nova Pioneer school network holds itself to very high standards, and it has been our objective since conception to lead, innovate, and always grow. The Cambridge curriculum has been specifically selected to set up Nova Pioneer students for success. We have highlighted five common misconceptions and hope to provide some clarity.

 

MYTH: Cambridge curriculum qualifications are not recognised by SA universities

 

Fact: The Universities of South Africa (USAf) matriculation board has standardised its acceptance of international qualifications including those issued by Cambridge Assessment International Education (CAIE). All South African universities have established their minimum entry requirements for students holding a CAIE qualification and fully accept them. Students from Cambridge who pass the AS or A level exams with a bachelor’s degree can apply to USAf for a matric equivalence, and students who pass the AS level exams with the equivalent of an NSC or diploma can do the same with South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA). Both processes are simple and instant. Many of our Nova Pioneer alumni are already enrolled in South Africa universities and are thriving, this alone dispels this erroneous misconception.(Cambridge A Level qualifications are also recognised and valued by all Ivy League and Ivy Plus universities in the US, all UK universities, as well as those in Australia, Canada, Germany and beyond.)

 

MYTH: The Cambridge curriculum is overly difficult

 

Fact: Nova Pioneer was founded with the mission to offer high-quality education, at accessible fees and the Cambridge curriculum is not only rigorous but internationally-recognised, giving our students an advantage over most. Through our teaching and learning methods all students accepted in our schools have the opportunity to thrive with the Cambridge curriculum. The end point of (AS and A level) is explicitly to prepare our students for tertiary education, they are required to engage in depth with the skills and content of each subject they choose. We impart and cultivate a mindset and attitude that allows the student to engage course material independently, inside and outside the classroom. The Cambridge curriculum emphasises understanding and application of knowledge rather than rote memorisation of facts in order to pass exams. Although rigorous and demanding, Cambridge is NOT overly difficult. 

 

MYTH: It will be easier for my child to get higher symbols with the national CAPS curriculum

 

Fact: This is yet another misconception directly linked to the notion that Cambridge is overly difficult. Let us establish the fundamental purposes of both CAPS (Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement) and Cambridge: CAPS provides a general school exit requirement which allows a student to go to university, vocational training or join the workforce – this curriculum is more prone to provide the minimum, in this respect. Students are tested on their ability to retain and recapitulate information and students which may not adequately prepare them for tertiary education or life beyond school. In 2019 only 22% of CAPS students were able to complete degrees in the allotted time. However, Cambridge AS and A Levels are specifically designed to prepare students for the rigours of a university education. Fewer subjects are studied at A-Level, which means a more concentrated approach. Deep knowledge of focused subjects as well as conceptual understanding is fostered, encouraging students to develop higher-order problem solving and thinking skills. Much of the content covered is at first year university level, and consistent feedback from our alumni is that they are certainly at an advantage to their CAPS counterparts because they have covered most of the content and can cope with the academic demands of tertiary schooling.

 

MYTH: There are not enough Cambridge-qualified teachers in South Africa and therefore the curriculum will not be delivered to the benefit of my child

 

Fact: There is no teacher qualified to teach the Cambridge curriculum but a teacher with experience teaching the Cambridge curriculum. At Nova Pioneer we require our teachers to be fully qualified (with a Bachelors of Education) and SACE (South African Council for Educators) registered, our apprentices should be currently studying towards their degree or PGCE (Post Graduate Certificate in Education). The rigorous and demanding nature of Cambridge requires our teachers to be experts in the subjects that they teach. More often than not, our teachers in AS and A level will have a postgraduate qualification in the subject that they teach. In order for our teachers to teach the curriculum to its fullest potential we offer extra support through Cambridge run courses that assist in innovation and thorough methods of teaching and assessing in the Cambridge system. Teacher retention is a priority, as this helps us retain and grow the “Cambridge Knowledge” that we have accumulated over the years. The curriculum is student-centred and enquiry-based and our teachers fully practise these fundamentals – with the help of our Deans of Instruction we authentically embed this approach within our teacher cohort through regular professional development opportunities. Cambridge representatives offer us regular assessments to ensure we are delivering the curriculum and assessments to required standards.

 

MYTH: Cambridge schools in South Africa lack support in delivering the curriculum

 

Fact: Nova Pioneer is a fully accredited Cambridge school and has immediate and full access to a range of support services from Cambridge: these include but are not limited to teaching resources, assessment and staff training facilities. The exam officers in each campus have a direct line to Cambridge in the United Kingdom; and our active partnership with the Cambridge office in South Africa ensures we receive support with training, queries around USAf criteria, conference and meeting attendance. We have created small support communities with other Cambridge schools in the Gauteng area. Nova Pioneer has high schools in Ormonde, Midrand and Ruimsig.

We constantly urge parents to think carefully about the curriculum and the school their children attend, which is why we are always prepared to have in-depth conversations with prospective and current parents and students.

For more information, reach out to our admissions team at admissions.sa@novapioneer.com.