Welcome to

CHARTERHOUSE SCHOOLS

We are a unique, independent school of the finest tradition in private education. From the humble beginnings of the Pre-Primary School in 1976, Charterhouse Schools today offers Grade 0000(2 turning 3) to Grade 7. We are a Cambridge school that includes learning outcomes from the CAPS and IEB curriculum.

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Where your child matters

Grade 0000 (2 turning 3) to Grade 7

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10 Erasmus Road, Radiokop
Honeydew, 2040

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Preparatory:  (011) 475 6809
Pre-Primary: (011) 475 4185

admissions@charterhouse.co.za

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    By Corne Swan 22 Jun, 2023
    Children are Born to Learn  Nurturing children's natural love of learning begins with trust; trust that works both ways. Children need to be in a trusting environment where their creativity and spontaneity is encouraged. They need an instinctive understanding that they can learn without fear. Teachers then need to trust the children. They need to trust that children know when they are ready to learn and trust that they know what they want to learn. Trust that when children own their own learning, it occurs naturally and in a way that fuels their natural desire to learn. "Fish swim, birds fly, and children learn." John Holt This is one of my favourite quotes because it encompasses, in only a few words, the truth about children and learning; it's what they do. And they do it naturally and instinctively from birth. Children are naturally curious and have a built-in desire to learn first-hand about the world around them. I see this happening every day at Charterhouse, from the preschool toddlers to the Grade 7s in the preparatory school. I see curious children trying to make sense of things and find out how things work, gain competence and control over themselves and their environment, observing the world around them and experimenting. Instead of shying away from learning, they touch it, taste it, bend it and engage with it; all to make sense of it and discover new things. They are bold and fearless; not afraid of making mistakes. Children are patient and can tolerate an extraordinary amount of uncertainty, confusion, ignorance, and suspense. If left alone, children will know instinctively what method of learning is best for them. Caring and observant parents soon learn that it is safe and appropriate to trust this knowledge. Such parents say to their baby, "Oh, that's interesting! You're learning how to crawl downstairs by facing backwards!" They do not say, "That's the wrong way." Perceptive parents are aware that there are many ways to learn something, and they trust their children to know which ways are best for them. Children learn best when what they are learning has relevance to their own interests and concerns. Although what fascinates a preschooler is quite different from what fascinates a teenager, their intrinsic motivation and love of learning will always shine through. Schools should take more cognisance of this and work at delivering their curriculum in a way that enhances the natural love all children have for learning. What I see at Charterhouse is teachers facilitating learning and engaging children in the process of knowledge building and learning new skills. Our teachers create an environment where children immerse themselves in their learning and stimulate their natural curiosity. We understand that every child is an individual and on their own learning journey. Every child can only run as fast as they can run, and every child can only learn as fast as they can learn. At Charterhouse our children don’t understand the sentence, “I can’t do it.” They rather say, “I can’t do it yet!”. With the right environment, stimulation, questions asked and facilitation, all children will reach the understanding and knowledge they require to foster true learning. - Dylan Cavanagh
    19 Jun, 2023
    In the world of teaching and learning, fun is as important as grades. It makes us unique and gives us healthy strategies to cope for the times when the going gets tough
    09 Jun, 2023
    I was the perfect mom. My children were always neat, they greeted people by name, they read books just for fun, they excelled at sport and in the classroom and other moms looked at me with envy thinking, “How did she get it so right?” And then I had children! At first it was pretty easy, Sarah met all her required milestones, was cute as a button and as good as gold. When her playgroup teacher mentioned she couldn’t sit still during the story ring, I didn’t give it much thought; the kid was three, wasn’t she supposed to be moving around? Issues sequencing pictures? “Ah well, she will get it eventually”. The inability to recognise the word “the” in Grade 0 when they started learning sight words had me in a fit writing ‘THE’ ‘THE’ ‘THE’ all over the house and up her arm in black khoki. Looking back, this was the beginning of our family homework story, one that does not have a happy ending. By Grade 2, the frustration of reading and learning our weekly spelling words was just too much for the two of us to bear. We went for the required assessments which identified what we already knew; Sarah could not read. Words like visual processing issues, working memory delays, attention deficit disorder all just meant, “Your kid has something wrong with her, you are not such a great parent!” This is a huge blow for someone who is not only a mom but also a teacher. How on earth do I teach other people’s children to read when I can’t even get it right with my own? While looking for which family genes to blame, my husband and I realised that in actual fact, both of us come from a long line of “slow learners”, Chris hates to read – even a sign board is too much effort and quite frankly neither of us is so hot at spelling. But we are both happy, valuable members of society with degrees and a successful business. With this insight came the realisation that this diagnosis was not something my child suffered from but rather part of who she is. We signed her up for the necessary therapies and extra lessons and continued to build her other talents and heal her self- esteem. I became more mindful to the fact that not all children learn in the same way and began my own journey of researching ways in which to help these children in the mainstream classroom. We still didn’t do the homework though. Obviously, the universe thought we were doing a smashing job and decided that one child with Dyslexia was not enough and so we were blessed with two! Thanks to an intuitive and wise teacher who was not afraid to break the news of “something off here”, Lily went for her bout of assessments. As she was already 9 at the time, we were given a straightforward Dyslexia diagnosis. The psychologist was surprised at the way Chris and I embraced the findings but after the long and uncertain path we had already travelled with Sarah, to have a definitive diagnosis was a real treat for us. Sarah was also formally diagnosed as having Dyslexia shortly after. Dyslexia comes with baggage. Different baggage for different kids. Sarah’s baggage is ADD, Lily’s is sensory modulation disorder. The one thing they have in common is that they cannot read with enough fluency to comprehend what they are reading, and they absolutely cannot spell or remember their times tables. The best bit of advice I have received was from another mom who has travelled a similar path. She said, “We spend 20% of our time working on the weaknesses and 80% of the time working on their strengths.” This mindset change has allowed my kids to relax, allowed Chris and I some of the highs that come with watching your children be good at something they enjoy and let them see that they are not Dyslexia. As a mom, my heart still breaks when I see them not achieving their potential in written assessments but as a teacher, I am completely driven to find ways to help my children and others. As a citizen of the world, I am so excited to see what they will become and what they will add to society. The realisation that my children are different and have been earmarked for something great completely thrills me and enables me to find the energy to fight for their accommodations, be the beating board during homework and study time and allows me to speak with conviction when I discuss their bright future with them. I know our Dyslexia journey is far from over, I know that the road will not be smooth, but I will continue to grow my children, witness their lives and find ways to explore every avenue available to ensure they grow up to be strong, confident women who do not let a diagnosis define their potential. - Debbie Hutt 
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    Preparatory: (011) 475 6809
    Pre-Primary: (011) 475 4185
    WhatsApp: +27 066 380 2703
    admissions@charterhouse.co.za
    10 Erasmus Road, Radiokop
    Honeydew, 2040

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