From: St. Paul’s Primary – Franklin, KZN

CIE has played a very important role in the development of our school as a whole. The workshops helped in the development of teachers in planning and preparation, assessment as a whole, using and caring of teacher learner support material and non teacher support material, classroom management and organization. Procedures on how to handle with multi-grade teaching. It helped on how to handle finances of the school i.e. School Finance Management.

Teachers were developed in pastoral care and because of that development, they are able to see learners with different problems and refer them. For instance orphans are brought to the feeding kitchen and are helped to get foster care grants together with clothes and uniform. We have a circle of care which helped us to network with other Departments and NGOs.

SGBs were trained to know their roles and responsibilities and the Deed of Agreement. Through mentoring, support and evaluation from CIE officials at local office (Kokstad) and head office all educators have improved in their standard of performance.

Principal

I started teaching at St. Paul’s in February 2004 teaching Maths and Science in senior phase. We started to have visitors like Mrs. Nakin, Brother Jim, Mrs. Napier who supported educators especially Foundation Phase in Literacy and Numeracy.

Teaching learners from very disadvantaged background was very difficult for the teachers but through support from CIE the mindset of educators was changed.

We see ourselves coping a little bit in terms of discipline of learners. We were trained by CIE on how to develop RE policy using Fostering Hope of which we have managed to integrate RE and Life Orientation through using Lifebound.

We were trained in Pastoral Care and developed a circle of care which helps us a lot to interact with other departments like Social Developments, SAPS, Faith communities which has benefited our school.

We have policies like HIV / AIDS, Pastoral Care and FE of which we were helped by CIE to develop them.

The staff network whti other Catholic schools also attend Catholic Schools Annual General Meetings.

We have principal support groups, e.g. Principals’ Forum for Catholic Schools,. We feel that we can do more with continued support from CIE even other NGOs that visit us.