South Africa has a serious dichotomy between the needs of business and what our schooling system provides and what society needs.  As a result, many companies employ fewer people, whilst our economy has a 70% youth unemployment rate.  South Africa needs to proactively reverse and change the prevalent psychosis of dependency.  Our education system must fuel the economy’s capacity to create jobs. Not only does entrepreneurial education not feature strongly in the South Africa education curriculum and policies, it is apparent that we currently do not have the education corps to implement such a plan. 

 

Entrepreneurship foster creativity, employment opportunities and economic growth. The question then remains why are South African schools not teaching entrepreneurship in the midst of our structural challenges.  Our schools are not graduating the doers, makers and cutting-edge thinkers that SA desperately needs.

 

At Chartwell Leadership Primary School we believe that the provision of quality education remains the primary basis through which our economy can develop, children be inspired and empowered towards a better future.

 

The following are value propositions that make Chartwell Leadership Primary School unique:

• The school has an agricultural setting with farm animals on the school, which provides learners a unique opportunity to experience and blend both agricultural and urban experiences. 

• Our learners enjoy education and want to come to school.

• We firmly believe in laying a strong educational grounding in the foundation phase.  A strong foundation phase makes learning easier in the ensuing years.    

• Chartwell Leadership Primary School is one of three schools in South Africa that has integrated entrepreneurial education as part of its school curriculum. We have demonstrated that it is possible to teach the youngest of leaners entrepreneurship from Grade 1!  Our typical Grade 2 learner knows more about business, entrepreneurship and savings then the average Grade 7 learner – be they at private or public schools.

• All our primary school learners have bank accounts and money boxes. 

• Through the Your Future is Better by Saving Now Program (YFBSN) our learners have become savings and entrepreneurial ambassadors. Through this

• We are creating 100 Entrepreneurial Ambassadors from the program.  Besides creating a whole new market of savers, the Entrepreneurial Ambassadors will be mentored through a 12 month period. This engagement will provide individual learners lifelong skills that will serve them well into the future. The learners will gain valuable entrepreneurial skills through this period. 

• The school has an evidence based approach towards education, where practice the principal that your child’s schooling should be self-evident to everyone that your child is receiving good education. 

• Our school program ends daily at 2h30, whereas most school daily school activities end at 13h45. Our leaners resultantly spend more time learning at school.  

• Our school offers horse riding and equestrian program, which is specially designed to help learners to ride horses, jump and learn important aspects pertaining to the equestrian field. Learners will develop the skills, poise, and athleticism needed to further their riding careers while supporting their academic, social, and emotional growth during the important years of their childhood.

• The Young Entrepreneurs Book Club is an initiative of Chartwell Leadership Primary School.  The Club is designed to complement the children’s learning experiences and to particularly make reading enriching.  The ultimate objective is develop a passion for reading. Once a child cherishes and loves books, the child develops a natural inclination to read independently.