MRP Foundation Schools programme mentors school management so that the whole school can succeed
Educators and Management from Katleho Primary School, along with the MRP Foundation Schools Team. Image: MRP Foundation/ Pierre Tostee
School leaders play a critical role in shaping a school into a centre of excellence. In 2018, MRP Foundation launched its holistic Schools Programme into 20 Primary Schools in the mountainous town of QwaQwa, in the Free State.
This year, in year one of the MRP Foundation’s six-year schools programme, the Foundation has focused on empowering school leaders and management with additional skills and knowledge required to run a successful school.
For Katleho Primary School Principal, Ms. Ropoto, the programme has been invaluable because of the Foundation’s frequent workshops, ongoing mentorship and consistent support.
“The programme has helped the school a lot – for educators, parents and even the learners. We have learnt management skills and the workshops have been helpful. We have learnt about what makes a school effective and exchanged experiences with the other leaders. We have also changed our vision and mission statement to be more focused and now everyone is aware of the school’s vision and mission”
The aim of the first year of the MRP Foundation’s Schools programme is to empower Principals and School Management to become champions of change in their schools with the ability to tackle daily challenges, like poor learner results and high dropout rates.
The MRP Foundation Schools programme provides constant support to school management through:
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Principals attend an Imbizo in the beginning of the year to develop a realistic school improvement plan.
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Principals attend capacity building workshops and are mentored on core leadership and management topics including ‘Instructional Leadership’, ‘Changing Mindsets’ and ‘Supporting the School Governing Body (SGB)’.
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MRP Foundation mentors regularly visit Principals to discuss and support them in their role as a leader and their key responsibilities.
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Encouraging and motivating principals through remote support.
Year one of the programme also sees learners participating in weekly physical education lessons, a vital part of developing a healthy young person. Educators are also empowered to teach Physical Education and in doing so, learning about Physical Education themselves. By working together with all stakeholders, lasting change and results with deep impact can come about.
For further insights on how the MRP Foundation School Programme is implemented please note page 22 of the MRP Foundation Annual Integrated Report:
About MRP Foundation’s Schools Programme
MRP Foundation Schools is a holistic education programme that focuses on four key areas: parent and community involvement; school management and leadership; learner development and educator development. Learners can unlock and develop their full potential through quality education and holistic interventions including Physical Education, Maths, Science, English, Creative Arts and Environmental Awareness programmes.
There are 98 primary schools part of the programme: Tongaat (20), Hammarsdale (20), QwaQwa (20), Soweto (20) and Mitchell’s Plain (18). MRP Foundation also supports 31 Early Childhood Development Centres in Hammarsdale (KZN) and 31 Centres in QwaQwa (Free State). Over 96,000 learners benefited from the Schools Programme in 2018.
