{"id":4374,"date":"2025-12-03T17:48:06","date_gmt":"2025-12-03T15:48:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mypr.co.za\/?p=173737"},"modified":"2025-12-03T17:48:06","modified_gmt":"2025-12-03T15:48:06","slug":"rethinking-excellence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mypr.co.za\/mail\/rethinking-excellence\/","title":{"rendered":"Rethinking Excellence"},"content":{"rendered":"
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For generations, academic excellence has been defined through numbers \u2013 marks on a report card, distinctions, university acceptance rates. Increasingly, however, parents, educators and psychologists are questioning whether these traditional measures capture the full picture of a child\u2019s potential. Is academic success simply about high performance, or should it also recognise curiosity, resilience, emotional intelligence, creativity and personal growth?<\/p>\n

Across South Africa, more schools are beginning to challenge the idea that there is only one pathway to achievement. Two such schools are the Diocesan School for Girls (DSG) and its brother school, St Andrew\u2019s College, in Makhanda \u2013 both respected institutions with a shared commitment to fostering environments where every learner is encouraged to progress and thrive in their own way.<\/p>\n

At DSG, Acting Head and Head of Academics Dr Petra Gentz has long championed the idea that success unfolds differently for every young person. \u201cSchools often celebrate distinctions and top achievers, but these don\u2019t always tell the full story,\u201d she notes. \u201cReal success is found in the progress a child makes over time: in the confidence gained, the resilience shown, and the steady improvement that comes from a supportive and understanding environment.\u201d<\/p>\n

DSG\u2019s Educational Psychologist, Jane Jarvis, reinforces this perspective through the lens of pupil wellbeing and the urgent need to broaden traditional definitions of success.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we widen our understanding of achievement and what defines success \u2013 especially later on in life \u2013 we give pupils permission to learn in ways that genuinely honour who they are,\u201d Jarvis explains. \u201cSo many children feel enormous pressure to achieve top marks, get into specific degree programmes and follow very narrow pathways. When that becomes the only definition of success, we unintentionally send the message that anything outside of that box means a limited future, and that simply isn\u2019t true.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jarvis adds that many young people face extended academic struggles that require perseverance, grit and courage.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor some children, academic learning doesn\u2019t come easily, and they have to dig incredibly deep over many years,\u201d she says. \u201cBut when we support them properly, they develop resilience that serves them far beyond school. The goal is not to break them, or merely survive within the system, but to help them thrive within the school environment.\u201d There is the emotional cost of perfectionism, unrealistic expectations and comparison culture.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe belief that you\u2019re only \u2018good enough\u2019 if you achieve perfection is contributing significantly to the anxiety and poor mental health we\u2019re seeing in schools,\u201d she notes. \u201cWe need to meet children where they are, help them set realistic, manageable goals and adjust these when necessary. Schools should open the door to the next step in a child\u2019s journey \u2013 not dictate their entire future.\u201d<\/p>\n

This philosophy is shared by St Andrew\u2019s College, where Deputy Head Graham Creese emphasises that the school\u2019s academic success is not defined by filtering or selectivity. \u201cWe are enormously proud of the exceptional academic achievements of our boys,\u201d he says. \u201cHowever, as a school that is non-selective academically and has no entrance exam, we believe that the value of our academic offering is highlighted best by the extraordinary success of our boys who are not necessarily the top academic performers, rather than misleading statistics like \u2018A\u2019s per candidate\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

He points to recent examples: \u201cIn 2024, a boy who improved from an average of 59% in Grade 9 went on to achieve an A aggregate with five distinctions in Grade 12. Another improved from failing Grade 9 with an average of 37% to achieving a Bachelor\u2019s Degree pass in Grade 12 with an average of 63%. These are the stories that show what progress truly looks like.\u201d<\/p>\n

This belief in growth over perfection is reflected in a pioneering new development at St Andrew\u2019s College: the Neurodiversity Excellence Scholarship, designed to support boys with ADHD, Autism and specific learning differences such as dyslexia or dyspraxia. The scholarship is not remedial, nor does it signal lowered expectations \u2013 it recognises that neurodiverse learners often bring exceptional insight, creativity and determination.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile we acknowledge that mainstream schooling, particularly in a predominantly boarding environment, isn\u2019t for everyone,\u201d Creese adds, \u201cwe look to celebrate the unique gifts that neurodiverse children can bring to our community. High school readiness, executive function and academic potential are all important factors in our admissions process, but the greatest key to success is the family partnership: a supportive home environment and a willingness to collaborate in the child\u2019s growth and support.\u201d<\/p>\n

For both DSG and St Andrew\u2019s, education is not merely about producing top marks, but shaping confident, empathetic, self-aware young people. The schools\u2019 shared message is clear: when pupils are supported as individuals rather than ranked against one another, excellence becomes something far richer and more meaningful.<\/p>\n

As Dr Gentz concludes: \u201cWe need to move away from asking, \u2018How clever is this child?\u2019 and instead ask, \u2018How is this child clever?\u2019 Once we start doing that, we unlock a whole new world of potential \u2013 for our pupils, and for education itself.\u201d<\/p>\n

CLICK HERE to submit your press release to MyPR.co.za<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Author<\/strong>: Karina van den Heever from Tinkwe<\/a> on behalf of DSG School<\/strong>.<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n

Pages: Page <\/span>1<\/span> Page <\/span>2<\/a><\/div>\n

CLICK HERE to Read the Original Press Release on MyPR<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For generations, academic excellence has been defined through numbers \u2013 marks on a report card, distinctions, university acceptance rates. Increasingly, however, parents, educators and psychologists are questioning whether these traditional measures capture the full picture of a child\u2019s potential. Is academic success simply about high performance, or should it also recognise curiosity, resilience, emotional intelligence, …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","autoblue_enabled":true,"autoblue_custom_message":"","autoblue_shares":[{"did":"did:plc:revymtt5qssww7e7avbruzic","date":"2025-12-03T17:26:05+00:00","uri":"at:\/\/did:plc:revymtt5qssww7e7avbruzic\/app.bsky.feed.post\/3m73y2xuook2p","response":"{\"uri\":\"at:\/\/did:plc:revymtt5qssww7e7avbruzic\/app.bsky.feed.post\/3m73y2xuook2p\",\"cid\":\"bafyreiggb644lz3oid44qrpjg2fjgcgslhn7cjd5qbb44mkexjtsxx4ehq\",\"commit\":{\"cid\":\"bafyreihulcv66www2mc5ittkeueqs3md52k6fncr2c2oup4wwj33w4lda4\",\"rev\":\"3m73y2xv3es2p\"},\"validationStatus\":\"valid\"}"}],"autoblue_post_url":"","autoblue_publish_document":false,"republication-tracker-tool-hide-widget":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[29],"class_list":["type-post","category-news","tag-mypr-africa","entry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mypr.co.za\/mail\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4374","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mypr.co.za\/mail\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mypr.co.za\/mail\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mypr.co.za\/mail\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mypr.co.za\/mail\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4374"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mypr.co.za\/mail\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4374\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mypr.co.za\/mail\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4374"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mypr.co.za\/mail\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4374"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mypr.co.za\/mail\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4374"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}