Teaching at Bergvliet High School

Thinking of applying for a job at Bergvliet High School?

Wondering what the advantages may be of teaching at BHS over and above any other school?

Wondering if it will be a good career move?

Bergvliet High School is a co-educational High School located in the heart of Bergvliet and immediately adjacent to Meadowridge, Diep River, Kreupelbosch, parts of Constantia and Kirstenhof. There are 1130 learners between grades 8 and 12.

The school employs 32 educators through the state. An additional 15 full-time educators, 15 part-time educators and 10 part-time specialist music teachers are employed by the Governing Body.

A former governor of BHS once described the school as a well-kept secret. We knew how well our learners did at school and, through anecdotal evidence, knew that our former learners did particularly well after school but didn’t advertise either very much. We also knew we wanted local children to attend the school, which was not always the case.

During 2005 a business plan was drawn up for the school which described, in detail, what actions the school needed to take in order to ensure:

  1. that the local community made BHS their school of choice
  2. that we had a plan to implement the many ideas we had but did not have capacity to do. These plans included:
    • developing a policy for recruiting and maintaining quality staff
    • becoming a leading school in the implementation of entrepreneurship across the curriculum.
    • becoming a leading school in the provision of pastoral care (including career guidance) to our learners.
    • improving matric results (and by default all other grades too) so that we become a leading academic institute in the province with special emphasis on Maths, Science and Music.
    • developing relationships with past pupils, local businesses and service providers to the mutual benefit of both parties.
    • remaining at the leading edge of technology implementation within the classroom.
      • during this year alone 21 networked interactive whiteboards were installed in the school
      • the plan makes provision for one in every classroom by the end of 2007.
      • every subject now has at least 1 whiteboard
      • every Maths and Science classroom should be fitted with a board by the end of 2006.
    • becoming highly competitive in all sports in which we compete.
    • developing the continuous education programme (commonly called adult ed) which takes place within the school after hours.
    • developing the plans of the school to allow for future demands and finally,
    • employing a marketing manager to develop the brand of the school and to ensure the implementation of many of the above plans.

As a result, many of the plans have now been implemented. If you work at BHS you are assured of the following:

  • you are likely to have an interactive whiteboard in your classroom and will definitely have one by December 2007.
  • training on interactive whiteboards is given to all teachers through the continuing education programme.
  • all teachers qualify for a performance based 14 th cheque each December. The IQMS programme is used to determine performances and bonuses are paid accordingly.
  • all time spent on any extra-mural activity is remunerated at the end of each year.
  • Governing Body employees receive a minimum of:
    • a basic salary equivalent to what they would earn if employed by the WCED.
    • A 7½ % pension allowance in cash.

That’s the measurable stuff, but other questions you may have might include:

What are the kids like?

With 1130 learners one is obliged to generalise, but it would be fair to say that learners are generally well behaved with relatively few disciplinary incidents occurring on a daily basis. Classes are disciplined with excellent co-operation from learners because they have a desire to learn and succeed in tertiary education.

What is the principal like?

Vernon Wood was appointed as principal in 2005 and is a person who likes to stay on the leading edge of educational developments. He enjoys change management and likes to empower the school through delegation of authority to staff members and learners because he believes they can probably do a better job and make better decisions than he ever could because of their specialist knowledge.

What is the management team like?

BHS has 3 deputy principals. Each of them acts as a consultant to specific grade heads on disciplinary matters. Each of them is also responsible, along with the principal, for 2 major portfolios in the school. Much of the school is managed through advisory boards which the management team chairs within their field of speciality.

What are my chances of promotions at BHS

The Governing Body finances one of the deputies as well as the number of internal HOD posts as may be required by the school at any time. A post level 1 teacher may also perform the role of subject head or grade head for which additional remuneration is paid.

What are the organisational structures like in the school?

The lines of communication in the school are described in an organogram to allow for effective communication. Click here to view organogram.

What are the parents like?

They are most supportive, attending, inter alia, “Meet the Teachers” evenings, Saturday sport events, etc. They also staff the tuckshop and clothing exchange. They are very supportive of the educational process and the school in general.

What is the Governing Body like?

The governing body is a highly professional body which boasts parents who are passionate about good governance and the school. They provide very effective and positive leadership and advisory support to the school's management team whenever the need arises.

Now...and the future

In summary Bergvliet High School is a happening school. The learners want to be at school because they enjoy their day, the teachers are highly professional and the leadership provided by both the management team and the governors are dynamic and exciting. The school has a strong vision for the future which includes changing the school uniform to something that suits our climate better, significant improvements to the already great facilities at the school and continuously improving academic performance.

Matric results

Bergvliet High School was recently one of a very few schools in the country to be awarded a prize of R25 000 by the National Minister of Education in recognition of consistent improvement in matric results. Details of those matric results can be viewed here.