Parents of learners at two ADvTECH schools will have to make alternative plans next year.
The group has decided to close two schools - Trinityhouse Northriding and Trinityhouse Palm Lakes in KwaZulu-Natal.
The private school group has, however, said the decision to close both institutions had nothing to do with Covid-19 but blamed the dwindling enrolment numbers for the decision.
Roy Douglas, ADvTECH chief executive, said: “The anticipated student numbers for Trinityhouse Northriding have fallen short of expectations since inception. Furthermore, Trinityhouse Northriding has proven not to be a sustainable feeder school into Trinityhouse Randpark Ridge, as anticipated. The slow growth in pupil numbers, for example, has also impeded the school’s ability to offer depth in terms of extramural activities.
“Trinityhouse Northriding was originally planned to accommodate approximately 400 students. It reached a peak of 129 students in 2018 but this has subsequently diminished to 92 in 2020. Expectations are for only about 60 to 70 students in 2021.”
He said that for the 2021 academic year, they had only received eight new applications for grades 000 to 4.
“This is sub-optimal for a full, holistic school experience for the students who will be better served at other ADvTECH campuses,” Douglas said.
They hoped to accommodate Northriding learners at their other schools. “We are confident that we can support students and parents with alternative options at some of our other schools in the Trinityhouse brand and/or at other ADvTECH schools. Every effort will be made to ensure a smooth transition of students from Trinityhouse Northriding to other schools in the group.
The school was also in discussion with 13 teachers to see if they can also be transferred to other schools.
“Our aim remains to explore every other viable alternative and mitigate the need for retrenchments as far as possible,” he said.
When giving the company’s financial results, Douglas said the group’s financial prudency meant they were in a good position to withstand the impact of Covid-19. “The group also recorded an increase in enrolments at some of its schools, bucking the trend of negligible withdrawals, either due to financial reasons or owing to temporary withdrawals at pre-primary level.”
Early this year, Bishop Bavin School in Ekurhuleni was forced to shut down due to financial issues.
The Star