Many no-fee schools in South Africa don't have the resources to provide the academic and non-academic support that learners and staff need. Through working together as a school community and mobilising the support of nonprofit organisations, Kraaifontein High School managed to increase its matric pass rate by more than 30 percentage points in two years.

Where learners succeed, it is because leaders and educators have chosen to raise expectations, take responsibility and fight for learner outcomes, even in difficult contexts. When Kraaifontein High School's first-ever matric-writing class of 2023 achieved a 56% National Senior Certificate (NSC) pass rate, the school's staff made a concerted effort to work differently and together; with each other, with parents, with the provincial education department and with local nonprofits towards whole school improvement.

The foundation of improvement was strong instructional leadership and educator commitment. Led by the principal, teachers reflected honestly on their instructional practice to identify where they could use support, ensuring that the focus was always on improving their teaching to benefit learners.

Through the Western Cape Education Department's (WCED's) #BackOnTrack programme and Collaboration Schools project, educators were able to access instructional coaching and focused professional development that was practical, relevant and rooted in their classroom contexts and needs.

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Nonprofit partnerships

Educators used data-driven decision-making to identify learning gaps and respond timeously. This informed lesson pacing and the type of academic support provided to learners. Through the Collaboration Schools project, Kraaifontein High School worked with its nonprofit partner, Education Ally, to co-design targeted academic support, including a Saturday...