ABOUT US
Leadership
Highbury has been blessed with strong, stable leadership from our Board to Governors to our Headmaster and our teachers.
A Message from our Headmaster,
Mr Roland Lacock
A warm welcome to our website, as you scroll through the pages enjoy taking in a sense of the wonderful tradition Highbury has of holistic boys’ preparatory education. Our staff work ardently to create the widest variety of learning experiences that develop our boys into balanced and wholesome young men who have strong morals and are able to face challenges with creativity, integrity and tenacity.
Being an independent school, we have the freedom to create a curriculum that is flexible and tailor-made to appeal to the adventurous and curious nature of our boys. Highbury values a holistic approach to education and this means a hearty balance of classroom academics, cultural activities and sport. Our cultural activities include art and design lessons, drama and class music, along with opportunities for individual music lessons in a variety of instruments, djembe drumming and marimba groups and our school orchestra. Highbury boys love to sing and the surrounding streets reverberate at 07h30 every morning with the beautiful melody of our boys singing during the daily morning Chapel service. Again, our independence enables us to embrace the Christian faith which we hold as a central thread throughout all that we do.
Entwined with academic, cultural, and our Christian ethos is a passion for sport. Highbury offers a full sporting programme where we compete against the strongest local schools and in the top national sports festivals. Our boys are regularly selected for representative teams: you will recognise the names of Bobby Skinstad and Lungi Ngidi – both examples of boys who were once representing our school.
I firmly believe that Highbury will give your son the advantage of growing into a young gentleman with manners, able to show grit in the face of adversity and the gentleness to express compassion for those in need. Our boys develop strong, respectful relationships with their teachers and peers; they learn to be tolerant, inclusive and to walk a life of integrity. Our Culture of Honour is developed from the work of Stephen Covey and is carefully woven into the fabric or DNA of a Highbury Boy. At Highbury we grow boys who extend deep roots in sound values and show the fruit in their actions.
I would like to conclude my welcome with a story that I was recently told on the side of the cricket field by a new parent. She said that her son had told her that the difference between Highbury and his old school was that when he tripped over his school bag at the previous school, the children laughed at him, and when this happened at Highbury the boys helped him up.
Mrs Belinda Willows
Headmistress of Weavers’ Nest and Head of Foundation Phase
“As Headmistress of Weavers’ Nest and Head of Foundation Phase, I am deeply passionate about our remarkable school and all of its traditions. It is in these corridors, classrooms and playing fields that magical childhood memories are made by barefooted, happy girls and boys. Highbury’s positioning statement ‘Knowing Boys’ speaks of Highbury Preparatory knowing how boys learn best, play best and love best. Thank you for your support as together we strive to build boys of good character, who have grit, resilience and empathy, who are emotionally literate and who grow up to be young men who make responsible choices and live an honourable life.”
Mr David Burns
Head of Senior Primary
“Highbury is a school with heritage – its culture and ethos is embedded in the stones and the walls in a way that other schools cannot replicate. You can imagine the conversations that have happened here… all the boys who have been inspired here, for more than a century. With our focus on boys and specifically primary school boys, Highbury has been able to transform itself over the years and yet keep its core very consistent: to be a place where boys can love life, love learning, love playing sport and love being with friends.
As Head of Senior Primary, I am passionate about teachers building positive relationships with the boys in their class, because learning can only come out of a great relationship with a teacher. Teachers get to know boys best beyond the classroom – seeing them get passionate about sports or cultural activities, seeing how they interact with their peers, seeing how they behave through highs and lows – this is when teachers see boys’ characters, what they are really like. Highbury boys must be known and understood by their teachers and most importantly, Highbury boys must love school.”
Board of Governors
The objective of our Board of Governors is to set the policy and direction of Highbury Preparatory School. Armed with decades of experience and a passion for the school, our Board of Governors work tirelessly to set Highbury apart and to pave the way for a school of excellence.
We invite you to scroll through and get to know our Board members and their roles.
MURRAY EVENNETT
Chairman
Owner, Evennett Property cc, Commercial & Industrial Property Management
BLAKE EDY (CA) SA
Finance
Director and Shareholder, Frozen Brands (Pty) Lt
Neil Pattrick
Marketing
CEO/Founder Ignition Media
JASON GOODISON
Legal
Partner, Cox Yeats Attorneys
VICTORIA MUBANGO-MADZIWA
Human Resources
Chief Learning Officer, e-Volve Learning Solutions
Alex Gordon
Chairman of Parents’ Association
Customer Executive RCL Foods
SHANTA REDDY
Social Responsibility and Transformation
Attorney and Diversity and Transformation Consultant
KHAYELIHLE THAMSANQA MTHETHWA PR. ENG
Governer
Managing Director, Indonsa Group (Pty) Ltd
Dr Bheka Makhathini
Education
Acting Chief Director: Curriculum Management, Department of Education
Philip Norton
ICT
Software Developer and Educational IT Specialist