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The Ridge School Charter

Our Vision, Values, and Commitments
as a Leading Boys’ School

The Ridge School is a national leading boys’ school. Its challenge is to continue to offer boys and their families an excellent education, which provides a foundation for success in a world that increasingly brings us face to face with diversity and is characterised by rapid change and complexity. The School will remain a leader if a Ridge education enables its boys to successfully navigate this world, harness diversity and thrive in a context of change.

This Charter provides a platform to create a common understanding and shared ownership of whom we wish to be and what we wish to offer.

Our Vision, Values, and Commitments
as a Leading Boys’ School

The Ridge School is a national leading boys’ school. Its challenge is to continue to offer boys and their families an excellent education, which provides a foundation for success in a world that increasingly brings us face to face with diversity and is characterised by rapid change and complexity. The School will remain a leader if a Ridge education enables its boys to successfully navigate this world, harness diversity and thrive in a context of change.

This Charter provides a platform to create a common understanding and shared ownership of whom we wish to be and what we wish to offer.

Our Values

Responsibility for self, property, all others and the consequences of our actions.
The pursuit of excellence, the championing of openness, independence and opportunity.
Respect for ourselves, for others and for difference.
Tenacity, courage and a commitment to growth.
Equanimity in handling success and failure.
Partnership.
Integrity.
Justice.
Discipline.

The Ridge Commitment

Balance

We commit ourselves to a school that provides a balance and range of experiences.

Diversity

We commit ourselves to a school that is diverse.

Education for Life

We commit ourselves to a school that offers education for life, is relevant and intentionally progressive.

Connectedness

We commit ourselves to a school that is a place of wide ranging connectedness.

The Ridge School (Ethos & Identity)

We, The Ridge School community, agree that the values and ethos of The Ridge School (its “soul”) are critical factors in striving towards a position of leadership and differentiation. We strive to develop the individual talents and attributes of each boy, to acknowledge and celebrate his abilities, and to provide spaces for his well-being. We provide, and involve our boys in, a broad range of opportunities across academic, sport, music and other cultural activities. We expect to deliver and achieve the highest standards in all pursuits, and to be at the forefront of the appropriate use of technology, teaching approaches, curricular, innovation and learning support. We are a School founded on Christian values that respect and welcome all religions. We protect meaningful traditions while embracing necessary change.
We recognise that social and economic privilege has concomitant responsibilities.

The Ridge is Diverse

The Ridge community will be diverse in its structure and practices.

Diversity

  • Boys need to be provided with experiences that enable them to harness difference and change with ease and confidence and to see both change and difference as potential strengths in themselves and others.
  • Diversity needs to be reflected both in the composition of the School community as well as in its practices. This means that at least all the following elements of diversity need to be considered: ability, culture, family structure, gender, race, religion, sexual orientation and socio-economic background

Ability

  • The Ridge School will have boys of varied abilities.
  • Developing a boy’s ability to self-evaluate and self-affirm is as necessary as external recognition of achievement.
  • All children have strengths some of which are more conventionally recognised and celebrated than others. The School must continue to highlight unconventional and conventional successes equally.
  • Children with different abilities/needs from the ‘norm’ require the School to respond effectively and appropriately. To do this the School needs to be explicit in identifying its ability to support particular needs well.

Race & Gender

  • Gender stereotyping needs to be challenged. The Ridge School embraces the view that there are many ways to be “a valuable boy”.
  • Racial transformation is a South African imperative. The preparation of our boys for a transformed society is central to a Ridge education. Our School will provide boys with a diverse peer group along with a diverse team of role models in the teaching team.
  • Religion
  • Religious intolerance is divisive and is fueled by ignorance and prejudice. We will challenge this.

Family Structure

  • The Ridge School will acknowledge, and strive to accommodate, in its structure and activities the different demands that arise from varied family structures.

Culture

  • The Ridge School will have boys and teachers from different cultures.
  • Boys will have opportunities to understand a range of cultural practices.
  • The School curriculum should have cultural breadth

Sexual Orientation

  • We will challenge the stereotyping of sexual orientation and do all we can to ensure that our community is safe and welcoming for everyone.