Waterkloof House Preparatory School

Since 2010, Mark Whitelaw. His 32-year career to date has been spent almost entirely in boys’ prep schools, the previous 13 years at Cordwalles Prep, an Anglican school in Pietermaritzburg, finishing as deputy headmaster. He’s exactly as you’d

Main entry points are in the co-educational pre-prep (grades 000/00) and the start of prep (grade 0) with many children registered as babies. After this it’s a case of waiting for a boy to leave, much to the frustration of some families. There is

Most boys stay until the end of senior prep, after which it’s mostly private boys’ school St Alban’s College (the big brother) or nearby Pretoria Boys High School, a state school which, as is the norm in the country, charges (relatively low) fees. A

Traditional, yes, but with a distinctly modern twist. It is a school which values leadership and manners, but not one where boys are expected to sit quietly in rows, learn by rote or are given copious amounts of homework at night. Homework is minimal

Plenty of resources within the school for children who need help, from extra academic sessions to a remedial teacher, to in-house occupational, play and speech therapists. One parent told us they tried several external therapists for their son and

Sport is only one part of the big picture. ‘It’s a very busy school,’ we hear time and again, ‘but all new parents are warned in advance.’ One parent said, ‘Sometimes it’s hard keeping track of everything going on, especially when you are new, or at

If your son loves sport, or perhaps you just want to keep him busy and active, you’ll love this model. Depending on the season, core sports are rugby (tag rugby for the youngest boys), cricket, football (soccer), swimming, athletics and hockey plus

One of the few schools in the country to offer boarding from grades 3 to 7, Hamilton House, the small boarding house above the dining room, has space for up to 25 boys. With rarely more than 16 permanent boarders, split between a junior and senior

Boys (and girls in preprep) are taught manners and respect from day one. School is ‘nurturing’ and ‘like a family’ – parents told us time and again that boys are ‘happy’, ‘well-settled’ and ‘love going to school’. One said, ‘They don’t want to let

It’s unusual to find a prep school with such a loyal and active old boys’ association but it speaks to the tight knit community here. All grade 7 leavers, who are sent off with a leavers’ dinner, are invited back in grade 12 (with their parents) to a

It’s not cheap, and there’s no discount for siblings, which causes a few grumbles, but fees are comparable to other top private schools, even those which do not necessarily have the same reputation, and parents admit they get a lot of bang for their

‘Work hard, play straight’: rarely have four short words defined a school so succinctly in our experience. If you are lucky enough to get a place, be prepared for a busy and demanding but definitely enriching all-round experience. Whatever your son’s