DBE announces best quintile 5 high school in South Africa

The National Department of Education announced Hoër Meisieskool Bloemhof as the best quintile 5 high school in South Africa. This was at the Department’s National Excellence Awards ceremony on 29 November 2024.

Oldest Afrikaans school in South Africa

The school prides itself on excellent academic results, sports achievements, and a wide variety of cultural activities.

Markedly, Hoër Meisieskool Bloemhof in Stellenbosch is the oldest Afrikaans-medium school for girls in South Africa. The school has received various awards in the past. In 2017, the school was named the best high school with Afrikaans as the language of instruction in the Western Cape. In 2021, Bloemhof was named the best high school with Afrikaans as the language of instruction in the country.

The National Department of Education named the school the best quintile 5 high school in the country at a ceremony in Pretoria on Friday – another feather in its cap.

The school’s outgoing principal, Wilna van Heerden, received the award on behalf of the school and all its staff members.

“We want to thank and congratulate our dedicated educators and hardworking learners, but also our parents and the entire staff – this is a great honour for the HMS Bloemhof!”
Post on Bloemhof’s Facebook page

What is a quintile 5 school?

The National Department of Education places schools in South Africa into one of five categories, i.e. quintiles. A school’s access to resources determines which category it falls into. Quintile 5 schools have better access to resources than for example quintile 2 schools. Quintile 1 schools are entirely dependent on government support.

The National Department of Education’s National Excellence Awards honour the best schools in each of the five quintiles.

The Education Excellence Awards

The National Education Excellence Awards aim to celebrate the outstanding work done by teams at school and district levels. They recognise the work done by districts and schools. They also acknowledge district officials who guide schools to deliver quality learning and teaching.

This year marks a decade of the National Education Excellence Awards for the best-performing schools and districts under the theme: ‘Recognising Excellence in Education’.

The Department selects winners from districts across all nine provinces that have, for years, been the interface of the Basic Education Sector in improving excellence in education.

The other winners in the quintile 5 category were the Afrikaanse Hoër Meisieskool in Pretoria in the second place and Rhenish Girls’ High School in third place. Rhenish Girls’ High School is also in Stellenbosch and is Bloemhof’s sister school.

What aspects do you think make a school great?

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