St Benedict's Catholic School for Boys

[EduCativ]

St Benedict’s is a Catholic school for boys that provides a holistic, gospel, and values-based education centered on the example of Jesus Christ and based on the four pillars of academics, religion, sport, and the arts. Our boys use their talents to serve the world its people and the kingdom of God.
Through the regular application of our core values, we continue to provide value to our boys and parents, and we will consistently meet our goals. We use the beatitudes - the series of blessings declared by Jesus during His Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5 - as a framework for our gospel-based approach and strive to develop healthy habits of mind, heart, body, and soul in our boys.
In January 1957, the Oblates bought a 26-acre site in Bedfordview, which through later additions would eventually grow to nearly 40-acres today. In February, an application for the registration of a new school was sent to the East Rand School Board and on 11th July, the feast day of St Benedict of Nursia, official approval was received, hence the name “St. Benedict’s”. Fr Hugh Dalton, a CBC Kimberley old boy, was appointed Headmaster. On December 8, 1957, at the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, Bishop Boyle (Bishop of Johannesburg) laid the foundation stone of the first building - the building we now call the “Erasme Block”. The initial goal of the Oblates was to grow the school to 400 boys with 2 classes per standard.
Today, nearly one thousand four hundred boys study and play on a piece of land in Bedfordview that more than sixty years ago, consisted of smallholdings, the largest of which was used for training and kenneling greyhounds. At that time Bedfordview was semi-agricultural and sparsely populated. It was Fr Philip Erasme, Oblate of Mary Immaculate and Parish Priest of Maryvale who responded to Bishop David O’Leary’s request that a Catholic Boys’ School is established on the near East Rand. He saw Bedfordview as ideal as it would also cater for the boys from St Paul's School, a Parochial Primary School he had established in Maryvale.
Our Junior Preparatory experience lays the foundation for developing the fundamental skills that are crucial for academic achievement. This is a vibrant and dynamic part of our school community where boys from Grade R to 3 grow socially and emotionally in a productive and nurturing environment.
Our teachers focus on building your son’s positive self-concept through an enthusiastic approach to learning, which will give him every opportunity to thrive. As he progresses, your son will be encouraged to become increasingly independent. Our varied and stimulating program focuses on boys’ specific learning styles and encourages them to actively participate in the learning process.
St Benedict’s has a proud academic tradition and consistently produces outstanding results in the IEB matriculation examinations. We have maintained our 100% matric pass rate for close to 45 years and university exemption rates are generally more than 98%. Our top achievers invariably feature on the IEB Outstanding and Commendable Achievers lists.
Our academic curricula are based on the National Curriculum and are compatible with the best international approaches to teaching and learning. Our tailor-made active academic approach blends 21st-century critical-thinking skills and positive dispositions with academic rigor so that your son can continue to apply, create and achieve in the years that lie beyond school graduation.
We believe that the Catholic School's task is fundamentally a synthesis of culture and faith, and a synthesis of faith and life - the first is reached by integrating all the different aspects of human knowledge through all that is taught in the light of the Gospel the second in the growth of the virtues characteristic of the Christian, in prayer, in worship and relationships with other people.
The staff of the College contributes in practical ways, so that all may discover the meaning of sound Christian values, in thought, word and deed. Our goal is that our boys may become a generation of adults who have hope in themselves, hope in Christ, and hope in the promise of fullness of life.
At St Benedict’s, we believe in holistic education and highly value academic achievement as well as full participation in sport and cultural activities. The four cornerstones of St Benedict’s education include academics, religion, sport, and culture. Working together, these four cornerstones will mold your son’s mind, sculpt his soul, build his body and hone his heart. He will be encouraged to perform to his full potential in the classroom and on the sports field to make the most of his many talents. St Benedict’s is a school where your son will flourish!

View full school