Durban Convent School.

Pre-Primary:

The Pre-Primary is situated in its own building in Baudry Road. It is the original school building, built in 1964 to cater for pupils in Grades 1 and 2. Sometime in the mid - 70's it became a Preschool under the auspices of the Education Department. Today it houses our pre-primary: 2 pre-grade R groups and 3 Grade R groups. We are proud of the fact that we have qualified and experienced Educators in this department. The Financial department is based in this building. Our pupils here transfer automatically to Grade 1 in the Junior Primary building. The Grade R pupils are offered a busy programme in line with the Foundation Phase curriculum and work closely with the Grade 1 Educators.


Junior Primary:

This department consists of Grades 1, 2 and 3. It is also where the admin office and Principal's office are situated. This building was built in 1968 and was initially built to house a High School. Unfortunately, this did not happen and the building was then used as a primary school from Grade 1 up to Grade 7. Several years after this the school changed to a Junior Primary school. At the end of 1999 the last Department paid Principal at the Preschool left and the Department severed their ties with the preschool. The preschool then became part of the Junior primary as an independent school. We are now one school.

Our Mission

We, the Staff of the Convent School of Our Lady of Natal commit ourselves to:

The development of the whole child. We strive to develop talents, potential and self-esteem through a well-balanced curriculum and/or programme in which each child is given encouragement and affirmation.

Creating a dynamic curriculum through constant evaluation and review and we aspire to maintain realistic teacher expectations of the child's ability.

The ongoing development of spiritual, personal and professional growth within ourselves, through continual interaction and exposure to the diverse elements of our environment.

Striving for the ongoing spiritual development and growth of our children by encouraging a relationship with God and all mankind.

Encouraging respect and human dignity by:
           accepting and being sensitive to differences
           striving towards unity through recognition of our similarities.

Earnestly seeking to promote open, relevant and honest communication by maintaining an open door policy and warm, tolerant relationships at all levels.

Our Vision

It is Our Vision

To develop a strong set of Life Values in all our Learners.

To provide a holistic education that is based on Christian principles and respect for the diversity of all our learners.

To be role models for our Learners.

To provide opportunities for our Learners to learn from each other and from situations in their country and the rest of the world.

Some of our important Values

IT STARTS WITH YOU!
     1. Everyone needs rules
     2. Manners
     3. Responsibility
     4. Accepting differences
     5. Self-control
     6. Co-operation
     7. Honesty
     8. Respect
     9. Patience
     10. Forgiveness
     11. Perseverance
     12. Punctuality
     13. School Pride



Calico has also been known to help Parents at home too. Feedback from Learners and Parents:-

"Thank you for introducing Calico Cat to us. Sleep time has truly become a pleasure for us."

"Thank you for your positive encouragement. You and Calico saved me when I did not know which way to turn."

"Thank you for helping my child get ready in the morning so that we arrive on time."

"Calico, thank you for coming home with me for the weekend. I am trying hard not to talk so much in class."

Criteria for Admission

1. Girls and boys from 3 years to Grade 3.
2. Admission is subject to availability in each class.
3. Grade one Learners must be six years by 30 June of the year of admission.
4. Applicants for Grade One will be required to participate in a School Readiness Test.
5. Learners enrolled in our Preschool gain automatic entrance to our Grade 1 provided that they
    meet the requirements of our School Readiness Testing.
6. Applicants that meet the minimum criteria will be placed on a first-come, first-served basis. Applications that
    cannot be accepted because of lack of availability will be placed on a waiting list.
7. Applicants must accept that this is a Catholic school and that successful applicants will attend all morning
    assemblies, religious education classes, school Masses and Catholic Feast Day celebrations .
8. Successful applicants must agree to all conditions set out in the School's Code of Conduct.
9. Admission is conditional on ability to pay the prescribed school fees and levies. Parents who apply for
    admission of their children will be subject to a fees check.

SCHOOL FEES

School Fees for the following year will be available in the 4th term of the current year.

1. School fees are decided by the Management Board and are set towards the end of each year. School fees for the following year will be available in the Fourth Term.
2. Our school fees are divided over 11 months. The first payment is due at the end of January.
3. Insurance will need to be paid at the beginning of each year. This is a once off payment of R35.00
    to be paid with the first terms school fees.
4. A registration fee of R100 is payable when making application to the school and an admission fee of R500 is to
    be paid on acceptance of the Learner. The admission fee will be deducted from the school fees, but neither
    of these fees is transferable, nor will they be refunded if the application is withdrawn.
5. School fees may be paid monthly by not later than the last day of each month from January to
    November, inclusive.
6. Stop orders are to be dated the 30th of each month. A copy to be sent to the office to qualify for the discount.
7. Please note that overdue accounts will be charged interest at a rate of 2% per month on any overdue balance
    of 60 days or more.
8. Should arrear fees have to be handed over to our attorneys for collection, you will be responsible for all charges
    incurred and the total annual fee will become due and payable.
9. Fees are payable as usual during a child's absence due to illness or being taken on holiday.
10. A full month's notice is to be given, in writing, when a Learner is withdrawn from school. Failure to do
     so will render parents liable for the payment of a full month's fees in lieu of notice.
11. The annual insurance premium covers medical expenses up to R1500.00, in case of injuries sustained on
     the school premises and travelling to and from school.
12. All monies sent to school need to be placed in the money bag inside the child's message book (pre-primary)
     / inside an envelope (junior primary) and a note is to be written in the book indicating what the money is for.