The options available to valley families fall into three categories, separated by timeline and scope.
Immediate options
These are schools and schooling models a family can enrol in from 2028. They exist now (or, in Silverwood’s case, are proposed for launch by then). A family reading this site in preparation for a Grade 8 decision can act on any of these.
The immediate options include Emil Weder Secondary, Overberg High / Hoërskool Overberg (dual-medium, with boarding), Greyton House (Grade 8-9), online/distance schooling, boarding schools further afield, a parent-organised microschool, and the proposed Silverwood School. Each has a full profile page assessed against all ten decision variables.
Long-term options
These are plans that will take two years or more to put in place. They are not available for 2028 enrolment, but they show that there is a development trajectory for high school provision in the valley. Families making a decision now should know these exist, because a child entering Grade 8 in 2028 will still be in the system in 2032, and the landscape may look different by then.
Long-term options might include a new registered independent school, a dual-medium programme at an existing school, a satellite campus arrangement with a Caledon school, or a purpose-built learning hub. Each profile in this section states what the option is, what it would take to establish, what the realistic timeline is, and what conditions must be met before it becomes viable.
Partial options
These are supplementary programmes, extra-curricular offerings, and enrichment activities that do not replace a school but can strengthen one. They are relevant to families who choose a local school (Emil Weder, a microschool, or online provision) and want to fill gaps in the curriculum, broaden their child’s subject exposure, or build social connections that the selected schooling arrangement doesn’t provide on its own.
A partial option might be an after-school science programme, a weekend arts or coding workshop, a sports league, a mentorship scheme, a holiday intensive, or a structured community service placement. Each profile states what the offering covers, who runs it, what it costs, and which gaps in the ten decision variables it addresses.
How to read these profiles
Every profile in all three categories follows the same template, structured around the ten decision variables. The summary table at the top gives a quick read. The variable-by-variable assessment gives the detail. The “Best fit” section states who the option suits. The “Key unknowns” section lists what still needs verifying.
For immediate options, the comparison table shows all seven side by side.
Evidence standards apply across all three categories.
- IC (Independently Corroborated) means confirmed through independent sources.
- MS (Mission-Sourced) means the claim comes from project documents.
- TBV (To Be Verified) means the claim is plausible but unconfirmed.
Long-term and partial options will carry more TBV and MS tags than immediate options, because they describe plans and possibilities rather than operating institutions.
This page is part of the Valley of Grace High School Decision Tool.