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.
The thinking behind these proposals is informed by two precedents. The first is Treverton College in KwaZulu-Natal, which hosted the inaugural conference of the Environmental Education Association of Southern Africa (EEASA) on its 270-hectare campus in 1982 and spent the following four decades building layered environmental and place-based education programmes on that foundation. A research brief documents the Treverton precedent and draws out seven transferable lessons for the Valley of Grace. The second is Jakes Gerwel Technical School in Bonnievale, a no-fee public school that runs academic and School of Skills streams on one campus, built through a partnership between the WCED and a community trust. Its lessons are set out on the Learning Campus page.
Long-term option profiles
Valley of Grace Learning Campus (proposed): An integrated campus with four parts on shared ground: an English-medium boarding school as anchor tenant, whose rent and levy fund much of the development; a public school of skills; a vocational training centre focused on tourism and conservation; and a Bioregional Learning Centre for post-school study and research. A community trust representing the whole ward holds the land and governs the campus. Emil Weder remains the valley’s Afrikaans public high school and is invited to use the campus as a partner. Draws on the Treverton precedent and on Jakes Gerwel Technical School in Bonnievale. The vocational training centre and adult education could begin in 2027 to 2028; high school enrolment earliest 2030. All claims MS or TBV. See also Actions Required.
Learning Campus: Post-School Pathways: Where a valley school leaver can go today, and the study, training and bioregional work the campus could open in the best case. All campus claims MS or TBV.
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.
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 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.