South Africa, Johannesburg
· Reviewed by Nik Higgins · Co-founder & CEO
Grayston Preparatory School is a co-educational independent preparatory school located in Sandown, Sandton, Johannesburg. It follows the South African CAPS curriculum and caters from Grade 000 (around three years old) through to Grade 7 (approximately 13 years old), organised into Pre-Prep, Junior Prep and Senior Prep phases. English is used as the language of instruction; curriculum documents state that learners in Grade 4 study English, Afrikaans and isiZulu, and from Grade 5 pupils choose either Afrikaans or isiZulu as their First Additional Language. The school publishes that it maintains small class sizes, extensive co-curricular options, an all-year Kids' Club (aftercare), an on-site Academic Support Unit and access to speech, remedial and occupational therapy. Notable facilities and programme features shown on the school site include a Media Centre, regular supervised swimming lessons from Grade 00, an Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music centre, and an emphasis on thinking skills and technology integration through approaches such as Habits of Mind, Thinking Maps and other thinking strategies.