Thomas More College

ACADEMICS

Introduction to Academics at
Thomas More College

Cultivate the love of learning with us.

In the Pre-Primary Phase our pupils are taught vital foundational skills through free and structured play, as well as through a formal School Readiness programme. Learning is achieved through the emphasis on group work and self discovery within a guided programme. The solid foundations established in the Pre Primary create a wonderful springboard to enhance further learning in our Junior Primary Phase.

In the Senior Primary School we build on the academic platform set in our Junior Primary. Pupils’ self-confidence, self-esteem and competence are enhanced, and ease of transition into the High School is facilitated by our well-balanced curriculum and nurturing, professional staff.

Pupils can discover where their interests and abilities lie

Throughout the first three phases of education, up to and including Grade 9, the pupils are exposed to a wide area of subjects so that pupils can discover where their interests and abilities lie.

From Grade 10 to Matric, each subject is studied in greater depth, so it is necessary that a certain amount of specialisation take place. The number of subjects taken is reduced to seven, which means that some choices must be made.

At Thomas More College, pupils write the matric examinations that are set by the Independent Examinations Board (IEB). Another feature is that all pupils have to do Core Mathematics or Mathematical Literacy, and all do Life Orientation as a formal subject.

Accelerated Learning Unit

The A.E.U.(Accelerated Education Unit) serves as a learning support or counselling support for any Thomas More pupil, parent or staff member. This includes aided learning in the form of remedial lessons, speech and occupational therapy, and language at Thomas More College. An inspired education, enrichment, study skills, homework supervision, extra lessons and psychological support to any of the members of Thomas More College. We practice inclusive education while catering to each child’s unique and individual needs. To accommodate this, we have specially dedicated rooms and offices for therapists and lessons to happen on the premises. Lessons with therapists in private practice will be charged privately.

Learning Support

The AEU operates as a private entity whereby students are charged for their therapy over and above their school fees.

The AEU acquires the services of the best available professionals to serve the needs of our pupils. Currently the AEU offers the following specialists. Permanent consultants at Thomas More College in their private capacity are as follows (charged privately):

  • High School Counsellor (limited sessions covered by TMC)
  • Primary School Counsellor (limited sessions covered by TMC)
  • Speech and Language Therapists
  • Extra lessons in core subjects i.e. English, Maths & Afrikaans
  • Dyslexia and dyscalculia consolations, testing and therapy
  • Occupational Therapists
  • Physiotherapist
  • Remedial Therapists
  • Homework supervision
  • Study skills coaching

In addition, we offer (charged privately):

  • Annual eyesight testing
  • Annual hearing testing


The AEU is the centre for psychological tests, accommodation / concession motivations, remedial assessments and interviews pertaining to subject / career choices. Pupils who are exempted from isiZulu/Afrikaans classes (according to a specific policy) are also assisted in the AEU with additional Afrikaans or other therapies.

Screening

In the year prior to entry, we screen all prospective candidates. The goal of the screening is to assess the candidate’s level of performance and to learn about his or her areas of strength and weakness before possible acceptance. Every applicant for the Primary School (from Grade 00) undergoes a screening by means of an age-appropriate assessment prior to acceptance. There is a scheduled group screening once a year, but individual screenings can take place throughout the year, by appointment only.

Junior Primary Support Class

A Support Class is a small group of pupils who have or are experiencing some difficulty with the curriculum in the core subjects of Mathematics and English. This is offered during the school morning at no additional charge.

English Support teaching is timetabled daily. Children identified for the Support Group are determined by the class teacher and school remedial therapist. Curriculum content may be pre-taught and revised. These groups are not static, and they are reorganised on a regular basis. Maths is taught in small groups in the mainstream classroom with assistance from teacher assistants and interns.

English Support teaching is timetabled daily. Children identified for the Support Group are determined by the class teacher and school remedial therapist. Curriculum content may be pre-taught and revised. These groups are not static, and they are reorganised on a regular basis. Maths is taught in small groups in the mainstream classroom with assistance from teacher assistants and interns.

Individual Reading Support From Grade 1-3

Individual Reading Programmes are put in place during the school day to assist children who are identified as experiencing difficulty with reading.

Language Enrichment Groups From Grade 0-1

Language Enrichment is put in place during the school day to assist children who are identified as experiencing difficulty with their expressive language.

Senior Primary

Where required, there are opportunities for support classes from Grades 4-7. A group of approximately 12 pupils attend their Mathematics and English lessons each day with a remedial teacher or teacher with an interest in this area. The same English and Mathematics work is covered; however, the work is presented in a way that makes sense to the pupils’ individual needs.

Accomodation

These are available in order to enable a learner with intrinsic learning difficulties and/or physical disabilities to show their knowledge and ability in their final Senior Certificate examination. It is the school’s responsibility to recommend and provide motivation for the candidates for accommodations.

Eligible candidates must be referred by an Educational psychologist, academic staff and may only start applying in High School. The eligible candidates must be in High School. Concession requests must be initiated by the High School teachers and Heads of departments. This request is then followed by a referral to an Educational Psychologist and appropriate scholastic Assessment stipulated by the school.

Round Square

Thomas More College is known for its dedication to community service. Thomas More College joined Round Square in 2021 and is presently the only Round Square school in KZN. Over 100 schools belong to the association from countries as diverse as Japan, Peru, Kenya and Thailand.

As a round-square school, we commit to preparing our young people, tomorrow’s leaders, as passionate champions for a better future today. All Round Square schools share a commitment to character education and experiential learning built around the 6 Round Square Pillars: International understanding, Environmental Stewardship, Democracy, Adventure, Leadership and Service.

President's Award

The President’s Award for Youth Empowerment (affiliated with the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award) is a global framework for non-formal education and learning.

The slogan “Get World Ready” encompasses the ideology of the award, which is essentially a social qualification that helps young people develop essential life skills.

The award challenges young people to engage in a personal journey and by choosing activities for each section of the award, young people are able to design their own award journey.

As award participants, they have the chance to:

  • Design their own award programme
  • Set their own goals
  • Record their progress
  • Make a positive impact on the lives of others through volunteer service
  • Learn valuable, practical and social skills for career enhancement

For more information, visit the President’s Award Website at presidentsaward.co.za or contact Mrs Penny Thompson at pthompson@thomasmore.co.za.

Technology

Our infrastructure is well suited to handle almost any technology imaginable for educational use. We are also able to provide a lot of services that surpass the capabilities of most schools. Some of the things we currently use and provide are as follows:

Every classroom is equipped with an interactive whiteboard, projector or CleverTouch Smart Screen depending on what technology would best convey the content being taught in that class.

The campus is covered by a state-of-the-art Wi-Fi network.

All of our presentation and meeting venues have high-quality full HD projectors or screens.

Café de More is equipped with a projector and screen as well as Wi-Fi for our visitors.

We have six computer labs spread out across the school.

Robotics is studied in all phases of the school to help introduce children to the concepts of programming.

TMC is one of the pilot schools in the IEB Exam Portal. This allows our concession students to write their official IEB exams on a computer.

All connections to the Internet are filtered through our proxy server to ensure that no unsavoury content is accessed by the students.

Through a system of various electronic boards, we are able to display reminders to parents, as well as provide scoring facilities on various fields.

TMC has a system of backup generators supplying power to various venues during power outages.

Devices

TMC strives to integrate technology only where it makes sense, as such, we progress from a policy of tight control of devices like tablets in our Junior Primary to a policy of bringing your own device in the Senior Primary and High School.

Textbooks and E-Books are available to our students where applicable.

Through our mixture of on-site and cloud services, all portals and content are available on the students’ devices.

Banks of tablets are available in all phases.

Media Centres

The libraries also offer a wide range of current books that are suitable for leisure reading as well as curriculum-based tasks. Teaching as well as library management are handled by qualified staff with the help of a state-of-the-art library management system.

The libraries are also used extensively by teachers for research lessons. In addition, as part of the English curriculum, each English class is booked into a library for one lesson per cycle where they are able to read quietly and receive assistance in choosing reading material of suitable literary value.

Primary School – The Savory Media Centre
The vibrant Savory Media Centre has an up-to-date collection of the latest and best in children’s literature and an extensive range of information sources catering for all ages from Grade 1 through Grade 7. E-books are also available.

High school – Dalberg Library
The Dalberg Library is fully equipped with a large collection of resources which cater for research activities. There are 28 computers, all of which are all fully networked and connected to the internet.

Environmental Affairs

Thomas More College has a board-approved environmental policy, and before any development takes place, an environmental impact assessment has to be done.
The children observe Arbour Day annually by planting a tree on campus. Along with regular community involvement through the Kloof Projects and Kloof Conservancy, various community based programmes are held where children are able to get themselves involved be it through community clean-ups, frog tracking or planting trees in the local suburb.
In our school gardens, we strive to have a 30:70 exotic/indigenous ratio for planting. The gardens also strive to be environmentally friendly. We have planted at least 310 indigenous trees on the grounds in the last 10 years. We have been re-awarded our International Platinum Flag status from WESSA annually since 2017. We (High School and Senior Primary School alternately) continue to monitor the number of eggs being laid by the Kloof Frog in the Crowned Eagle Conservancy in Gillitts on a monthly basis. This frog, unique to the Kloof area, is on the endangered species list.

The whole school is also involved in recycling. We are now working on our 15-year portfolio.

Community and Social Partnerships (CSP)

Community and social partnerships are a whole-school project, with each phase or grade having an assignment.

The projects range from year-long activities (for example, SMILE in Gr. 11) to annual projects (for example, winter woollies, blankets, and love boxes).
CSP not only ensures that the Thomas More College community assists the less fortunate but also brings our pupils into contact with the reality of life for the majority of people, thereby teaching them to be grateful and gaining valuable life skills. All CSP funds are raised, primarily through the Sponsored Walk in Term 1. There is a CSP Committee that meets each term in order to discuss and plan the various phase commitments. Staff representing each phase of the school, a member of the Board of Trustees, as well as the pupil body are all represented on the committee.

Thomas More College firmly believes that before one can receive, one has to give, this forms a large part of our ethos and the pillars upon which our school is built.

Student Portal

As we continue to develop our student portal, additional functionality is always being added to assist and support our students. This is mainly used by the High School, as the focus starts to shift towards the students becoming more independent and responsible in preparation for real life. This portal is full of information for the student and is a landing place for finding links and information that they will find useful.

There is a section here called LMS that allows subjects to post notes, activities and tasks for their students to be able to access from anywhere that they have an internet connection. There is a limited “view” of this inside the parent portal too. Some of the features available in the student portal are shown on the right.

The students are shown how to access the portal during school time and use the same details to log in as they are given to log in to the school computers.