Northcliff High School
Northcliff High School, commonly known as Northcliff High, is a public English medium co-educational high school located in the suburb of Blackheath in Johannesburg in the Gauteng province of South Africa. It is one of the top and most academic schools in Gauteng. The high school was established in 1969.
| Northcliff High School | |
|---|---|
| Address | |
| |
Mountain View Drive, Blackheath , | |
| Coordinates | 26°07′48″S 27°57′52″E |
| Information | |
| School type | Public & Boarding |
| Motto | Nihil Tam Altum (Nothing so high) |
| Established | 1969 |
| School district | District 9 |
| Authority | Gauteng Department of Education |
| Principal | Mr Essex-Clarke |
| Teaching staff | 56 |
| Grades | 8–12 |
| Gender | Co-ed |
| Age | 14 to 18 |
| Enrollment | 1,497 |
| Average class size | 22-35 |
| Language | English |
| Schedule | 07:30 - 14:00 |
| Website | www |
Location
The school is located on Mountain View Drive, at the bottom of Northcliff Hill.
Sporting
Northcliff High has won the A-League Inter-High Athletics competition for 22 consecutive years, from 1997 - 2018.
In 2015, construction of an astroturf hockey field started.[1] At the time, the school was the only government school in the area to own one.
A bear was the First Rugby team mascot in 1973. It featured in every First Rugby team photo until 1987. In 2018 the mascot was returned to the school by the 1990 First Rugby team Captain.[2]
Northcliff won the A-league inter-high gala several times.
Controversy
In June 2017, Northcliff High was embroiled in a religious sensitivity scandal after it required its female Muslim students to carry concession cards in order to wear a head scarf to school. It was claimed that this was to make sure that the uniform rules were upheld, but due to a recent Pretoria Girls scandal, it had a bigger spotlight shone on it than it necessarily would have.[3]
Transformation
According to a Sunday Times investigative report, Northcliff was named as Gauteng's least representative school staff-wise, with its academic staff consisting of 96% white staff members.[4] The figures for Northcliff High School were according to teaching staff lists and photos on the school's website as the school refused to reveal its numbers to the press.[5]
Past and present heads of school
The following have been the heads of the school:
- Mr Ged Dickerson (1969 - 1986)
- Mr Peter Cawdry (1986 - 1997)
- Mr David Klein (1997 - 2002)
- Mr Walter Essex-Clark (2003 - date)
Notable alumni
- Shane Burger - Scotland international cricket coach
- Connell Cruise - Singer-songwriter [6]
- Clive Eksteen - South African international cricket player[7]
- Neville Godwin - Professional tennis player and coach
- Sean Roberts - Professional football player
- Jonathan Roxmouth - Stage actor
- Max Sorensen - Irish international cricket player
- Byron Talbot - Professional tennis player and Wimbledon doubles contestant[8]
- Sharne Wehmeyer - South African international field hockey player
- Vincent Tshituka - Professional Rugby Player[9]
References
- NHS Astro, Northcliff High School Astro Turf Project, retrieved 11 September 2014
- https://www.facebook.com/NorthcliffHigh/photos/a.710248095721559/2072815762798112/?type=3&theater
- https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/south-africa/2017-06-05-northcliff-highs-concession-cards-for-muslim-learners-compared-to-dompas/
- https://www.timeslive.co.za/sunday-times/news/2017-06-24-schools-change-but-not-in-staff-rooms/
- https://www.timeslive.co.za/sunday-times/news/2017-06-24-schools-change-but-not-in-staff-rooms/
- https://www.iol.co.za/mercury/musical-sister-act-a-hard-one-to-follow-15633556
- http://www.schoolsportsnews.co.za/cricket/test-cricketers-by-school/from-sa-schools-to-proteas/
- "Wimbledon 1996 (Great Britain)". Retrieved 26 November 2020.
- /https://www.rugbypass.com/super-rugby/teams/lions/players/vincent-tshituka/&ved=2ahUKEwii4qG-u9_lAhUpShUIHT5LAREQFjAXegQICRAB&usg=AOvVaw1i7CWGAV-oBnynZxXqS9Jm