The Blue Mountains learners and their families reside in the local farms near the school and in the informal settlement of Phisantekraal. The school occupies a small piece of land on one of the farms in Durbanville and is under resourced in terms of adequate classroom and other essential amenities for its educators and learners. There is much poverty, mostly due to unemployment, or due to employment that pays very little amongst the parents of the learners attending. The number of learners that attend Blue Mountains is increasingly that from the informal settlements and in recent times these now outnumber the farm labourers’ children.
We believe that through the Chesterhouse Partnership Programme we will pay importance to improving the conditions of education, improving the educational environment and improving the quality of education at Blue Mountains.
- Our Nutrition Programme . Since 2004, Chesterhouse has provided sandwiches to the Blue Mountain learners on a weekly basis. This is a project that is specific to our Junior School. The Senior School students spend one Friday per term making sandwiches through a mass outreach effort.
All lost and unclaimed clothing that is accumulated at Chesterhouse is immediately given to the Blue Mountain school community. There are annual drives to provide much needed warm clothing to the school children. - The annual Chesterhouse/ Blue Mountain Chrismas Party is an event that is much anticipated by the Blue Mountain children. Fun, food, Father Christmas and gifts for the children all ensure a morning of fun and laughter. The Blue Mountain learners reciprocate by performing some beautiful songs and dances that are practiced well before the event.
- Chesterhouse, in consultation with the Durbanville School’s Forum, began the Learn to Swim programme in the beginning of 2007. The Chesterhouse swimming pool facilities have been made available to the Blue Mountain learners and the initiative of an official Learn to Swim programme was initiated by Chesterhouse. Many different organizations, companies and individuals have contributed to this programme and bathing costumes, towels and swimming equipment to facilitate the programme have been made available through their sponsorship. Chesterhouse has procured the volunteer services of professional Learn to Swim coaches who also specialise in competitive swimming across South Africa.
- The Chesterhouse Drum Majorettes have been in existence for a number of years and have provided many successes in their short life span. In the beginning of 2008, Chesterhouse undertook to form the Chesterhouse/ Blue Mountains Drum Majorette squad – a very exciting prospect for the Blue Mountains girls who have joined the squad.
