“A bedrock is laid at College which moulds the boy and defines the man. It is extraordinary. It is a region of belonging, a landscape of the heart.” - Dr Marguerite Poland, Author of The Boy In You, an autobiography of St Andrew’s College.
St Andrew’s College aims to be the boarding school of choice in Africa. An education with us is a transforming experience. There are few better places in South Africa for young men to discover a life of purpose and significance.
St Andrew’s College was established in 1855 on the Eastern Cape frontier. The school provides a holistic education of the highest quality for all its boys and at the same time, develops individual talent. An inherent and enduring characteristic of St Andrew’s College is the passionate spirit of the boys and their genuine love for the school.
Set in the historic frontier town of Grahamstown in the rural Eastern Cape, South Africa, St Andrew’s College is a full-time boy’s boarding school that forms part of a unique family of three schools, educating children from Pre-Primary to Matric.
Grahamstown is the home of the National Arts and Jazz Festivals, SciFest, beautiful churches and many historical and architectural treasures. Art centers, museums and the Rhodes University campus are all within easy walking distance and enhance our academic environment. Here, pupils are able to enjoy an element of safe independence not often found in larger cities.
Our three schools nurture children from pre-primary age through to adulthood. St Andrew’s Prep classes are co-instructional from Grade 0 to Grade 3. From Grade 4, girls move across to the Diocesan School for Girls for the duration of their schooling and boys remain at Prep, allowing for the differential development path of girls and boys. At the beginning of Grade 8, boys move from Prep to St Andrew’s College. From Grade 10 upwards, College boys and DSG girls collaborate, providing highly successful, separate emphases and a largely co-instructional environment for many academic, cultural and social activities.
Exceptional education opens up a world of opportunity. Our academic standards are high. The school has, over many years had well over 90% of candidates qualifying for university entrance to top universities in South Africa, Britain and Australia. St Andrew’s College is also uniquely able to offer the Douglas Smith Scholarship to Cambridge University together with Rhodes Scholarship to Oxford University.
The magnificent three-leveled Design and Technology Centre was the first of its kind in South Africa and is known as the finest in the Southern Hemisphere. The studios are a hive of activity with projects ranging from architecture and interior design to fashion and jewelry design, electronics, robotics, technological and product design. Students can also explore the intricacies of metalwork and welding, woodwork, plastics, graphics, photography and ceramics. Mathematical ability is a vital component of abstract and practical reasoning, yet is not always an easy subject to grasp. For this reason, St Andrew’s College has introduced the Mathematics Centre.
There is a strong emphasis on visual and performing arts and dance is seriously enough to be offered as a Matric subject. The widely acclaimed DR Wynne Music School places a strong emphasis on participation in ensembles, the Senior Orchestra, Wind Orchestra, Rock Band, Marimba Band, String Quartet, the Chapel or Chamber Choir. The Music School hosts the Annual National Jazz Festival and boasts a computer lab and recording studio, providing hands-on training for budding sound engineers. St Andrew’s College Pipe Band is the oldest school pipe band in the country and is an inextricable part of our proud St Andrew’s College heritage.
With excellent sport coaching, our pupils regularly gain provincial recognition at schoolboy level. Many have gone on to become well-known sporting personalities. St Andrew’s has a stimulating selection of recreational activities: sky diving, surfing, fly-fishing, angling, scuba diving, cycling, abseiling and bungee jumping.
Our six full-time boarding houses are concerned with the individuality, safety and happiness of each boy. The boys within their walls have a strong sense of belonging and identity that reaches far beyond their schooling years.
Spirituality, service and life skills are integral to life at St Andrew’s College. The School Chaplain journeys with the boys providing guidance, support and wisdom through the teachings of Christ. The School Chapel is the spiritual centre of the School.
Participation in a rigorous program of Outdoor Education gives our boys opportunities to exercise their need for emotional and competitive intensity. The epic and much-loved John Jones Fish River Journey challenges individuals physically, spiritually and emotionally, and reconnects them with a past in which the school has played a fascinating role.
