Having opened its doors in January 2007, Waterstone College is a relatively new school that has grown exponentially since its genesis. The school was formed to fill the market owing to the poor reputation associated with government schools, as well as to keep up with the growth of the suburbs south of the N12 – the development of the area not including educational facilities. Waterstone is in Kibler Park, near Alberton, Bassonia and Glenvista. The College rests on a 15 hectare property on the banks of the Klip River, which runs through the site. Although only 15 minutes from the centre of town and 20 minutes from Rosebank, the campus has the sense of being nestled in the country. With an emphasis on holistic education, Waterstone College prides itself on the broad range of subjects on offer, as well as their cultural and sporting extramural activities. This plethora of skills is conveyed to the students through a dedicated and enthusiastic staff in smaller class groups. In addition to this, the examinations are written through the Independent Exam Board, which are of the highest standard, both within South Africa and abroad. Waterstone College also boasts and advanced intranet and wireless networking across the College, making it one of the most advanced schools in the country in terms of this pivotal range of skills and experience. Waterstone has a number of extramural activities on offer, ranging from a wide variety of sports to cultural and Christian studies. Participation in these extracurricular activities is encouraged as part of a well-balanced education. In the few years that the school has been in operation, the College has become one of the most notable sporting schools in the Johannesburg region. The school has had learners represent the province in cricket and soccer, as well as having district representatives in netball, hockey and cross country. A current Grade 10 pupil is currently in the top 20 squash players in the country, and there are also two ranked junior tennis players. In 2010, the soccer and netball teams travelled to Argentina with great success and, in 2011, the cricket- and tennis-players are touring to England. This year, Waterstone has opened a Sports Academy focussing on cricket and soccer development. The Academy is open to high school learners, most of who stay in the Residence whilst attending school. This highly-structured facility, in keeping with the ethos of the College itself, has a dedication to excellence in both the sports it promotes and to academic excellence. Waterstone College is also very committed to community upliftment. In addition to having a Charity Society, the school provides lunch to local school children, and clothing and stationery to fifty families. All learners go on community upliftment camps in rural areas, developing a sense of social consciousness and responsibility. While striving to provide the highest level of education and premium facilities, both in the classroom and on the sportsfield, Waterstone wants to be inclusionary for the local community in terms of fees. The result is that the fees are notably lower than other independent schools. With its achievements putting Waterstone on the map at an expeditious rate, it is certainly the school of the future and worth looking out for in terms of the gravitas it is going to have within the schools arena in the region.
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