Herschel Girls School

Main building

Herschel Girls School is a private boarding day school for girls. Herschel was established in 1922 as an independent Anglican school. The school’s credo is: "Learning to make a difference". It is located in Claremont, which is a southern suburb of Cape Town. Herschel is a beautiful school and most of the buildings are white. On the territory of the school is a lot of grass and there are many trees everywhere. There is even walking a peacock through the gardens. On several places in the garden are stone benches and tables where you can sit during break time. All the hallways are open which gives a friendly atmosphere. There is a theatre, an indoor sports centre, resource and computer centres, science laboratories, technology and consumer studies centres and well-resourced music, art and drama departments. Outside there is a swimming pool, there are sport fields for hockey, tennis and so on.

Herschel Theatre

The school is divided into a junior school (ages 6-12) and a senior school (ages 13-18). Herschel has an extended exchange program with many schools all over the world, also with the Rijnlands Lyceum in Wassenaar. I am very happy that I was chosen to go on exchange. The life at school is very different from the Rijnlands. A big difference is that Herschel is a school for girls only. Everybody is wearing a school uniform so in the morning we don't have to think what we are going to wear that day. School always starts at twenty to eight and finishes at three o’clock. The first lesson is called a ‘tutor lesson’, a twenty-minute lesson with your tutor teacher. It is actually only to check if you are present and to give some information about the events of the day. In between lessons there is no bell, like in the Rijnlands, the students just go to their next lesson in time. I love that the big break is an hour long here, whereas in Holland it is only half an hour. I am following a number of subjects which we do not have on the Rijnlands such as Afrikaans and Consumer studies. The sport and music activities are done at school and not at different clubs as in Holland.  Every teacher and every student I’ve met so far has been really nice to me. I am sure I will make a lot of new friends here. I am so happy that I can have this unique experience in an amazing country.  

 

 

Going to school with Steff

 

Peacock in the garden
 

Fun in the break