Theme weeks
A new world every week in Foundation Phase, threaded through reading, writing and maths.
The Primary School · Grade RR to 7
Childhood is not a waiting room.
Children are capable, curious people right now. At Verve they ask real questions, solve real problems and grow into confident, kind and independent learners, while covering every part of the CAPS curriculum.
01 / AgesGrade RR to 7From four years old to the doorstep of high school, on one campus.
02 / ClassesSmall and multi-gradeEvery child known by name, strengths and quirks.
03 / CurriculumCAPS, taught differentlyThe full national curriculum, through projects and inquiry.
04 / School day7:30 to 14:00Then Adventure Club aftercare until 17:30.
See it for yourself
Three minutes in our Primary School.
Four phases, one way of learning
What your child will experience.
Little Verve: play with purpose.
Grade RR and Grade R are where a love of learning begins. Through stories, building, songs and the outdoors, children develop language, number sense, fine motor skills and the confidence to try new things.
What they learn
- Home Language: listening, speaking, early reading and writing
- Mathematics: counting, shapes, patterns and measuring
- Life Skills: creative arts, movement and wellbeing
- Beginning Knowledge about their world
- Coding and robotics, starting unplugged
What it feels like
- Stories and role play every day
- Building, sorting and pattern play
- Outdoor discovery and messy art
- Morning movement and music
- Learning to share, wait and help
Foundation Phase: strong roots.
Grade 1 to 3 learn together in a multi-grade class. Reading, writing and number sense are built carefully, then brought to life through a new theme each week that children explore, talk about, write about and build.
What they learn
- English Home Language
- Afrikaans First Additional Language
- Mathematics
- Life Skills: Beginning Knowledge, Creative Arts, Physical Education and Personal and Social Wellbeing
- Coding and robotics
What it feels like
- Theme weeks with writing on iPads
- Reading corners and guided-reading groups
- Maths with real objects and number games
- First robots and sequencing challenges
- Show-and-tell and reflection circles
Intermediate Phase: connect the dots.
Grade 4 to 6 learn in a multi-grade class built around big integrated projects. In one term, the Five Realms quest carried History, Geography, Natural Sciences and Maths through a single adventure, with each grade working at its own level.
What they learn
- English Home Language and Afrikaans FAL
- Mathematics
- Natural Sciences and Technology
- Social Sciences: History and Geography
- Life Skills, and coding and robotics
What it feels like
- Term-long quests that join subjects up
- Research projects and presentations
- iPads for film, design and code
- 3D design in Tinkercad
- Reflection journals and goal setting
Grade 7: ready for what's next.
Grade 7 is the bridge into the Senior Phase. Learners take on more independence, bigger projects and a high-school style timetable, so the step into Grade 8 feels natural. And because Verve runs to matric, there is no change of school.
What they learn
- English Home Language and Afrikaans FAL
- Mathematics
- Natural Sciences and Technology
- Social Sciences
- Economic and Management Sciences
- Creative Arts and Life Orientation
What it feels like
- First steps in entrepreneurship
- Longer, more independent projects
- Mentoring younger learners
- Presenting to real audiences
- Planning their own time and goals
Why multi-grade
Learning works better in a family.
In a multi-grade class, children of neighbouring ages learn side by side, the way they do at home and in life. Each grade still follows its own CAPS work, and facilitators plan for every level.
Younger learners reach higherThey hear, see and copy what older children are doing.
Older learners grow by explainingTeaching a friend is the best way to understand something.
Every child at their own paceStretch ahead in one subject, take more time in another, without a label.
Kindness becomes normalPatience, leadership and care, practised every single day.
How we teach
Facilitators, not lecturers.
Our facilitators pose the problem first, let children wrestle with it together, and step in with the question that moves the thinking forward.
Integrated quests
Term-long projects that join subjects into one story worth solving.
Coding and robotics
From Grade R. Unplugged first, then Swift Playgrounds and Tinkercad.
Movement every morning
Active bodies, ready minds. Every day begins with movement.
iPads as tools
For filming, writing, designing and recording, alongside paper, paint and mud.
Reflection
What did I try, what was hard, what will I do next?
Voice and languages
English and Afrikaans, plus drama and presenting, so every child finds their voice.
Learning outdoors
The field, the garden and the sky are classrooms too.
Learning spaces
Classrooms designed for how children learn.
Soft corners for reading, tables for building together, room to move. Each phase has its own space, planned around the way that age group learns best.
Chess club
Thinking three moves ahead.
Chess and Rubik's Cube with the Rustenburg Chess Club, on the classroom carpet. Included in the school fees for Foundation and Intermediate Phase.
- Patterns, planning and spatial thinking that carry straight into maths
- Patience: think first, then move
- Winning kindly, losing well and asking for a rematch
Around the world
A different country in every classroom.
Flags, food, music and greetings. For one day each classroom became somewhere new, and learners travelled from room to room.
Adventure Club · Aftercare
Play, explore, thrive.
Progressive aftercare for the Primary School, Monday to Friday from 14:00 to 17:30. Any primary learner who has not been collected by 14:30 moves into Adventure Club automatically, so no child is left waiting.
- Social skills, teamwork and problem-solving, tailored to each child's interests
- Outdoor play for fine and gross motor skills, and for imagination
- Caring mentors who build a positive relationship with every child
- A daily meal on the meal plan: hotdogs, wraps, spaghetti bolognese, strips and chips, or burgers
R1 135per month
R95per day
R25per hour
R1 990per month, with a daily meal
Parents as partners
You're part of the class too.
A close, honest relationship with every family. You will always know how your child is doing, and why.
- Term reports with personal comments from your child's facilitator
- Easy, open communication with facilitators
- Showcase days where children present their projects to you
- Mental Health Week and wellbeing support for the whole family
Uniform
Made for little explorers.
Comfortable, hard-wearing and easy for small hands to manage. Built for floor time, paint and the climbing frame.
- Tracksuit, polos, a bomber jacket, sports kit and a sun hat, all gender neutral
- Order and pay online through the School Wardrobe
Prices from the School Wardrobe. Every item is gender neutral and made to order: allow 15 to 25 working days after payment.
Questions parents ask
Good questions.
Does my child still cover the full CAPS curriculum?
Yes. Verve follows CAPS in every grade. What changes is how it is taught: through projects, inquiry, discussion and hands-on work rather than mainly worksheets and memorising.
How does a multi-grade class actually work?
Neighbouring grades share a classroom and a facilitator. Each grade has its own CAPS work and level, often within the same theme or project, so a Grade 1 and a Grade 3 might explore the same question at very different depths.
How much screen time is there?
iPads are used with purpose: to create, record, code and research. They sit alongside books, paper, paint, building materials and a lot of time outside. Younger children spend most of their day hands-on and offline.
How will I know how my child is doing?
You will receive a report each term with personalised comments from your child's facilitator, and you are always welcome to talk to us. Showcase days let you see the learning for yourself.
Does my child write an entrance test?
Every applicant does a short, friendly evaluation on an iPad, pitched to their age. It is not a pass or fail. It helps us understand where your child is so we can place them well.
Is there aftercare?
Yes. Adventure Club, our progressive aftercare, runs Monday to Friday from 14:00 to 17:30 for the Primary School. It costs R1 135 a month, R95 a day or R25 an hour, or R1 990 a month including a daily meal. Any primary learner who has not been collected by 14:30 goes into Adventure Club automatically.
What are the school hours?
The Primary School, Grade RR to 6, runs from 7:30 to 14:00. Grade 7 to 12 runs from 7:30 to 15:00. There is no homework: learning happens at school.
What happens after Grade 7?
Verve runs all the way to Grade 12, so your child moves up into our Senior Phase and then chooses their own subject combination for Grade 10. Same campus, same values.
Come and see
The best way to understand Verve is to visit.
Walk the classrooms, meet the facilitators and watch a lesson in action. Bring your child, and your questions.