Southdowns College

As a former individual of this school, I personally believe that Southdowns college is a place to bring your child. Southdowns college focuses on its reputation and the way the school looks. The school does not care about its students in any way. As a student you are expected to just listen and keep quiet, and even do as you are told. The school is more about the matriculants and less about the inclusion of all students. Due to constantly being told what to do and just be submissive as a student, you have no sense of individuality. I lost my individuality, trying to blend in into this school and trying to meet their extreme expectations. This is not healthy, and is bound to happen when the school not just the work, puts pressure on you as a student. As a student you need to be different, you need to have some form of independence and individuality, which the school restricts you to do and be. This is because they don’t care to reflect back to the students, and ask the students of the school how they can improve. I think this is unfair because we are in the 21st century; times have changed and there are new engaging ways to run schools. The teachers come to class in a bad mood every single day, and communicate with students in a rude and timid manner. The teachers don’t regard the way their students feel whatsoever. This school puts up too many EXTREME rules and limitations. I’m not against rules, but they shouldn’t be so excessive that they become stifling. For example, they have a rule that hair shouldn’t be longer than your bellybutton and that hair shouldn’t be in your face. Even though I had my hair tied up, they still asked me to change it just because it reached my button, which felt overly-strict. The energy in this school is lifeless and quite unpleasant. If you a s a student receive standard to low marks in school, you will not be seen in any way and treated differently. They only praise and venerate those who receive distinctions or some form of awards. This is once again, because the school and principal only cares for their academic pass rate, which is important for their reputation. You will not be seen in any way unless you receive an award. Southdowns college takes the joy out of experience of going to school to learn and make connections. Students that wear open collars (junior collars) are treated unfairly and differently by the other students who wear collars with ties and even the teachers. This creates a huge social division within students, and hinders the normality of emphasizing equality within students. Students here aren’t able to socialize freely and properly communicate because those of collared ties are seen as inferior. I have always believed that a school (teachers, principal and staff) should work in a system where the school wants to grow and enrich itself, through understanding the the needs of its students. Southdowns college isn’t in any way considerate of this. This school has not supported me academically and emotionally, as a school should. I started developing a sense of resentment to going to school, because of this school. I would strongly recommend that you don’t bring or take your child to Southdowns college.

I use to be a student hear and, i really did not like this place at all the teachers dont care, the students are extremely racist and you just have to "deal with it", the sports is some of the worst i've seen in a long time at any school. For the amount of money you will be paying it would be a better idea to send your children else where.

My kids are incredibly happy in the Pre-Prep. I hear how the Prep also makes wonderful strides in education. We are very happy.

The Pre prep and Prep do Inquiry Based Learning and have flexible seating- forward thinking education

The teachers are amazing!

As a student finishing at southdowns college, the past 8 years have been the absolute worst. The school is extremely toxic towards us students who pay extreme amounts for teachers who 1. Cannot teach properly, 2. Teach subjects (more than one due to understaffing) they aren't qualified for, and 3. the good teachers leave as soon as they build a relationship with the students, leaving student teachers to fully take on classes while they’re unprepared.
There is also STILL a lot of racism at the high school as well from teachers that does get reported but nothing gets done about it.
Throughout the year, a day hasn’t gone by where our teachers haven’t reminded us about how important finals are, and even this week while writing these extremely important finals, the principle and heads of culture decided to have a concert on the lawn opposite the classes we wrote in which was extremely distracting for everyone and overall disappointing as there isn’t a sense of seriousness or professionalism for our grade.
Even though it looks like a beautiful school from the outside and there have been good moments, I urge you not to let your kids attend this school, there are far better options.

I matriculated from here and i nothing nice to say about this school, for the amount of school fees that we have to pay the level of teaching, sports and professionalism is very poor. for the amount of money that is paid you can definitely go to a better privately school or even a public school because anything would be better than what alot of children experience here

The communication and school culture is sorely lacking.

The primary and high schools were both attended by my kids. My opinion is that the school lacks management and proper evaluation of the teachers.

The teachers are extremely young and ambitious and often don't stay a full year let alone 2 semesters so be in for a constant change of teaching staff.

The facilities are lovely and vast however if you are looking at education your child literally has to be competing all the time with peers, this school has a very competitive and demanding afterschool syllabus and discrimination is very prominent if you opt to do any activity OUTSIDE the school...be warned no accreditation is given even if you are an OLYMPIAD and train with outside the school source.

My children had to have tutors for almost all the subjects this is also a very common and pushed idea from the teachers.

Not only the school is very pressing with the pupils for their attendance there is a sense of competing with the Jones very established at the school in both primary and secondary level...so as a parent be warned that you will be measured so will your children on status levels.

Leadership at the school is also chosen in a very strange manner...we have been told of horror stories of students arriving and after 2 months being given Prefect positions...be warned it's all about barter for this school.

We have been subjected to vast degrees of bullying as well by parents and students. The teachers and headmasters have very little control if non as this is so common in this school it is one of the things you know exist and you simply leave or accept.

The famous phrase of the school if you lodge a complaint is
"you are the only one who has complained about this" and "your child needs to take part of the blame" are the most common replies we have had in the past years.

I love the way the school engages with the students. They really are raising world-class citizens.

i used to go to this school and im here to share what the reality of sending your child to this school is, this school doesnt not care for the protection of young girls and women. multiple girls were sexually harassed and assaulted in the school and yet the school did nothing all they did was speak to the boys who harassed and assaulted the girls, nothing more and when the female students went to social media to share their stories the school contacted them and asked them to remove it, just because they want to save their reputation. over the past years ive heard things about how the school only cares for their reputation and nothing else. the students here are miserable. the principal of the highschool, represents the total opposite of what southdowns should be. HE IS EXTREMELY BAISED and to him once you do a bad thing, you will always be a bad student, at least this is what ive experienced. i just thought i should come here and write an honest review.

Southdowns College is a really good school. There are excellent traditions, staff and facilities at this school. I have schooled at Southdowns for my entire life and highly recommend it.

Unfortunately there are some shortcomings, because Southdowns is a relatively new institution it has not had time to perfect every aspect of itself.

Principal is a bullie
Only threatens your children to get his way

We love Southdowns! Beautiful school setting. The children are happy and learning. Excellent swimming school. You hardly hear any teachers shouting and they gain the respect from their learners in a no confrontational way. Super!

Racism and inequality is a huge issue at the school
There is even a Instagram
Page created by their students that seek to voice out their frustration.
The school also has a issue with bullying in the primary section
Many children who attend the school leave during their Enrollment to grade 8
An incident where a child was hurt haunts camp outings at the school and parents are anxious on allowing kids to attend camps
High school not enough male students...the campus is predominantly female students
No surprise that the headmasters of high school and primary have been replaced in the past few years and teacher on a continuous basis

A school that puts my children's needs first, academically, culturally and on the sports field. A school that lives by and encourages core values. The dedicated teachers, coaches and admin staff are what make the difference.

SDC prep and Pre-prep is an excellent school. It strifes to create a healthy environment for its learners and the staff are very caring. They go the extra mile. My two kids have had a very warm and loving experience.

Southdowns Prep is an innovative school, that brings out the best in children. Very caring teachers, who are passionate and really treat the children with love and kindness. Also very impressed with how they dealt with online schooling. Way to go! My child is very happy.

This year we have decided to move schools after enduring lawsuits from parents outside the school who attend extra murals at the school...although a private school some extra murals are offered to outside children
We have twice experienced Teachers of Southdowns divulging parent teacher information to the outside parents. It’s is very upsetting to the child to the parents and once trust is lost it’s is not recovered with a school.
Complaints of bullying and harrasment are not handled correctly often brushed aside and fielded into lawsuits with opposing patents
We have also experience first hand the toxic competitive environment, excessive tests assignments and demerit system the students are at all levels being judged continuously by teachers parents and peers

We attend the high school and the primary school. We do not recommend this school. We have had issues with bullying and biased treatment from teacher and students. Their extra mural activists are not of a good professional standard allowing outside students to attend. The student are also very stressed with high volume of homework and test