Roedean School (SA)

Roedean School (SA) is one of South Africa’s most prestigious independent schools for girls, set on heritage grounds in Parktown, on Johannesburg’s leafy northern ridge. Founded in 1903 by Theresa Lawrence and Katherine Margaret Earle as a sister school to Roedean in Brighton, England, it has more than 120 years of history and today educates over 750 girls – drawn from more than 47 nationalities – from Grade 0 to Grade 12, as both a day and boarding school.

The school’s character blends British heritage and Sir Herbert Baker architecture with a proudly South African, forward-looking identity, guided by its founding values of Truth, Honour, Freedom and Courtesy and the philosophy of “inspiring a life of significance.” Roedean is a Round Square school, embracing the IDEALS of international exchange, leadership, service and adventure, and runs a whole-school Cognitive Education Programme – it is accredited as an Advanced Thinking School – rooted in growth mindset and “Habits of Mind.”

The girls progress from the St Margaret’s Foundation Phase through the Upper Junior School and into a five-year Senior School, writing the IEB National Senior Certificate with consistently strong results and placement at leading universities locally and abroad. Co-curricular life is rich across sport – the school is especially known for water polo – music (choir and ensembles), drama, dance and the visual arts, with social-justice and leadership programmes woven throughout.

Facilities pair historic buildings with modern science laboratories, a maths-excellence centre, innovation hubs, a multimedia auditorium, art and media centres, and strong sporting amenities including diving and water-polo pools, an indoor basketball court, a climbing wall and an Astroturf. A limited number of merit scholarships are offered for entry into Grade 8; full fee and admissions details are available from the school.