Protea Primary is a school for traumatised children with special educational needs. Children are at Protea from ages 5 to 13.

 

A place of safety

It is joined to a place of safety (as the children have mostly suffered ill-treatment or neglect at home) where the children stay before either returning to family members or being moved to an established children's home or care centre. This is one of just 5 places of safety through the Eastern Cape. The school is run by Mrs Irma Swart (school principal) and takes up to 100 learners. The children all receive their education at Protea Primary for the duration of their stay at the Place of Safety, which can be for up to 2 years.

Personalised approach

Due to the amount of special attention and the emotional needs of each child, at Protea each child is in the equivalent of 4 children in a mainstream school. The school strives to keep to 10 children per class even if this is not always feasible. The school is split into various classes that cater for three home languages being English, Xhosa, and Afrikaans. The team at the school go the extra mile to ensure each child receives the personalised attention they need and can strive towards achieving their learning goals even in the most difficult circumstances.