Edgemead High School

It's what? My fourth almost fifth week here as a grade 8 learner? And it's already not the greatest. I already heard a ton of stuff about the school. One of them being that a teacher(Mr Paulson) is handsy with the girls, and was reported a few times, but the school still hasn't fired him? There is also the fact that multiple teachers on my first day said "Yeah, the matrics will try to steal your stuff so keep it safe" and then saying that they can't do anything about it? A senior did actually try stealing from me, on school grounds, just two weeks ago! They have not given any privacy in the boys changing rooms. There are showers but with no curtains from what I've been told. That's the main reason I don't change in there as a transgender student. Students have looked at girls sexually on the very first day and it has caused me to be so uncomfortable to the point I have to go into the girls changing room and make myself feel worse.

Education so far is alright, many times they just yell at you but some are quite nice [Mr Smit, Mr Williams(WL) for an example]. Safety isn't actually that good and the indoor environment is pretty awful, especially in the bathrooms but that is probably just the students. There were two kids making out on a wall out in the open at some stage, too.

Food is pretty good and I would've liked it more if it weren't for the fact my classmate had to leave class to throw up because of the water given at the Café. They make many clubs from 4-6pm so that people who do sports can go to clubs, but to 6pm? That's too long in my opinion.

Those are only the main things, excusing some other stuff I have witnessed. I can't say much due to the fact I haven't spent even a term here, but this is still a concerning amount for my fourth week here.

Edgemead is not a safe place for those who don’t have stable mental health. The prefects are horrible and don’t take self harm into consideration when students refuse to take off long clothing to hide their scars.
I understand not all clothing is aloud as there are school rules but if a student is uncomfortable and states to you that they are uncomfortable taking off that long clothing do not force them too! There have been situations where prefects and teachers have been very rude to my friends.
Once a prefect laid her hands on my friend because she wanted to see her self harm scars, the prefect didn’t believe my friend had self harm scars and decided to grab her arm and lift her jacket up. This is unbelievable behaviour and just inhumane.

Another situation happened when someone was explaining to the prefect that she wasn’t comfortable with taking off her jersey infront of everyone bcs she had tried to commit suicide a few years prior to which the prefect replied “I don’t care if you tried to kill yourself take off your jersey or I’ll do it myself.” And then continued to explain to her how to actually go through with killing herself. I was absolutely shocked to hear this as I know that girl has been struggling with her mental health for a while and she was starting to get better and I know that what that prefect said shattered that poor girls heart and will to live.

Absolutely disgusting behaviour and I hope that Edgemead staff are willing to help those in need and help those who are hurting others and putting a stop to these disgusting remarks.

I’m a student at edgemead high and my experience is horrible. The teachers are so bad and don’t talk about the school work they talk about unnecessary things. Once in grade 9 I was in my geography class and the teacher was talking to us about his personal life living in the cape flats and about aliens in space and how their are Russians in space at the moment planning to bomb the earth and how Germans are gonna take over Jupiter and stuff. After the period ended he wanted to see me after class and I was super scared and uncomfortable when everyone left he closed the door and I was scared for my life, I thought something really bad was gonna happen. He asked me if the lesson and if the topic was informative and obviously it wasn’t because we are supposed be talking about geography and not about planets and aliens. Of course I didn’t say no because I was worried for my safety I just said yes and there was a really awkward and uncomfortable moment of silence. He was staring at me and so I decided to make up an excuse and leave he was creepily smiling at me and being a total creep. I left really quickly and since then I dreaded going to geography every day.

I work at Edgemead. I generally enjoyed my interactions with the kids - eager to learn and largely very congenial (with a few major exceptions). The school would rush to pounce upon uniform infractions but did nothing about recorded instances of students not bringing their books (and in turn disrupting the class).

The staff were all lovely, but burnt out because of a management style that is less interested in personal development and more about control (see the thousands spent in cameras and devices to record finger prints instead of more useful, more social programs). The school has all the facilities and staff complement to be a truly empowering and progressive school - if run by the staff.

The school management killed my love of teaching and my will to live. Mr Lawrence is a creep, and is better suited to being a principal in the conservative 1950s. He would parade around the school barking orders about social distancing while making a point of hugging the matric girls (many of whom expressed their discomfort at the situation to me, but felt that there was no one they could take their complaints to).

It's a good school...but it could be so much better if it were run by the dedicated teachers who do so much of the work. 50-50 on a recommend, just maybe not send your daughters there while Lawrence is around.

I worked at Edgemead. I generally enjoyed my interactions with the kids - eager to learn and largely very congenial (with a few major exceptions). The school would rush to pounce upon uniform infractions but did nothing about recorded instances of students not bringing their books (and in turn disrupting the class).

The staff were all lovely, but burnt out. The school has all the facilities and staff complement to be a truly empowering and progressive school - if run by the staff.

The school management killed my love of teaching and my will to live. Mr Lawrence is a creep, and is better suited to being a principal in the conservative 1950s. He would parade around the school barking orders about social distancing while making a point of hugging the matric girls (many of whom expressed their discomfort at the situation to me, but felt that there was no one they could take their complaints to).

It's a good school...but it could be so much better if it were run by the dedicated teachers who do so much of the work. 50-50 on a recommend, just maybe not send your daughters there while Lawrence is around.

Edgemead High-school was most probably the worst experience I've ever been through. They claim to preach about respect and living abundantly but the school has everything except that. And by 'everything' I mean drugs, peer pressure, bullying, sexualization, anxiety, depression, social anxiety and a breeding ground for suicidal kids. There were many times when I felt so isolated and overwhelmed I considered suicide as an option.

The teachers teach with no care for the students, it's just the "get it over with" anathema. There are VERY few teachers who genuinely care for the students and make teaching enjoyable and learn-able. (Shout-out to Mr White and Mrs Paiver)

The discipline is almsot non-existence in the kids, and the teachers do a very poor job of protecting children against bullying and peer pressure. They think locking down bathrooms is going to stop kids from doing drugs. They shout at the kids almsot every day instead of establishing a serious talk-to-talk discipline to get to the root of the problem in a calm and collected manner. They respond to violence with violence.

The amount of workload they give you is unfathomable, and that's understandable since it's High-school, however the teachers' ways of teaching makes it so stressful, they try to cram so much into one and in the end, the tests and exams ask us something completely different. I know more about the teachers' personal lives than actual work because of how much rambling they do and go off-topic.

This school only feeds to mental disorders by giving you more stress than knowledge.

My experience of edgemead high school was negative noisy classrooms and disruptive behavior from students. Students that are rude and insensitive .It was a nightmare of a experience for me being the quiet student. I couldn't think and walk in into classes emotional drained and stressed .


"Teachers have a professional obligation to make their classrooms welcoming and supportive places for all students. In order for this to happen, however, we need to understand that being socially outgoing is not a “skill” and preferring to work alone or in a quiet environment is not a weakness. Introverts approach life in a unique way, and their approach is valuable even if it is rarely valued. With anxiety disorders and depression approaching epidemic levels, it is time that our schools recognize the ways in which we create unnecessary stress for students despite our best intentions."

Choosing the best high school is tough. But honestly Edgemead high has so much to offer. With a wide range of sports and cultural activities to choose from. A very strong focus on academics. The school is also very diverse with the school building a gender neutral bathroom a few years back and celebrating pride week every year and even starting a pride club to help learners part of the LGBTQ+ community feel loved and cared for . The school also offers free counselling for learners going through a tough time. The teachers are friendly and are ready to help with just about anything. The teachers, principle and learners are very kind and caring. And if your having a bad day out principle will crack a joke and your whole day is so much better. Coming into grade 8 I knew nobody but within a month I found my feet because of the help provided by the school. Today I can say I am a proud eagle ♡

Not a place for introverts students ,like a typical high school it is designed for extroverted students.Wish they made it accommodating to introverts ,but don't think the leadership of the school knows how to or never made a good effort to.

Honestly the school itselve is a clean and nice environment. It's big and has some nice things to it such as the cafeteria. I must say some teachers truly show that they couldn't care less about us though. They chose their favorite students and only pay attention to them. Some teachers even think it's okay to speak about their personal life and was quite inappropriate, anyways that would waste my learning time. But there about 2 teachers that I KNOW that genuinely really care for our future and really are passionate about their jobs. One thing I've noticed about being in EHS is that every second child is either sad, depressed or really going through things. Personally i think the school is a bit too strict and really restricts us from enjoying our high school years which may lead to depression. But either then that, discipline is needed and they definitely do discipline those that get out of line. I would really recommend i don't know.. More positive vibes.. More free going activities. It's just a bit morbid.. But i guess it's school, it is a place to learn and nothing more. Well i had my years just finished matric this year.. Thanks to the teachers that care

Im currently a student here at EHS and for me its a great school, it does have some downs but i personally believe the ups outway it. I have read some of the other bad reviews, some i agree with but others like the school being racist is definitly not true.

Some teachers do try their absolute best, others arent as motivated if i can put it that way. If you ask them to explain something to you if they have time they will help you.

If you are a parent reading this and you are thinking of send your child here, do note that if they slack off or are disruptive they might not have a good time here but it can change around. I was a slacker in grade 8 and 9 and i hated the school but when i started putting in the work and actually started participating in extra curricular activites (mainly in the music department) my school experience became very much enjoyable. Hope this review helped with some decisions :)

This school is one of the best schools in cape town even through this whole pandemic ehs has stayed extremely organized.

I am a learner at Edgemead High School and I personally believe that it is a fantastic school. School spirit is high and the principal is very proud of his school and the learners in it. The school has many activities and sports to offer and they are very accommodating towards the needs of the learners. Equality is definately present at our school(Example: Gender Neutral Bathroom in the one building) Most of the teachers at our school are great teachers and are always trying their best to help the learners be the best person they could possibly be and excell in everything they do.I have been at Edgemead High for 4 years now and I really feel like it has allowed me to step outside my comfort zone and try new things and has turned me into a better person. If you are looking to enroll in this school, I would definately reccomend that you do so and I hope you have a great experience.

They act accepting to when parents are around but it's a different story when you attend. The teacher's are not very helpful when it comes to getting all the necessities for eg textbooks. It is not a great school. Would not choose this school unless i had no choice .

Increasingly restrictive school that pretends to be progressive and accepting but is far from it. Transgender students are not allowed to wear the uniform of their identified gender. Anything vaguely political, including slogans are banned by the code of conduct. Multiple teachers make inappropriate comments about female students and touch them inappropriately, this has been reported but the school does nothing! There are some lovely teachers at the school who put passion into their teaching, however, they are being chased away and the drain of good teaching is felt

Acts like they are modern and accepting but aren't
Teachers named Mr Paulson is quite handsy with the teenage girls