New kid in town, Stedin College, offers advanced curriculum

Picture this: an affordable independent school offering quality education in a private, tranquil setting, boasting lush greenery. 

What you're picturing is Stedin College in Nelson Mandela Bay, which opened its doors to its first cohort of learners in January this year. It caters for students from Grade R and its inaugural group of matrics will graduate in 2026.

The school, which came about through a partnership with Edinvest Schools, St Christopher’s schools and Old Mutual Alternative Investments, is located in the former Walmer Country Club on Victoria Drive.

It has inherited all of the club’s natural beauty and its buildings, which have been renovated into modern, spacious classrooms, a well-resourced computer room, a multipurpose school hall and an administration block.

Stedin College may be the new kid on the block, but its forward-thinking approach to education has much to be admired, with entrepreneurship and robotics programmes incorporated into the usual CAPS curriculum. 

In the foundation and intermediate phases, teachers teach the basic principles and concepts of entrepreneurship, while teaching their other subjects. From the senior phase through to the grade 11 year, a separate lesson each week is devoted to entrepreneurship. 

“There is a great need in SA for the inculcation of an entrepreneurship mindset in our society,” says principal Mark Fletcher. “The Edinvest schools, along with Stedin College, seek to develop this mindset so that each learner leaving the school in grade 12 has the ability and knowledge to create their own business and become job creators in their communities.”

Fletcher believes the school's robotics programme is essential, given the dawn of the fourth Industrial Revolution. “Knowing how to code and program will be an essential part of working life in the future,” he says.

“At Stedin, we use the Lego robotics curriculum, which starts at the grade R level and takes learners up to quite advanced coding in a fun and active manner. Having our learners starting off with robotics from an early age will allow them to have the knowledge and skills to continue through this curriculum.”

Beyond academics, Stedin College has the potential to offer learners something unique when it comes to sport too.

“Four squash courts were inherited from the Walmer Country Club, and these will be put to good use in the years to come. Learners will be encouraged to play squash and enter school leagues,” says Fletcher. 

“The future plan is to develop a general purpose field that will accommodate cricket, rugby, football and athletics. Hockey fields will be developed in another area of the campus.

“Being on the edge of a golf course adds another dimension to the campus in that once the new Walmer Country Club has been established, golf can become part of the school’s offering.”

“We are most proud of the fact that our new school is up and running, and that our learners are happy. Our uniform is unique and stands out from all the others in the area. The most important is that there are tremendous opportunities. This sense of hope makes the establishment of the school something to be proud of,” says Fletcher.

He says there are big plans to expand the school in the years to come. 

“Our vision is to see the establishment of [a separate campus for the] primary school on the neighbouring site. This will increase the area of the school, and will allow for a capacity of 1,680 in both the primary and high school. This will place the school on a competitive basis with most of the schools in the city.

“Nelson Mandela Bay needs schools, and it is a dream that Stedin College become the first-choice option in schooling through its unique academic, sporting, cultural and outreach programmes,” he says. 

For more information, email marketing@stedin.co.za. 

This article was paid for by Stedin College.