Mother-Tongue First
Setswana from Grade R to Grade 3
Children learn to think before they translate. We follow CAPS LoLT guidance — Setswana in Foundation, English from Grade 4 — with a deliberate bridging year.
Why Manana
Eight quietly stubborn things we do differently. Not because we are special — because the children in front of us are.
Our promises · School Life
Eight ways we hold the line — small, specific, repeatable.
Each promise below is something we do every week, not a poster on the wall. If you visit, you will see them — and we will tell you when we slip.
Project-Based Learning
One real project every term
Maths and Natural Sciences come alive in our school garden — measuring rainfall, costing seeds, weighing harvest. Real numbers, real spinach.
Personal Growth Portfolio
A folder, not a number
Every learner keeps a year-long portfolio of work and reflections. We meet parents over it, twice a term — far more honest than a single mark sheet.
Mental Health & Wellbeing
A district counsellor every Friday
Our SGB partnered with the district to bring a counsellor to Manana each Friday. Children can request a chat without a parent's note. We protect that.
Family-School Partnership
Saturday Workdays, monthly
Once a month parents and teachers gather to fix, paint, plant — the school is rebuilt by the same hands that drop their children at the gate.
Reading Culture
20 quiet minutes, every day
After lunch the whole school reads — staff included. Books rotate from the classroom shelves built by Mr Khumalo and a stash from Nal'ibali.
Sports & Health
Movement, every single day
PE happens on our farm field five mornings a week. We compete in the regional rural-schools netball and soccer fixtures — and we hold our own.
Local Heritage Curriculum
Stories from elders, every term
Once a term a community elder visits to share folktales, farming wisdom and Setswana proverbs. The children record them — that is our local archive.
Safeguarding
Six things every parent should know about safety here.
We are honest about what we have, what we do not have, and how we manage the gap. No spin.
Campus security
Two contracted guards on rotation; gate logbook for every visitor; CCTV at the main gate and admin block. SAPS sector commander on speed-dial.
Learner transport
DBE-approved scholar transport runs three farm routes. A WhatsApp parent group flags every pickup; a teacher is rostered to receive the children.
Daily nutrition
A hot meal every school day under the National School Nutrition Programme (NSNP). Menu rotates weekly — phuthu, morogo, samp, beans, soya — with traceable suppliers.
Health room
A first-aid room staffed by Mrs Ntho, our trained First-Aider. Quarterly nurse visits from the local clinic. Every learner has a health card on file.
Wellbeing
A district counsellor visits each Friday. Monthly wellness assemblies cover bullying, hygiene, and asking for help — led by Grade 7 peer mentors.
Emergency drills
Fire and evacuation drills twice per term. Every classroom has an emergency map and a posted muster point. Lichtenburg Fire Department audits us annually.