MICHAELHOUSE COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP TRUST
QUARTER 3 PROJECTS AND IMPACT REPORT 2026
The intention of this report is to capture the work of the Michaelhouse Community Partnership
Trust during the 2nd Quarter 2026 as part of our ongoing mission of improving our 16 ‘footprint’
schools and 10 ECD Centres as functional places of learning. This is a complex and multi-facet
ed process. We have 13 focussed projects and priority actions on which we report below. Where
we can, we work on the basis of ‘fair exchange’ to ensure sustainability and equal “skin in the
game”, we are also mindful of keeping our schools ‘at the centre of the community’ by working
on the basis of co-determination, collaboration and cooperation. Below are the high-level suc
cesses during this quarter in respect of:
• Eduhelpers [teaching interns]
• Shaya Izibalo Maths – SIMI
• School maintenance
• Early Childhood Development progress
• Boy’s Service
• Literacy
• Principal Leadership
• ECD
• Learnerships
• Eduvelopment
• St Raphaels
EDUHELPERS (TEACHING INTERNS)
Eduhelper Workshop; Entrepreneurial Skills; Developing Business Ideas; Effective Collaboration.
An Eduhelper workshop will be held on 18 September 2026, with all 40 Eduhelpers invited to attend. The
workshop will Samworks Professional Training focus on entrepreneurship and team building, with the aim
of strengthening the skills and relationships of Eduhelpers.
The entrepreneurship session will introduce Eduhelpers to basic entrepreneurial skills, including identifying
opportunities, developing business ideas and encouraging an entrepreneurial mindset. The team-building
session will focus on communication, teamwork, trust, leadership and cooperation. Participants will take
part in activities designed to strengthen relationships and encourage effective collaboration.
SIMI MATHS INTERVENTIONS:
Primedia Support; Extensive Radio Advertising; Newspaper Coverage; 300 Learners.
1. Primedia support:
Paul was interviewed on Cape Talk and KFM on Monday in Cape Town studio.
Listen here:
• KFM – https://www.facebook.com/reel/2507395729764996/?fs=e&s=TIeQ9V&fs=e&mibextid=wwXI
fr
• CapeTalk – https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1GMz42ntpC/?mibextid=wwXIfr
• https://www.instagram.com/reel/DcI-cAwuO94/
SIMI Have been given extensive radio advertising that is airing from 10 August – 10 October on 702,
KFM, Cape Talk and 947. With a plan to re-run in January for 1 month.
• SIMI billboards about to go live across Jhb and Cape Town
• SIMI Maths Mondays launching soon on 702 (billboards to advertise them)
2. Newspaper coverage:
• Witness newspaper printed last years Maths exam papers on 20 August. They included a SIMI Logo
and QR code taking learners to videos of Paul working through the papers and teaching.
• Ilanga will interview Paul about SIMI and publish before printing matric papers.
• Ilanga are including SIMI adverts in their paper next to the past papers.
3. Met with Capitec head of CSI in Stellenbosch on 18 August
4. Matric revision:
• 300 learners from 13 schools on 15 August for Trials paper 1
• Trials paper 2 revision on 29 August at Michaelhouse.
• CCI in Umhlanga are hosting matric learners from 4 schools at their office for Trials paper 2 revision
on 29 August.
5. Ruth was guest speaker at Forestry seminar talking about SIMI
SCHOOL MAINTENANCE:
Trafalgar Maintenance; Hlanganani Primary; Comprehensive reports; Infrastructure Projects;
Local Contractors.
The central issue is that a) the DBE provides very little in the way of infrastructure repair, renewal or main
tenance, b) a financial allowance for the school’s to plan their for their maintenance needs, and c) the
provision of kitchens to prepare the daily ‘free’ lunch.
MCPT as now embarked on a major campaign focused on “hygiene, security and classroom dignity” in our
16 schools:
We are visiting each school to assess in particular the following:
• the state of the toilets; plumbing, handwashing facilities, waste water disposal;
• State of the kitchens; preparation area, serving area, washing area, food storage and vermin control;
• The repair of the perimeter security fence, gates and doors
• The classrooms; particularly the state of desks, whiteboards, visual learning material, ventilation and
safety.
Schools that were visited in this reporting period have been; Hlanganani Primary School and Bruntville
Primary School
Martin Finch has been assisting with school visits and compiled comprehensive infrastructure condition
reports for us to make informed decisions on the infrastructure repair projects we undertake. Work has
been done in the toilets and water fountains at both Hlanganani and Bruntville.
Rod MacKenzie has since taken over the project management and visited and additional 2 schools as well
as engaged 2 service providers for the 2 areas he has assessed. The aim is to use reputable local commu
nity contractors where the school is located with close monitoring and support from Rod.
Care of our Chairman, the Trafalgar maintenance team continue to support our schools with monthly visits
to sort our minor issues. These have included fixing jungle-gyms, replacing broken windows, door handles,
and painting walls
EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT
Support Teaching and Learning; Annual Budget Planner; Learning kits; Marketing Your Pre-School;
Reach Out to Read.
The Reach Out to Read (RotR) team has conducted two support visits to our ECD centres. During these
visits, they assess the learners to check whether the programme is effective and whether the teachers are
using the programme correctly. The visits also help the team identify areas where the centres may need
more support. After the visits, workshops are held to address these areas. The first workshop took place
on Friday, 19 June 2026. The RotR team gave the teachers feedback on their visits and highlighted areas
that needed improvement. They also gave each teacher a Lego box and demonstrated some activities that
teachers could do with the learners. This was additional support for our older centres, as Kim from GROW
had previously conducted a Lego workshop with them.
On 7 August 2026, the GROW team returned to conduct two workshops for all 10 of our centres attended
by 25 delegates. The older centres attended a Gross Motor Skills workshop. The workshop explained the
importance of gross motor skills and included practical activities that the teachers could use with their
learners. The new centres attended an introduction to the GROW ECD App. The teachers were shown how
the app works and how they can use it to support their work at the centres.
On 18 August 2026, 10principals from our partner centres were invited to attend a Business Support
Workshop. During the workshop, the GROW team had one-on-one sessions with the principals to discuss
the finances of their ECD centres. They looked at areas where the centres could improve and provided
guidance on financial planning for the following year.
ECD Beneficiaries:
• 25 teachers
• Learners 459
• Schools 10
Intended Impact: To strengthen the quality of teaching and learning in our ECDs and to give guidance to
the principals and teachers in managing the centres
BOY’S SERVICE:
River Clean Up; Sustain and Maintain; ABSA Handover; Packaging for BraveHer; 600 Matric Girls.
Support for Matt Rees river clean-up has been very positive. It is an enormous task and at times it doesn’t
even seem to make a dent. Peta will be meeting with him soon to check on the community participation,
and depot facilities to see how to sustain and maintain the effort to prevent the relentless build-up of litter.
• ABSA handover of bore holes on 18th of September at Jabula and Njoloba
• 3 September booked to assist in the completion of painting the creche at Khulakahle Creche
• Boys have been assisting in packaging for BraveHer – we are at the stage where products and gift bags
have been bought and now are being assembled. These will be distributed to 600 matric girls in our 6
high schools plus 3 additional schools identified by the MCPT team ( Tendela, Mconjwana and Asibe munye)
• Khazimula – boys assisted in painting a step in the dining hall.
• Pascoe House: donated goal posts and soccer balls to Espithewini Sendezi
• Crystal Springs, NRP, Curry’s Post Primary, the ECD centres continuing as usual based on requirements.
All service was cancelled the week of snow owing to very low attendance of the children at the school, and
also obviously because outside activities were impossible for most of the week.
Matt Rees’s River clean up project in Lidgetton
PRINCIPAL LEADERSHIP
Leadership Workshop; MHS Leadership;
Infrstructural audits; Best Practise; Making a
Difference in Education.
Our final Principal Leadership workshop for the year planned for 16 September.
We have the privilege of welcoming MHS leadership to the circle, sharing their leadership lessons, trustingly igniting some expansive conversation and goal setting for our footprint school principals. On the agenda will be the infrastructural audits per school too, celebrating progress and clarifying the “to do”list as well as co-ownership in maintenance.
LITERACY:
Classroom Based Support; Remedial Teaching; Literacy Festival; Strengthen Teacher Capacity
The MCPT Literacy Programme used in 10 ECD centres and 10 Primary schools aims to address moving
from ‘learning to read’ to ‘reading to learn’ and continues to provide classroom-based support to teachers
through school visits, classroom observations and in-house mini-workshops.
The observation-based approach allows facilitators to identify specific learner and teacher challenges and
provide practical strategies that can be implemented directly in the classroom.
Key Areas of Support
• Remedial teaching and support.
• Letter-Sound Knowledge (LSK).
• Spelling development.
• Reading development.
• Identifying and supporting learners experiencing literacy difficulties.
• Practical strategies that teachers can apply directly in their classrooms.
Literacy Workshop – 15 August 2026
A literacy workshop was successfully conducted on 15 August 2026 as part of the ongoing professional
development and support provided to teachers.
• 48 participants attended from all our primary schools.
• 4 KICP facilitators facilitated the session.
• The workshop focused on Developmental Dyslexia.
Teachers were introduced to:
• Common features of dyslexia.
• Difficulties with decoding, reading fluency, spelling and comprehension.
• Practical classroom strategies to support learners.
• Visual and multisensory learning approaches.
• Appropriate accommodations and concessions for learners requiring additional support.
Upcoming Literacy Activities
The following activities are planned for September:
• Literacy Festival – 15 September 2026
o The festival will provide an opportunity to celebrate and showcase learners’ literacy skills
and progress.
• Literacy Summit – 21–22 September 2026
The summit will provide an opportunity for continued professional development, collaboration and reflec
tion on literacy practices and learner progress.
The observation and workshop approach continues to strengthen teacher capacity and provide practical,
classroom-based literacy support. The continued collaboration between MCPT and KICP remains an im
portant part of the programme.
ST RAPHAELS
Screening Programme; Community Support; Data Collection; Wellness Week
- Programme Snapshot
Measure | July | August | Current Position |
Learners screened – cumulative | 538 | 686 | 87% of Cycle 1 target |
Cycle 1 target | 782 | 782 | 103 remaining |
New learners screened | 148* | 118 | Screening continuing |
Vision referrals – cumulative | 12 | 16 | 4 new referrals identified |
Referral consents returned | 10 | 10 | Parent follow-up continuing |
Learners examined at Specsavers 2. School Screening Coverage | 0 | 0 | First appointment booked |
School | Total Learners | Screened | Current Position |
|
| to Date |
|
Bruntville Primary | 1,412 | 369 | Partially screened |
Sibonokuhle Primary | 98 | 53 | Partially screened |
Dargle Primary | 30 | 29 | Completed in August |
Silindele Primary | 18 | 17 | Completed in August |
Esiphethwini Sendezi Primary | 171 | 61 | Partially screened |
Nottingham Road Primary | 272 | 65 | Currently screening |
Asithuthuke Combined | 300 | 50 | Partially screened |
Corrie Lynne Primary | 67 | 25 | Partially screened |
Jabula Combined | 555 | 16 | Partially screened |
Shea O’Connor Combined | 639 | 0 | Not started |
Lions River Primary | 201 | 0 | Next school |
Curry’s Post Primary | 40 | 0 | Not started |
Crystal Springs Primary | 439 | 0 | Not started |
Esiphethwini Semfundo Primary | 15 | 0 | Not started |
August movement
- Dargle Primary and Silindele Primary completed.
- Screening also continued at Esiphethwini Sendezi Primary and Nottingham Road Primary.
- Nottingham Road Primary is currently being screened, followed by Lions River Primary.
Vision Referrals
- 4 new referrals were identified this month, bringing cumulative referrals to 16.
- Of the first 12 consent forms issued, 10 have been returned.
- The dedicated St Raphael WhatsApp line is now being used to communicate directly with parents and follow up on the documentation needed to book appointments.
- Progress has been slower than planned because parents have taken time to provide the required birth certificates. Weekly WhatsApp follow-up is now in place.
- Once the parent has provided the correct documentation, the first Specsavers appointment will be booked.
- The July holiday trial also confirmed that appointments are better coordinated during the school term, when learners can be collected directly from school.
Next: Begin taking learners for eye tests and continue weekly parent follow-up to move the remaining referrals to appointment stage.
- Community Health Support
Activity | July | August | Cumulative |
|
| to date |
|
Patient transport | 35 | 20 | 187 |
Medication collections | 11 | 12 | 79 |
Medication deliveries | 19 | 13 | 97 |
Bus bookings | 17 | 4 | 56 |
Visitors at home | 25 | 18 | 149 |
Calls made | 33 | 22 | 147 |
Doctor bookings | 10 | 2 | 20 |
Home visits | 10 | 0 | 21 |
August figures are month-to-date and will increase before month-end.
- Digital Screening & Reporting
- The front end of the new digital intake form has been completed and all three caregivers were taken through the process on 13 August.
- Referral automation is currently being tested. An error identified during testing moved the planned test date from 18 August to 26 August.
- Go-live remains planned for 1 September.
Once live, screening and referral information will update the programme dashboard automatically rather than requiring manual monthly collation.
- September Priorities
- Complete the remaining Cycle 1 screening target and continue into the next schools.
- Begin transporting referred learners to Specsavers and establish a consistent appointment and follow-up process.
Launch the digital screening and referral system from 1 September
St Raphaels Team conducting eye sight assessments in Bruntville Primary School
LEARNERSHIPS
Final Attendance Session; 2027 Cohort; Completion of Requirements
The Learnership group had their final attendance session on 17 August 2026. All outstanding assessments have been completed and submitted for marking. This is the learners’ second year in the programme, and they are expected to graduate this year upon successful completion of all requirements.
We are currently recruiting for the 2027 cohort needing to identify 4 males, 2 females and Siphelele will do a second year. 2027 will be the NQF level 5 Business Administration.
EDUVELOPMENT
CAO Applications; Guidance and Support; OkuhleKwemvelo; Application Fee Support
A CAO (Central Applications Office) application support session was held at the MHS IT Lab for 138 Grade 12 Class of 2026. The purpose of the session was to assist learners with completing their university applications for the 2027 academic year. The session was well attended and successful, with learners receiving the necessary guidance and support to complete their CAO applications.
A second session will be conducted to assist learners with uploading their Term 2 marks and all outstanding supporting documents required on the CAO application system. Learners will be invited back to the IT Lab to ensure that their applications are complete and all required information has been submitted.
We have partnered with an organization called OkuhleKwemvelo who have set aside application fees for a total of 50 learners from our matric group. The organization visited all 6 of our principals on the 28th of August to identify the learners and to propose a program for grade 11 girls for the year 2027.
CONCLUSION
As can be seen from the above quarterly report, our work, and our contribution to the upliftment of our 16 footprint schools and 10 ECD Centres as functional places of learning is comprehensive and far-reaching. For you our stakeholders, we hope to enjoy your continued support, and we hope you will spread the word of the valuable work we are doing, so that our community engagement grows and progresses.
