Welcome to Penreach

The Penreach Whole Schools Development Programme was established to serve as a beacon of hope that could become a catalyst for improving the quality of education throughout the area, and to replicate its success into other Provinces. The goal of Penreach is to upgrade the skill levels of educators.

The programme is the largest school based outreach programme in Africa . It was officially established in 1994, starting as a small programme serving only 40 educators from Sappi who had requested assistance. Educators from surrounding areas heard about the programme, and started requesting permission to attend. Through word of mouth, and no marketing whatsoever, the programme has expanded to serve ±4,000 educators, representing ±990 schools, and over 350,000 learners in the Enhlanzeni region, and up to 200km away.

The success of the Penreach programme lies in it being responsive to its member's requests for training, rather than following a syllabus. The dramatic improvement of educator status, confidence, and school productivity as a result of Penreach training, is acknowledged in the region and beyond.

Our view is that change occurs because people want change to happen. We ask our partners what they would like us to facilitate at the end of each year, so that they identify the skills to develop. Educators attend because they have a desire to do so, and this enthusiasm is what attracts other educators to participate in the programme, and has caused the programme to grow.

	Pre-Primary Programme Every educator that attends Penreach for the first year is expected to complete the general main workshop. Here they learn the basics that many were never taught. After this year, educators may then choose a specialised workshop. Their choice is influenced by the fact that they may be weak in a particular area, or feel that they have insufficient competency
	Primary School Programme Improve the quality of teaching and learning in Literacy, Life Skills and Numeracy Help educators on professionalism and classroom management Train educators on improvisation and development Empower educators on issues related to NCS, in all Learning Programmes
	High School Programme These workshops aim to enhance the teacher's knowledge and skills regarding the design of learning programmes. These include: • designing learning programmes • research skills • planning assessment within the programme • Closing the knowledge gap

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Latest News and Events
SMT and SGB Forum, 2008 (School Management Teams & School Governing Body) The SMT & SGB forum took place during the 1st term. Mr Mike Shabane, a Curriculum Implementer from Ehlanzeni region, was facilitator. This shows that there is partnership between Penreach and DoE since these institutions serve the same clients, schools. The delegates indicated that although they have policies supplied by the department and others developed at schools, they are not aware of how they can be effectively used, so in forums like these they gain more information and are also in a position to learn best practices from one another. They also showed a very high degree of participation. Since it is the beginning of the year it is important that both SGB and SMT fully understand their roles in planning and managing curriculum.
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For more information contact us on +27 13 758 9060 Fax +27 13 758 9010 Email info@penreach.co.za
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