Somerset West getting a new high school?

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The Western Cape Education Department has allegedly given the green light for a new high school in Somerset West. Building will start this year, and the first intake of learners will be in 2026.

Somerset West High School

According to a post on Facebook, Ward 15 DA Councillor, Greg Peck and MPL van Minnen met with the Western Cape Education Department and got approval for the new school. This is after many years of requesting the new school.

Many locals have welcomed the news, while others are concerned about the location of the new school due to worries about traffic in the area.

The new school, Somerset West High School, will have its first intake in 2026 for Grade 8 learners. Each year thereafter, the school will add the next grade. Somerset West High School will be a Model C STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) school. Once completed, the school will be able to accommodate just over 1 200 learners in 30 classrooms.

Public invited to meeting

Those interested in knowing more about the development, can attend a meeting on 13 February 2025 at 17:30. The meeting will take place at the location where the school will be built which is the open field above the dam on Steynsrust Road. Officials from the Western Cape Education Department will be present at the meeting and share information with interested parties. Detailed building plans will be available to view and there will also be a presentation by the Provincial Officials.

What exactly is a Model C school?

According to School Guide, Model C schools are schools that receive some government funding but are administered and largely funded by the parent body. They can charge varying school fees and parents also do the fundraising for the school. Typically, school fees at these schools are somewhere between private and government school rates. The additional funding means the schools run more like a business than public schools and they have larger budgets. This means that different Model C schools can have different teacher/student ratios, different budgets and can often offer outstanding facilities and a very high standard of education, all based on what parents can afford.