Northfields HighSchool / IPS - Primary School

hi everyone,
We are currently waitlisted on the lists at Northfields and IPS but I am getting conflicting feedback regarding schools in Mauritius. Apparently Northfields doesn't have a headmaster currently? Other feedback I have received has been good so not sure what to think. Does anyone out there have kids at these schools and can give me feedback? We are currently in a private school in the Western Cape (RSA) so I want to ensure that before we make the decision to move to Mauritius that our girls aren't going to be affected by possibly lower standards.

Thank you kindly,

I personally do not have kids at either of the schools, but I do know plenty of parents that do.  They all have wonderful things to say about both of the schools.  Good luck on getting them in.

hi Bunkoma,
Thank you so much for your reply in this regard. Do you perhaps have contact details for some of these parents (perhaps an email address) so that I could get more details from them. 1 or 2 would be great.

Thank you kindly, Nathalie!

What is the age of your child? My son is at http://www.lighthouseprimaryschool.org/ and we are very happy as well. The are moving from January 2011 at Fond du Sac. Nikolay started two years ago from grade one as the first class and enjoyed being there so far.

hi there, my children are respectively 9 and 12 years old and are currently waitlisted at IPS and Northfields as we would be living in the North... have you heard anything about these schools or know anyone that's going there?

Hi there,

http://themauritiusadventure.blogspot.com/

This blog is written by an Englishman who is a teacher at Northfields, it was advertised on Expat.com, you might want to contact him to learn more about the missing head!!!

Hi there,

It seems that we'll be moving to Mauritius in March next year and I'll appreciate it if anyone can help me with a good pre-primary school or day care for my 3-year old. We'll be staying in either Quatre Bornes, Rose Hill or Moka area.

Try Lighthouse Primary School...www.lighthouseprimaryschool.org

I have a 17 year old daughter who has been at Northfields since age 11. It is definitely the best English language medium school in the country and excellent for an all round education. I would have no hesitation in recommending it. By the way, the reason there is no headmaster at the moment is that the previous headmaster left in June and the new appointee could not start until January because of his existing contract in South Africa.

Thank you so much Jeremy - it helps a lot!! Have a fantastic day!

As a teacher here at Northfields, its great to see so many positive comments about what we do and I can assure you things will only get better! Jeremycl is correct - the new headmaster, Mr Ronald Kuhn, will arrive in January because of his existing contract in South Africa with St Charles College.

Dear Nathalie,

Please feel very free to get in touch with me with any concerns or queries you might have about Northfields.

My name is Gerry Young and I have been Deputy Head of Northfields for the past two years (and am Acting Head for this term, until Mr Kuhn arrives in January).

I echo Joe's sentiments above and would like to thank the contributors for such positive and encouraging comments...we really believe in what we are doing here at Northfields and would welcome any opportunity to talk with you about our vision...pick up the phone and talk to either Tracey or myself.

Hi All - does Northfields have aprimary school? we will probably be arriving in October this year and I am really keen to get my 3.5 year old into a good school ASAP.

Cheers

Alan

The best primary school on the island is Alexandra House. Northfields is a secondary school. The last Northfields headmaster, Clive Barnes, referred to his students as "low achievers with limited ability"!!!! You might not want your children to attend Northfields. Please follow the link below to read his interview with L'Express from last year:

Link to L'Express Article

Thanks...we have our name down at Alexandra House however the waiting list is massive.

For a primary school there is either The Lighthouse (as mentioned before) or IPS.  Both are in the North and I know IPS has a waiting list so if you are planning for this October you will need to contact them soon.  I'm not 100% sure on this but believe your child has to be 4 by the beginning of September to go to Lighthouse but IPS has a Nursery class for those under 4.
Angela