About | Waterford College

Our story

New here, with experience behind us.

Waterford College is a new independent, non-denominational Christian school in Fourways, northern Johannesburg, opening in January 2027 inside the Waterford Education Precinct, alongside Waterford International. We teach the CAPS curriculum toward the IEB matric.

The school is new, but it does not start from nothing. Waterford International is already open and teaching on the same precinct, so the grounds, the routines and the people around your child are a working school from your first visit. ThriveEd's experience and systems are behind us from day one. Trust is earned by delivering visibly and honestly from the first term, and that is how we intend to earn it.

Two schools on one precinct, with two pathways. Waterford College teaches the CAPS curriculum toward the IEB matric. Waterford International offers a Cambridge pathway, for families who want an international curriculum or who expect to move countries. Families weighing the two can see both in a single visit, and a child can be in the right one without leaving the precinct.

Our vision

Childhood is not a waiting room for adulthood.

Waterford College exists to protect and grow the natural wonder every child is born with, forming children and students who are brave enough to try, grounded enough to care, and purposeful enough to contribute.

A child's education must honour who they are today, not only who they may become. Thriving is not a distant reward for work done now. A child at Waterford College should be thriving this term, in the classroom, on the field and in their friendships.

As a Christian school, we hold this work inside a culture of care, integrity and belonging. We say these two things together, always: we are a Christian school, and everyone is welcome and everyone belongs. Prayer and scripture open our days, faith is part of normal staff culture, and Thrive Youth and some other activities are opt-out. Faith here is invited, never forced.

Growing with your child

From first day to matric, in one place.

Waterford College opens in January 2027 with Preschool, Grade R to 3, and Grades 8 and 9. The remaining grades phase in year by year.

Year	Grades offered
2027	Preschool, Grade R to 3, Grades 8 and 9
2028	Grade 4 and Grade 10 join
2029	Grade 5 and Grade 11 join
2030	Grade 6 and Grade 12 join, our first matric class
2031	A full Preschool to Grade 12 school

Wired for wonder

Four threads, running through everything.

These are not programmes or add-ons. They are lenses on how every subject is taught: a maths lesson outdoors, a science project that builds a working prototype.

A child raising their hand at a desk stacked with books

Wired for questions

Children who ask the hard questions build courage. We make room for the question rather than rushing past it.

A child smiling from inside a wooden play structure

Wired for mud

Children who learn outdoors build rootedness. Outdoor learning is woven into the ordinary week rather than saved for outings.

A child building with construction blocks

Wired for making

Children who make things discover they can shape what comes next. Hands-on work is how understanding gets proved.

Two students laughing together with an arm around a shoulder

Wired for each other

Children who connect learn that none of it means much without people to share it with. Friendship is part of the education.

How this works in a classroom

What we believe

What we believe, and how it shows up.

We believe a child who feels safe, known and valued can learn, so wellbeing and belonging are conditions for learning rather than extras alongside it. We believe children are capable contributors now, with real agency and a voice that is genuinely heard. And we believe rigour should be self-evident: a parent should be able to see, without a hard sell, that their child is learning well.

Those beliefs have practical consequences for families. School is our job to carry, so homework happens by exception and only where the evidence says it helps, communication is clear and early, processes are easy, and scheduling respects families where both parents work.

Three children laughing together outside the school building

Campus

The environment is the first teacher.

Our campus is being built by award-winning architects Hubo Design, and it is an extension of how we teach. Playscapes and greenery, light-filled interiors that invite calm and absorption, and space to run. Beautiful spaces tell a child they are worth the effort.

The campus is built in phases as the school grows, rather than financed all at once and recovered through fees. Phase 1 includes the playscapes, the interiors and the multi-courts.

Playscapes and grounds

Landscaped play areas built for climbing, hiding, building and running. Outdoor learning is woven into the school day, so the grounds are teaching space as much as the classrooms.

Three multi-courts

Marked for netball, basketball, tennis and more, so several codes can run at once and every child gets court time.

A full track and field

Room for athletics, cross-country, soccer and hockey, and for the ordinary business of children running around at break.

A pool for swimming and learn-to-swim

One pool serving both galas and teaching children to swim properly, which in this country is a life skill before it is a sport.

Aerial architect render of the whole Waterford College campus, showing buildings, courts and playing fields

Architect render of the Waterford College entrance courtyard, with a timber canopy and planted beds

Architect render looking down on the three multi-courts, marked for several sports

Concept masterplan. The campus is delivered in phases and details may change as we build. We would rather show you the plans and the progress than describe things that are not finished yet.

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Our people

Who is leading this.

Alet Bissett

Executive Head

With 30 years in education, including 21 in school leadership and management, Alet is dedicated to creating nurturing, child-centred environments where every child can thrive.

Her career has focused on building strong school communities, developing staff, supporting academic excellence and building meaningful partnerships with parents. She believes that positive relationships, clear communication and a strong sense of belonging sit at the heart of every successful school.

Alet is passionate about empowering teachers, supporting children's development in the round, and cultivating school cultures where staff and students alike feel valued, inspired and encouraged to reach their full potential.

The ThriveEd network

A network of 11 schools stands behind us.

ThriveEd was founded in 2015 with one purpose: an education to thrive, for all. It now serves more than 9,000 children across South Africa. Every ThriveEd school is shaped by where it is and who it serves, and all of them share a commitment to putting quality independent education within reach of more families.

It means the people designing Waterford College are not learning on the job. They have opened schools before, worked out how to deliver quality at a fee that adds up, and built school cultures from day one.