Situational analysis

Bertram Secondary School was established in 1985 in Boysen park,but was

relocated to Bloemendal in 1988. The school consist out of a variety of experience
teachers, who taught a large number of years at the school and also have a number
of young teachers. In the northern areas the schools is known for their academic
results and success on the sport field. The staffs are keen on learners to succeed
and creating a better to life in these rural areas.
The school are situated in Bloemendal in the northern areas of Port Elizabeth. It
serves a community that is bond by high rate of unemployment. The infrastructure of
the school is evident to gangsterism and drugs the community faces with a high
fencing surrounding the school and security officer at the gate.
In the schools improvement plan it has key focusing areas that aims at the
curriculum, parental involvement, school environment and subject improvement
plans. These focus areas ensure that the school is running smoothly and is
maintained by analysing, planning and implementations each year. The Bethelsdorp
Police Station work closely with the school to monitor and deal with criminal activities
that may occur. This ensures the safety of staff and learners of the school that are a
high priority of the school. The school has a notice board at the front gate with a
galvanized fence and it also has a rugby field and cricket nets.
Bertram Secondary School enrols learners from a variety of areas in the northern
region. Learners are divided into classes according to the academic performance of
the previous year. The school has six grade 8 classes, five grade 9 classes, eight
grade 10 classes, five grade 11 classes and five grade 12 classes. There are 474
boys and 646 girls attending the school. The school has mostly coloured learners as
it is in a coloured community, but has a small percentage of isiXhosa and Muslim
learners.
The teaching staff mainly consists of experienced teachers that are in an older
category and a few young teachers. The staff is made out of 16 males and 19
females. The teaching staff is divided in school principal, May, and two deputy
principals, Mr Gallant and Mr Le Bron. There are 4 HODs and 5 subject heads.
The school has rugby, chess, table tennis and a weekly interhouse system that
includes all sporting codes. The school has activities such as hiking, Mr and Miss
Bertram, Family day, beach walk, blood donating, matric farewell and a drill march
that form part of the annual calendar of the school. The school also focuses on
attending physical science festivals to create opportunities for the learners and
practical programs of NMMU for grade 10-12. It also has extra classes, sessions,
winter school and the school also has very own vegetable garden. The school has
rugby, history and tourism tours that forms part of the activities in the school
calendar.