By Nikki Matthews | Chief Operating Officer
This term has been filled with energy, growth, and visible change across every part of our work. Below is a snapshot of how your support is translating into opportunity and sometimes even transformation for our children.
Academic and Digital Growth
In English literacy, our learners improved by an average of 184 Lexile points over the term. This is well above typical benchmarks of 50 to 100 points in a school year, or 150 in a particularly strong intervention year.
In Maths, children using the Matific programme also showed encouraging progress. Assessments indicate strong improvement across all cohorts, particularly among the Grade 4s, who mastered core numeracy concepts once their phonics foundation in Reading Eggs improved. The connection between literacy and numeracy is becoming clearer, with better reading leading directly to better problem-solving in Maths.
All students also progressed through our coding syllabus. The Under 13s built their own websites to represent their Market Day businesses, giving them the chance to apply digital skills to real-world ventures. The link between coding and entrepreneurship has been powerful, showing children that what they learn can be used to shape their own futures.
Market Day and Entrepreneurship
Our annual Young Entrepreneur Market Day remains a highlight of the year. Under 13 learners ran their own micro-businesses, applying skills from workshops led by Capitec mentors in marketing, pricing, negotiation and logistics. We also held a special derby rugby match against WPPS as part of Market Day, turning the playing field into a marketplace and giving children real paying customers. Profits were paid out as Shoprite vouchers so children could either reinvest in inventory or use them personally, reinforcing the concepts of reinvestment, ownership and agency.
Rugby and Sport
Our teams played matches across age groups from Under 9 to Under 13 against Bishops, Kirstenhof, Sweet Valley, Selborne College, Wetpups, Wynberg Boys and SACS. A highlight of the season was our Under 12 squad winning the Goodwood Heritage Day 7s tournament. Each match is more than a game, it is a training ground for resilience, discipline, teamwork and confidence.
Arts, Music and Safe Spaces
Our music and art programme continues to build a creative and safe space for children who may not want to play rugby but still need belonging and expression. We also organised field trips, including visits to the aquarium and the Museum of Illusions, which broaden horizons, spark curiosity and feed our children’s sense of possibility.
Community and Operations
We hosted the 24 Hour Cycle Challenge, raising over R1 million, of which around R750,000 was profit. Staff development remained a priority, with training in social media, health and safety, and deeper learning around holistic child development.
Looking Ahead
Next week I will be in London for the ActiveOps Capacity25 Conference. If you are in London and interested in hearing more about VUSA’s work, I would love to connect over a coffee. Thanks to the ActiveOps “Tries for Lives” initiative, every try in the 2024 Cape Town 7s contributed to funding for VUSA, helping us build a new computer lab in our hub.
Thank you for being part of this journey. Our children are not waiting for opportunity, they are building it. With your support, we are making that possible one match, one workshop and one business idea at a time.
Kind regards
Nikki and the VUSA Team
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