On September 17, Laerskool Grens hosted an open day to welcome pupils, parents and other stakeholders to their new premises in McJannet Drive next to Hoerskool Grens.
The Afrikaans medium school now has its primary and senior schools on the same grounds, catering for pupils from two years of age through to matric.
Deputy headmaster Ronelle Bosch, said the school intended to build the best Afrikaans medium educational establishment in a 300km radius that would include a developed sports programme.
In 2013, the Department of Basic Education noted the need for an English medium school in Southernwood, and at the time, Grens Voorbereidingskool had moved into the same building as Grens Laerskool in Muir Street.
The department then established the Buffalo City Inner High School in 2018 at the premises previously occupied by Grens, which included a computer lab and other resources.
In the interim, plans were made to move all the Grens schools from Southernwood to McJannet Drive.
By the end of 2021, the department also moved Buffalo City Inner Primary into the previous Grens Voorbereidingskool and Grens Laerskool buildings.
The new Grens school buildings were only partially complete by December 2021.
As of July 2022, the school’s 19 classrooms were completed and include facilities such as a school hall, admin block, library, science laboratory, robotics room, art room and auditorium.
“The plans for our new school were drawn up in 2013 and our headmaster, Mr [Jan] Brand, was the driving force and main negotiator with the Department of Public Works.
“It was an extremely lengthy process, but we stayed focused and never lost hope,” Bosch said.
