SPARK Schools has significantly changed the education landscape in South Africa–exactly as it intended to do 11 years ago with the opening of the first-of-its-kind accessible private school in the country.
The aim of the school network, as envisaged by co-founders Stacey Brewer and Ryan Harrison, was to come up with an innovative approach that could disrupt the education crisis in South Africa. As the first school in the country to implement a blended learning model at scale, they would make world-class educational outcomes possible for all South African children.
Reflections of a decade of innovation
In January 2013, SPARK Ferndale, the first school in the SPARK Schools network, opened in Johannesburg with 160 scholars and 20 staff members. Six years later, the first high school in the SPARK network, SPARK Randburg High, opened.
The first matric cohort achieved a 97% pass rate in the 2023 National Senior Certificate exams, with 88% able to access higher education. SPARK Schools now serves close to 16,000 SPARK scholars at 26 primary and high schools in Gauteng and the Western Cape.
SPARK Schools has led the way in several education and social innovations, including:
Investing heavily in teacher training, working hard to recruit young teachers and taking their professional development seriously. All teachers at SPARK Schools undergo over 200 hours of professional development training every year. This means teachers are constantly upskilling themselves in education innovations.
Implementing Africa's first blended learning model for primary school scholars. Way before the Covid-19 pandemic introduced scholars to online learning, SPARK scholars were already splitting time between digital content and classroom interaction based on best practice tuition.
Emphasis is placed on data-driven instruction so that teachers know exactly where each scholar is in their academic progress and can personalise their learning pathways accordingly. This is not simply using technology for technology’s sake – it is using data as an empowerment tool to ensure all scholars get individualised attention and interventions.
Developing a set of values to help scholars become responsible global citizens who are equally aware of the opportunities and responsibilities before them. SPARK is the acronym for the five core values of Service, Persistence, Achievement, Responsibility, and Kindness, which form the foundation of our business ethics, teaching and learning.
Frugal innovation means benchmarking costs against equivalent government spending. It also means minimising operational requirements, staffing and infrastructure costs whilst ensuring that our scholars have a safe and stimulating learning environment.
21st century skills and global citizenship are explicitly taught, allowing scholars to grow confidence, empathy and resilience as they become future-ready to try and engage with real-world issues and global concerns.
Global recognition:
One of Africa’s Fastest Growing Companies in the 2024 Financial Times (FT) and Statista annual ranking in May 2024.
One of Time Magazine’s top 250 EdTech companies worldwide in May 2024.
SPARK Soweto was named a 2023 T4 Education World’s Best School winner for community collaboration.
Named by Global Brands Magazine as the most innovative education provider in South Africa (2023).
Seventeen SPARK Schools were in the Top 100 in the Standard Bank Matific Maths Olympiad, with SPARK Soweto’s Grade 3 class placing in the top 10 in their grade in South Africa.
Into the future and into Africa
Earl Sampson, newly appointed Managing Director for SPARK Schools South Africa, heads the management team for the school network and will take direct responsibility for the operation of the SPARK portfolio. He will provide strategic leadership across multiple business units, ensuring alignment with SPARK Schools’ mission, vision, and values while steering SPARK South Africa towards its ambitious growth goals.
Sampson explains: “With a decade of phenomenal growth and the confirmation that being a disruptor in the South African education sector can make a difference, we have set our sights on significantly growing operations here and into Africa.
Key initiatives for us are opening new schools across the country at the right time and in the right areas. We remain committed to being daring, incorporating the best global education practices, and striving to deliver the greatest possible value and experiences for our scholars, parents, and teachers.
“Yes, we have set ambitious growth goals for the business, and we have shown what can be achieved when we work together with our stakeholders and partners. We are ready now to build a brand for the continent and provide underserved communities across Africa with access to a world-class quality and leading education solution – the education solution this continent’s children deserve,” Sampson says.
