Set in some 11 ha of park-like estate on the outskirts of the village of Hillcrest, on the very edge of the breathtaking Valley of a Thousand Hills, Highbury School celebrated a century of educational excellence in 2003.

In 1903 when Sibella Douglas Mc Millan started her preparatory school for boys, Hillcrest was a day’s journey by horse and carriage from the city of Durban. It was a brave and bold decision, therefore, to build a school so far from anywhere remotely civilised – more especially when that decision was made by a woman who had herself, only a short while before, arrived in South Africa from England. Moved by a compelling regard for her English heritage she named the school Highbury.

The School remained a family concern for 65 years until 1968 when the Highbury Society was formed. A concerned and caring Board of Governors, comprising business and educational people, now oversees the well-being of the school.

Today with more than 550 boys from Grade 0 to 7, Highbury has maintained its sense of family, which can be tangibly felt in the warmth and care which surrounds the School. A relatively small boarding establishment ensures a home-from-home atmosphere, while close ties with leading senior schools make Highbury a popular choice as a springboard to new horizons of opportunity.

Fifteen of the School’s staff, including a married house master and a resident nursing sister live on the school property, contributing to the particularly strong family atmosphere which encompasses teachers, boarders and day boys and their parents.

Boys of all religious denominations are welcome at Highbury with the Mc Millan Chapel having been at the heart of School life at Highbury over the years. Highbury is an inter-denominational Christian school committed to the belief that Christian principles create stable and unselfish boys who show concern for their fellows.

Highbury’s dedicated and caring staff promote a broad holistic educational focus founded on a strong traditional ethos – with emphasis on the School motto “Jamais Arriere” – “Never behind”. Highbury provides a tried and tested quality education which aims to give its boys a focussed academic preparedness for secondary schooling with a broad foundation of readiness which encompasses life skills and a realistic awareness of self and self-worth.