General

Camphill School Hermanus is an independent residential and day school for children and young people with special needs and provides care and education to 30 residential and 20 day learners. It is staffed by an international group of short and long term live-in volunteers referred to as co-workers and employs 25 people from the local community. The volunteers serve as house-parents, teachers, therapists or carers.

The School, located in the beautiful Hemel en Aarde Valley near Hermanus, is part of the international Camphill Movement and aims to create and maintain a therapeutic community in which children and young adults with special needs can live, learn and work with others in healthy social relationships based on mutual care and respect.

Co-workers and residential students live in 'extended families' in three house communities, one of which accomodates learners over 16. The day learners receive breakfast and lunch and spend their daily rest period in another house which functions as the day centre.

Children aged between 7 and 16 attend our School where education, based on the Waldorf Method, is adapted to suit their needs. Lunch is followed by a rest period after which the learners return to school for afternoon lesson.

Older students participate in the Upper School Programme where focus is on life skills and work activities (pottery, woodwork, land work, leather work, gardening) although they still attend school three mornings a week.

Camphill School Hermanus also runs a day Waldorf-kindergarten for children with and without special needs.

The School's large vegetable garden provides the houses and the neighbouring Camphill Farm Community with biodynamically produced vegetables. Many residents with special needs from the Farm work in the garden which also provides outdoor work opportunities for the Upper School students as part of their programme. These students may also work on our Medicinal Herb Project where herbs known for their medicinal effects are grown, dried and packed.

Many children are supported from the School's Child Sponsorship Fund as their parents are only able to contribute small amounts towards the cost of their education. As school fees and government subsidies only partially cover the running costs, Camphill School Hermanus needs and depends on donations.

The School and the neighbouring Camphill Farm Community share a community hall, a library, tuckshop and the Phila Therapy Centre, all located on the Farm.

Camphill School Hermanus is a nonprofit organisation (No. 003-320) and is registered with/member of the following organisations: the Southern African Region of the International Camphill Movement (Reg.no. 52/00007/08), the Southern African Federation of Waldorf Schools, the Independent Schools Association of Southern Africa (ISASA), the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) (Reg. no. 13/3/1/215), Western Cape Forum for Intellectual Disability and the Department of Social Development