Cordwalles Preparatory School

05/10/2026

At Cordwalles, our teachers are passionate about teaching boys. They understand how boys learn, what motivates them and when they need to be challenged.
They set high expectations, encourage curiosity, celebrate progress and give boys the confidence to keep trying when things don’t come easily.

Most importantly, they do it together. There is a shared commitment to knowing the Cordies boys, bringing out the best in each of them and preparing them well for their next journey.

Today we want to say thank you. For caring, for believing and for showing up for our Cordies boys, every single day.🤎🤍

02/10/2026

Sparked by a genuine heart for others, and backed by the values of Ubuntu across our Cordies families, the focus remains right where it belongs: on the Denis Hurley Centre’s Street Lit Project.

Thank you to everyone in our school community who helped pass on the joy of reading! 🤎🤍📖

Grade 3T won the challenge. He also rewarded the boys who helped pack, carry and load the books with chocolate.

28/09/2026

Our Inky and Junior Primary boys recently welcomed their grandparents to Cordwalles for Grandparents’ Day. The morning started with a delicious tea before the boys took to the stage to perform the songs and pieces they had been practising especially for the occasion.

The morning continued in the classrooms, where the boys proudly shared their work, talked about what they’ve been learning and showed their grandparents just how much they have grown over the year.
It was a morning that celebrated the important place grandparents hold in our boys’ lives, the stories they share, the encouragement they give and the quiet, steady presence they bring.

Thank you to our grandparents and special guests for being such an important part of our boys’ lives and for sharing this special morning with us at Cordies.

24/09/2026

𝗔𝘁 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝗱𝘄𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝘀, 𝘄𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗯𝗼𝘆𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗮𝗿𝗲, 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗲 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘂𝗽 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲, 𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺.

In the lead-up to Heritage Day, our Inky boys embraced the diverse cultures within our Cordwalles community.

Dressed in clothing representing their heritage, the boys brought cultural foods to share, and each had the opportunity to tell his class about what he had brought, where it comes from, what it means to his family and why it is special. Their friends listened, asked questions and learnt more about one another’s cultures and traditions.

Respect is a value we nurture from the very beginning and continue to build on throughout a boy’s Cordwalles journey. Guided by our theme for the year, Ubuntu “I am because we are” our boys are continually reminded of the value of embracing one another’s cultures, respecting our differences and growing into thoughtful, grounded young men.

Today, we celebrate the diversity within our Cordies community. Happy Heritage Day! 🇿🇦🤎🤍

18/09/2026

What was it really like to be a Cordies boy more than 70 years ago?

Icy cold showers, games of marbles, wartime air-raid alarms, strict schoolmasters, boarding school mischief and plenty of stories to tell.

We recently sat down with three Cordwalles Old Boys, John Fowler (Class of 1948), Martin Hill (Class of 1952) and Dan Wardlaw (Class of 1952) and asked them to take us back to Cordies in the 1940s and 50s.

Their memories painted a very different picture of school life. John remembers diving under desks during wartime air-raid alarms, Martin remembers it as “just fun all the time,” and Dan recalls plenty of adventures and a little mischief along the way.

But when we asked what they missed most after leaving Cordwalles, all three gave the same answer:
Friends.

More than seventy years later, much has changed. The friendships, the memories and what it means to have been a Cordies boy haven’t. - Stef Ortmann (Archivist)

10/09/2026

While exploring fossils in Natural Science, the Grade 5 boys stepped into the role of palaeontologists, investigating how fossils are discovered and what they can reveal about life in the past.

The boys first created their own dinosaur fossils using Plaster of Paris before carefully excavating them from their surrounding ‘rock’. The activity required patience, careful observation and precision as they worked to uncover and identify what lay beneath the surface.

By engaging practically with the process of fossil excavation, the boys were able to connect scientific theory with experience, developing a deeper understanding of both fossil formation and the important role palaeontologists play in interpreting evidence from the past. 🪨🦕 - Miss Strachan (Grade 5 Teacher)

09/09/2026

The Cordwalles 1st Team Hockey side recently took part in the annual KEPS Hockey Festival, hosted at KES in Johannesburg. Fourteen teams from around the country participated in the festival, and the standard of hockey throughout was excellent.
Cordwalles’ results were as follows:vs Trinity Randpark Ridge: Won 3–2vs Ashton Ballito: Lost 0–3vs Laerskool Lynnwood: Drew 1–1vs Western Province Prep: Drew 0–0vs Uplands: Won 5–0The boys played some excellent hockey against very competitive opposition. They learnt valuable lessons throughout the festival and grew both individually and as a team.
There was also plenty of fun off the field, with one of the highlights being the Pizza and Padel evening enjoyed with the travelling contingent of parents. A huge thank you must go to our parents, who were undoubtedly the biggest and most enthusiastic supporters on tour! - Mr Greaves (1st XI Hockey Coach)

03/09/2026

𝗙𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗳𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗯𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗖𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟭 𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝘁𝗼𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿!

The Headmaster, Mr Lance Veenstra and the staff invite the boys, parents and past staff to the Class of 2021 (Matric 2026) reunion on Sunday, 11 October 2026.

Please RSVP by Friday, 25 September 2026 using this link: https://forms.gle/hUwgAg4EyJKYFtKK7

We look forward to catching up on your adventures and hearing about your future plans.

02/09/2026

Congratulations to D. Padiachy and M. Goble on their selection for the uMgungundlovu B Tennis Team.
A fantastic achievement - well done, boys! 🎾