Care
Every child is known by name, every family by face. Pastoral care is not a department here. It is how we run the day, from morning care at 07:15 to the last pick-up at 17:00.
At home in the world.
An independent Cambridge school for international families settling in Johannesburg, and for local families who want a Cambridge education, from Preschool to AS & A Level.
Welcome
Every child is at home here.
Home is the place a child feels safe enough to make a friend.
The world is everything they will meet beyond the gate: the languages, the universities, the friendships across borders. Waterford International is built on the idea that a child can have both, at the same time, in the same school, every day.
Children from many countries learn side by side with Johannesburg families here. Teachers know every child by name, often within the first week. A family that arrives mid-year is settled within weeks, because that is how we run the place.
Formerly British International Preparatory School, we are now part of ThriveEd. The same warm Cambridge school, with a bigger future ahead.
2schools on one precinct, with a Cambridge and a CAPS pathway
07:15–17:00supervised care every day, with no aftercare fees
ReceptionYear (Grade R) to AS & A Level, one Cambridge pathway, phasing in year by year
11ThriveEd schools behind us, serving more than 9,000 children
Care, Curriculum, Community
Three things that make a Waterford International education.
Curriculum
The Cambridge curriculum in its purest form: not adapted, not blended. It is recognised by universities and schools across the world, so a child’s learning carries on wherever the family goes next.
Community
Waterford International is not a school with a community attached. The school is the community: children, families, teachers and the Fourways neighbourhood we are part of, woven into one circle.
The Waterford Education Precinct
One precinct, two schools, and a lot more to come.
We share the Waterford Education Precinct in Fourways with our sister school, Waterford College.
Two schools, two pathways: the Cambridge curriculum here, and the national curriculum (CAPS) with an IEB matric pathway at Waterford College, opening in January 2027. Families can see both in one visit, and choose the right fit for each child.
Over the coming months and into 2027 the precinct is being upgraded through a masterplan by award-winning architects Hubo Design: a full track and field, three multi-courts and new playscapes, for the children of both schools.
Artist’s impression
Concept masterplan. The precinct is upgraded in phases and details may change as we build.
Three phases, one pathway
From the early years to university.
Families who join in the early years can stay all the way through. No more “where next?” conversation at Stage 7.
Ages 3 to 6Preschool
A sensorial start
A rich, sensorial approach inspired by Montessori, Reggio Emilia and Charlotte Mason, so children are ready for the Cambridge pathway when it begins in Reception Year.
The Preschool
Stages 1 to 7Preparatory School
Cambridge Primary and the start of Lower Secondary
Strong foundations in English, Mathematics and Science, taught at each child’s level and stretched in the direction they are growing.
The Preparatory School
Stage 8 onwardsHigh School
Lower Secondary, IGCSE, AS & A Level
Phasing in one year at a time, from Stage 8 and Stage 9 through IGCSE and Cambridge Advanced.
The High SchoolThe High School
Stage 8 first, then all the way to A Level.
Our High School is phasing in one year at a time, starting with a founding Stage 8 class, then Stage 9, Cambridge Upper Secondary (IGCSE) and Cambridge Advanced (AS & A Level).
The families joining now are part of this from the beginning. Their children will help shape the traditions of a High School that carries the same care and attention into the years where independence is built and futures are chosen.
Visit us
Come and see for yourself.
Walkabouts run every week. Walk the precinct, sit in on the rhythm of a real school day and ask us anything. It is the quickest way to know whether Waterford International is right for your family.