A guard of honour was formed recently at the Koos Sadie Primary School in Dingle Road, Goodwood, to welcome back their award-winning educator and Grade R head, Danielle Bosch.
Bosch won the Excellence in Grade R Teaching Award at the 2026 National Teaching Awards.
To celebrate, the school’s learners formed a guard of honour last week, handing her flowers as she made her way into the school. Teaching staff also welcomed her with a round of applause as she made her way into the school’s office.
Schools reopened on Tuesday 6 October.
“When I arrived at school on Tuesday after the holidays, I was so warmly welcomed and celebrated by both my colleagues and the learners. While walking through the corridor, I felt so proud to be part of the Koos Sadie team and hope to always represent my school to the best of my abilities. Working in education can be so difficult at times, but being part of a team that celebrates each other’s wins makes it all worthwhile,” said Bosch.
Prestigious award
Bosch was asked how it felt winning the prestigious award and responded saying she never expected to be a winner at national level.
“I am deeply honoured to be able to represent my school and Grade R on the national level. Before I started with the National Teaching Awards, I told myself that whatever happens, winner or not, I will always remember that this is not about me, it is about the learners and showcasing the effort, love and passion that goes into Grade R teaching.
“Having my name called was such an incredible feeling that I had to pinch myself. I owe so much recognition to my learners, their parents, my colleagues, my husband and family, and my incredibly supportive principal, Estelle Rossouw.
What set her apart
Bosch, who first won at District, Provincial and then National level, explained what it was exactly that made her eligible for this award.
“When I was nominated, I thought to myself why me? but after preparing my presentation for District, Provincial and National level it all made sense and I often do not realise what I do, because I enjoy what I do.
“What is a real passion of mine, that I think set me apart, is my partnership with the Goodwood Library. Our country has an immense need for reading for meaning. I thought to myself, ‘What can I do to help with this?’ So, I partnered with Goodwood Library to first tackle the problem at the core, fostering a love for reading and getting children back into the libraries. After this partnership we have seen an influx of learners from our school completing reading programmes, taking out books, attending tutoring sessions at the library, even just going to the library to receive help with their homework.
“We have, of course, seen an improvement in our systemic results for Language and I would like to believe the library has an influence on this. I think when the community and the school work together, success can only follow for the learners.
“Another passion of mine is advocating for access to Grade R education. At our school we get an influx of applications for Grade R yearly, between 600 and 700, and unfortunately, we can only accept 64 learners. So, I created a proposal for government to apply for the building of additional classrooms for Grade R so that we can offer the chance to more children in our community to gain access to Grade R education.”
Bosch said in her own classroom, she always creates a safe, loving environment and a culture of acceptance for all to flourish in.
“In my classroom we have about seven different languages that my learners speak. I contacted their parents and asked them to teach me how to greet their child in their home language and communicate basic words and phrases so every child in my class feels celebrated and seen. This has led to my learners going home and teaching their parents and families on how we greet in different languages, leading to cultural development in our communities.
“I absolutely love what I do as I have the opportunity to grow as an individual just by what I learn from my learners daily, and being able to have an input in a child’s life is extraordinary to me and something I value as I aim to always have a positive impact.”
Characteristics of a good teacher
Bosch was also asked what characteristics a Grade R teacher should have, in order to be a good teacher.
“A good Grade R teacher is a teacher who wants to be in the Grade R classroom. You do not have to be the best at everything, just the fact that you want to be there for your learners is already enough.
“I believe a Grade R teacher is a teacher who is still a child at heart and fosters that childlike admiration for life.”
Principal Rossouw said the school is proud of Bosch’s achievement.
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