Lynedoch Community School - Sustainability Institute Schools Programme - South Africa

In the Lynedoch Valley outside Stellenbosch, South Africa, a community shaped by historical inequality, food insecurity, and intergenerational trauma, the Sustainability Institute Schools Programme (SISP) is quietly rewriting what education can look like when child wellbeing is the foundation, not an afterthought. Serving 142 children from four months to 18 years, this Montessori-inspired school is applying for the Global Schools Prize 2026 in the Health & Wellbeing category, and its story is a powerful case for why it deserves to win.

SISP's model is radical in its simplicity: meet every child with dignity, safety, creativity, and belonging, every single day. Children grow with the school for more than a decade, forming deep relationships with guides and mentors. They garden four days a week, harvest the vegetables they eat at school, vault on horses, practise aerial silks, make art, write poetry, and learn through their hands and senses in environments intentionally designed around nature.

The impact is measurable. Last year alone, youth in the programme improved their academic results by an average of 9.6% across Grades 8–12. All six Grade 12 participants from 2024 passed their matric exams, demonstrating a 100% pass rate. Ten girls from the Youth Hub advanced to the second phase of the Oribi Women in Entrepreneurship bootcamp after winning their first round. The drama team progressed to the second phase of the Department of Cultural Affairs and Sports annual competition, performing a play that the learners wrote themselves. Over 24,000 nutritious meals are served annually, for many children, their most consistent source of nourishment.

What makes SISP distinctive is how wellbeing is woven into every layer of school life. Emotional literacy is taught through morning check-ins, journaling, Art for Healing sessions at the Rupert Museum, and drama. Mental health support comes via Community Keepers (who held 152 sessions with 34 learners in Term 1 alone), the NextGen Men programme addressing gender-based violence, and weekly Emotional Support Circles in the Youth Hub. Movement is daily and joyful rather than competitive, with partnerships supporting aerial arts (Flying Fitness), gymnastics, and horse vaulting. Speech and occupational therapy, trauma-informed staff training, and strong family partnerships complete a genuine ecosystem of care.

Their youth describe the SI as "a place where I feel safe and loved" and "a home where I can talk about anything." Parents report that their children have "found their thing." Teachers see fewer behavioural escalations, greater resilience, and rising attendance.

If awarded the Prize, SISP would fund on-site occupational and speech therapy, expand trauma-release and creative healing programmes, and remove financial barriers for families unable to access specialist support. Registered as an Independent Special School by the Western Cape Education Department (2019), and backed by partners including the Jannie Mouton Foundation, Remgro, Meerlust, Cape Wine Auction Trust, and the Rupert Foundation, SISP is a living demonstration that children can thrive, not despite hardship, but because they are met with care.