WELCOME
In a very short space of time we have hit the 2026 ground running. A full school, some very good examination results coupled with some encouraging beginning of year performances on the sports field and in our cultural spaces, make for a positive start to 2026.
I hope you will enjoy the new format in the Newsletter. Special thanks go to both Veronica Chirombe and Kelly Lindsay for the work they do in compiling and formatting the Newsletter.
With the beginning of the year we welcomed ninety-nine new D Blockers into Tinokura. To them and their families, we hope that you will quickly find your feet in the school and that the transition to senior school will be relatively easy and smooth. A special welcome to families who are new to our community, as well as Petrean parents, as you start your Peterhouse journeys. We also welcomed a good number of new boys into senior blocks in the school. Both PHG and SVH also start the year with very full schools, and we welcome all those new families to the fold.
NEW STAFF
A number of new staff members join the school this year, and we hope they will quickly settle into life at Peterhouse.
In the Music School, we welcome Bright Gwati as the new Head of Music. Bright joins us from Hartmann House, where he served as both Director of Culture and Director of Music. Ms Gugulethu Ncube joins us from Bulawayo and will primarily teach Travel and Tourism. Dr Sean Oates comes to us from Harare and will take up a teaching role in the Science Department. In addition to his work as an educator, Dr Oates is also a qualified veterinarian. Mr Chengetanai Gutsa joins the school in a locum capacity for the Lent Term.
We also welcome a number of new Junior Masters who join us from the United Kingdom.
RESULTS
Congratulations to all our 2025 Cambridge candidates on their examination results. A more detailed analysis of the results was circulated shortly after their publication and should assist in understanding and appreciating our successes in 2025.
At all three levels of examination, we were delighted with the efforts of both pupils and staff. The results reflect a strong commitment to hard work and academic excellence.
We also extend our congratulations to PHG on achieving a pass rate of over ninety percent at the IGCSE level for the tenth consecutive year. In recognition of these achievements, a significant number of boys and girls have been awarded full and half Colours for their academic performance.
BASE CAMP
Traditionally, the D Blocks of both PHB and PHG participate in the Basecamp exercise as part of their Orientation Programme. We were fortunate this year that favourable weather conditions allowed both groups to complete the full programme of Basecamp activities.
Over the course of four days, D Block pupils are given the opportunity to experience the broader appeal of the Peterhouse environment. While away from the classroom, the programme focuses on teamwork, orienteering, hiking, and a variety of obstacle-based challenges. Interwoven with these activities is a great deal of fun and many opportunities for the D Block to get to know one another better.
As your sons and daughters return home, we hope they will share some memorable stories with you; equally, we suspect they may be keen to catch up on some well-earned “beauty sleep”.
D BLOCK INDUCTION
While we bid our Leavers a formal farewell at the end of each year, a newer tradition now sees us formally welcoming the D Block into the Peterhouse community.
On Thursday evening (29 January), the PHB D Block will be formally welcomed and inducted into the school during a service held in Chapel. Mirroring the Leavers’ Service, this occasion will, in front of the whole school, acknowledge and recognise the transition of our new boys from their preparatory schools into the Peterhouse family.
PHG will host their Induction Service on Friday morning (30 January).
ENVIRONMENT NEWS
After some soaking rain over the past two months, our campuses have once again become green oases, reminding us just how significant the impact of the last two years of drought has been on our school resources. The fact that the school dams are spilling for the first time in three seasons is a clear indication of the volume of rain we have received.
Both game parks, Gosho and Calderwood, are looking excellent, and the wildlife reflects the improved grass cover. While the rain has, at times, been disruptive to sporting activities, we greatly value the positive impact it has had on our water storage levels.
We hope that the rain continues into February to build on the gains made so far this season.
SPORT
Over the first quarter of the term, we have enjoyed some fantastic sporting moments. Our cricketers have been hard at work, with the 1st XI benefiting from a fruitful pre-season tour to the Eastern Cape in early January.
Water polo deserves special mention for winning the Bruce Kennedy Cup for the first time. This success was followed by a very strong showing in Bulawayo, where the team reached the final of the U19 Zwart Tournament. Unfortunately, the Songore Basketball Tournament was unable to complete all its fixtures last weekend due to inclement weather.
Looking ahead, our rugby teams will travel to KwaZulu-Natal in April to participate in festivals at Michaelhouse and Kearsney. Both PHB and PHG hockey teams will also take part in the annual Cape Town Schools Hockey Festival in late March.
THE "BUG"
Sadly, in the run-up to the Fixture-Free Weekend, the school was affected by a gastro outbreak. My sincere thanks go to the Sanatorium staff for their outstanding work in managing a significant influx of pupils over a three-day period.
The evidence suggests that the illness originated from external sources. We are hopeful that we are now past the worst, and that time away from school over the break will help to break the cycle.