ABOUT US
TEACHERS PLUS INSPIRATIONS AND ORIGINS
Inspired by the power of education to change lives, the Polyoak Packaging Group founded Teachers Plus to advance young people through education.
Initially incorporated in the Polyoak Family Educational Foundation Trust, founded in 2009, Teachers Plus was separated into its own entity in 2018. Teachers Plus funded its first student in 2012 as part of the Polyoak Family Educational Foundation’s Teacher Intern Programme.
WHAT IS TEACHERS PLUS?
Teachers Plus is a not for profit company and public benefit organisation that was born out of the need to find actionable solutions to South Africa’s education crisis. It is an initiative of the Polyoak Packaging Group, which passionately believes that education is a capacitating investment and a tool of empowerment.
With a strong belief in empowerment through education, the Teachers Plus Foundation offers scholarships to talented students from high-economic-need communities so that they may acquire the qualifications, support and experience they need to become outstanding Mathematics teachers.
Driven by the real need to advance Mathematics education in South Africa, since 2012, our dedicated team of specialists has refined and perfected the Teachers Plus Advancing Professional Teaching (APT) Scholarship programme.
The APT Scholarship model is designed to create teachers who, from their first year of employment, are competent, confident and ready to add value to the teaching profession. We select young, talented individuals from high-economic-need communities, help register them to study a distance-learning Bachelor of Education Degree, while we help prepare them, over five years, to become effective and professional Mathematics teachers.
The APT Scholarship students are supported financially, academically and emotionally by our specialist team.
We are not in this alone. We also partner with top schools in the Western Cape to place our future teachers in classrooms where they can practise their teaching, assist with extracurricular activities and experience the roles and responsibilities of an educator.
Because Mathematics is a spiral curriculum, Mathematics learners need good teachers at every grade. This is why the APT Scholarship programme is offered in three different Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) degree streams:
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B.Ed. Foundation Phase
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B.Ed. Intermediate Phase
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B.Ed. Senior and Further Education and Training Phase
OUR VISION
To be at the forefront of helping to solve the pressing educational challenge in South Africa around the quality of Mathematics teaching in schools, from Grade R to Matric.
OUR MISSION BEGINS WITH EDUCATION
Driven by our vision, Teachers Plus aims to advance future teachers by investing in Mathematics education excellence.
KICKSTART PROGRAMMES
Popular with learners, our various programmes have been developed to boost the learning of maths. Designed by our maths specialists, our APT students give their time to deliver these workshops and practise their teaching skills.
220 MATRICS BENEFITED SINCE 2017
MATRIC MATHS WORKSHOPS
With a focus on topics that matriculant learners tend to struggle with, these workshops help matriculants prepare for their Mathematics exams.
40 LEARNERS EVERY WEEK AT HEATHFIELD PRIMARY
LUCKY LATES
A weekly after-school Mathematics programme for Grades 3-5 that reinforces core concepts through physical experimentation.
60 LEARNERS EVERY WEEK AT STEENBERG HIGH
MATHS HUB
A weekly after-school Mathematics programme for Grades 10-12 that offers support with the high school Mathematics curriculum.