Who We Are
HISTORY OF THE SCHOOL
Rhodes Estate Preparatory School was established in 1932. It was built using proceeds from the estate of the late Cecil John Rhodes. The school opened its doors with an enrollment of 53 students and J. D Lee was to be the headmaster up until 1946. The school is located in the Matopo national Park area and be to Matopo Research Institute.
ABOUT US
LOCATION AND ADMISSION
Rhodes Estate Preparatory School is 29km from Bulawayo, the second largest city in Zimbabwe, along the Kezi-Maphisa road just before the entrance into the famous Rhodes Matopos National Park. The park is famous as it is the burial site for Cecil John Rhodes. The school offers a wide curriculum ranging from academics through sport to religion and etiquette for the enrichment of the learners who pass through the school. The school offers most of the subjects in the Zimbabwean curriculum. The school enrolls boys and girls although it used to be a boys only school until 2016. Children undertake a reading test to determine their suitability for enrollment. The reading test is for grades 3-6. The school does not enroll children at Grade 7. Enrollment can also be done online.
SPORTS
On the sporting front, the school offers athletics, cross-country, cricket, swimming, chess, rugby, netball and rounders. The sporting activities are competed in at school level on a fixture basis. The school also takes part in invitational tournaments. Over the years the school has produced sportspersons of renown. These include Heath Streak, Henry and Victor Olonga who have excelled in their sporting areas to represent the country on the world stage. The school has also produced rugby players who have been selected into the Matland Duikers Team which plays other provincial teams. The school also has Drama, Music and quiz.
OTHER THINGS
Although the school is a government-run institution it has a very strong and vibrant religious component. This revolves around the chapel located in the school premises. The school conducts two services in a week on Friday morning and also on Sunday morning. CALENDAR The school has four major events in a year where parents or guardians are expected to trek to school to support their children. The first such event is Inter-house Athletics where the two houses Falcons and Eagles compete in track and field events for trophy. This event is usually combined with fundraising organized by the School Development Committee. The second such event is Consultation day which falls in June. The last two events take place on the same and these are the Annual Speech and Prize-Giving day and the Swimming Gala.
