SAPA Western Cape Think Tank
Join us for our Think Tank Event
Tuesday, 28 February 2023
Time
14:00 -16:00 (Arrival from 13:00)
Cost
Free (Including Tea/Coffee/Snack & Parking)
Venue
Zwaanswyk Academy - 338 Main Road, Retreat, Cape Town
Topic for talk
How to make data driven decisions in your school.
One of the areas that I have grown the most since leaving my job as a principal is in the area of using data. Every principal would like to make wise decisions. These decisions are based on some set of information, which we will call data. Now the challenge every principal faces is, what data do we look at, where do we get this data, how accurate is it and how confident can I be that I am making the correct conclusions from the data to my decision.
We will look at some of these questions and see what answers I can offer. I will share some of my learnings with you.
David de Korte
A brief bio
David is born and bred in Cape Town, attending Primary school in Durbanville, and then High School at Westerford. Post Matric was studying a BSC at UCT and finishing off with an HDE (the old fashioned PGCE). He started his teaching career at Pinelands High School, back in 1986, teaching Mathematics and coaching hockey and surfing.
In 1992 he moved to Windsor High School as an HOD, and Head of Maths. At the time this was a dual medium school, where children were taught in English and Afrikaans, and so he had to learn Afrikaans quickly. In 1996, he took off a year to return to UCT to do a Masters Degree in Education (having done a B Ed in 1990). On returning to Windsor, he took up the position of acting Deputy, and in 6 months acting Principal. In 1998 he was appointed to this post full time.
In 2001 he moved to Camps Bay High School as Principal, where he stayed until retiring in 2020. Over the 24 years he was a principal, he was actively involved in SAPA from 1999, when he was elected onto the provincial Executive. He has held a range of positions in the organisation from secretary to treasurer, to provincial President. On a National level, he has served on the SAPA National Executive for many years, holding the position of general secretary, and retiring as the National President.
David has been a teacher his entire life, never leaving the classroom. He has always had a grade 10 Maths class which has allowed him to stay in touch with the pupils he loved interacting with.
Today he works for an NGO called Common Good, that is a school operating partner in the WCED Collaboration project. He leads a team of 15 as the Programme Director. So now he works in 3 schools, 2 Primary schools in Bonteheuwel, and a High School in Imizamo Yethu, Hout Bay.