Winterfold warmly welcomes Armstrong Mthembu, Headmaster of our Sister School Ncemaneni

Pupils at Winterfold School have given a rapturous welcome to Armstrong Mthembu, Headmaster of Ncemaneni Primary School, South Africa today (17.10.17) as he arrived for his first  visit to the School.

Around three hundred excited children lined the driveway, holding their South Africa flags and cheering to welcome the Headmaster.  Mr Mthembu was then treated to a performance by the Percussion band playing the djembe.  On entering the School, there was an additional surprise of songs by the fantastic Winterfold Girls’ Harmony Choir including ‘My Favourite Things’ from The Sound of Music.

Amongst the many activities planned for his visit, Mr Mthembu will hold a Q & A session with the children about the partnership between Winterfold & Ncemaneni and will spend time watching the junior sports fixtures.

This evening, the School is hosting a Cheese and Wine Evening “An Evening with Armstrong” for staff, parents and former parents and pupils who have been on tour to South Africa.  There will be a presentation about the developments over the last 12 years between Winterfold and Ncemaneni which include the building of a new classroom block in 2013 and a new Science block which opened in 2017.

Following a tour of Bromsgrove School given by former Winterfold pupils who visited South Africa in 2011, Mr Mthembu will spend time back at Winterfold participating in a session of Zulu language, culture and dance.  He concludes his visit to the UK by visiting Oxford, Bath, Snowdonia, Windsor Castle, Blenheim Palace, Stratford, Cambridge, Malvern Hills and  Worcester Cathedral.

Mr James Brinkley, Head of Boys’ Games and Tour Leader to South Africa said “we are very fortunate to have the Headmaster of our Sister School Ncemaneni Primary with us for the week.  This really cements the very strong relationship our schools have developed over the last twelve years.  It has not only made a huge difference to the lives and educational of the learners at Ncemaneni but has also taught our pupils some very important lessons about their place in the World and the responsibility that they have to try and improve the lives of others and really make a difference”.