At SACS, boys are encouraged to think critically, to express their considered opinions clearly, and to be resourceful and self-motivated in their studies. The well-documented tertiary success of many past pupils bears witness to the effectiveness of this approach. 
 

The school’s academic programme now leads to the Further Education Training Certificate (FETC) which, from 2006, replaces the present matriculation certificate.
 

Pupils in Grades 8 and 9 will study:

  • Languages (English and Afrikaans)
  • Social sciences (History and Geography)
  • Natural sciences (Biology and Science)
  • Mathematics
  • Design technology
  • Arts and culture
  • Economic management science
  • Life orientation
  • One additional subject selected from art, music, Xhosa or French
 

Pupils in Grades 10, 11 and 12 will study:

  • Languages (English and Afrikaans)
  • Four other subjects chosen from selected learning areas which include mathematics (or maths literacy), accounting, life orientation, physical science, biology, geography, history, computer studies, art, music and French.
 
The music department offers instruction in piano, voice, recorder, oboe, bassoon, percussion, stringed instruments and brass, as well as theory and history of music. Music may be taken as a seventh subject and students are encouraged to take the Royal School of Music and Unisa external exams. Jazz concert and marching bands, as well as several choirs and music ensembles, complete the picture.
 

An Enrichment Programme is provided for boys of above-average ability. Guidance teachers present classroom-based life skills programmes and also offer one-on-one counselling to students.
 

The school has a 120-seat lecture theatre, a comprehensive library with a special collection of rare and valuable books, an up-to-date computer centre for research and project work, as well as a multi-media resource centre stocked with audio-visual equipment and desktop publishing software. 

 

Every boy is placed in a House (either Baxter, Rosedale, Russell or Shaw) and in a House Tutor group. House Tutors monitor academic progress, provide pastoral care and facilitate communication between parents and the school. Progress reports are issued every term, although formal examinations occur only at the end of the second and fourth terms.