Our Tutor/Mentoring program referred to as “Boys to Men” speaks to this philosophy which empowers our boys to learn from one another. In 2019, the male staff and boys signed a unique Manifesto on Masculinity where we pledged our support to women. The manifesto is a proactive, tangible declaration against violence toward and oppression of women – denouncing excuses and promoting behavioural change – ultimately elevating the greater Bennies community to a higher standard.

At the core of our school is our academic program where our philosophy of educational excellence is multi-faceted. We encourage and assist each student to take responsibility for his own personal learning. Our teachers create a stimulating teaching environment where the boys are stretched in order that they can optimise their own personalised learning. We are progressive with our academic program at grade 8 and 9 level where terms like Project Based Learning and Computational Thinking have become household terms. In the GETC phase, the year is broken up into two semesters where certain subjects are concluded at the halfway mark. This reduces the workload for the junior boys and maximises the teaching and learning within these cohorts.

Sport at St Benedict’s takes place during school hours and the unique integrated day ensures that the Academic day is divided offering the boys the chance to participate in a variety of sporting disciplines – ensuring that the boys participate in a sport every term and get the necessary exercise teenage boys require. They are also encouraged to involve themselves actively in a wide range of Cultural Activities while being mindful of the Catholic ideals and practises that govern the school. These four pillars make up the essence of St Benedict’s.

Our rowing club performs admirably every year where winning has become part of their culture. Our rowers have been awarded the South African Rowing Champions for the past 26 years consecutively. They have also been nominated and won the Best School Team of the year award at the South African Sports awards on three occasions. Our swimmers are the current Boys High Schools Champions in both the inter-high relay and inter-high galas. Our Pipe Band has also performed to high standards and are the current South African Pipe Band Champions, a title that they have won six times in the last decade.

Comprising of a learner complement of 1400 young men across our three campuses, St Benedict’s remains one of the largest private Catholic Boys School in South Africa. The College offers five classes per grade and class sizes remain low with a maximum of 28 boys per class.