School Logo
The logo was adopted in 1967. “ONS BOU” was replaced in 2002 with the word “AEDIFICAMUS” which is the Latin translation for “ONS BOU / WE BUILD” indicating the school’s commitment to building a better future for all its learners, the community and society at large. The book represents both ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT and RELIGIOUS VALUES. The building TROWEL represents DEDICATION TO THE TASK, HARD WORK AND A SOLID FOUNDATION.
Every teacher, parent and learner must embrace this logo!
School Anthem
The original school anthem in Afrikaans consisted of 3 verses (Written by J.J. Oosthuizen and composed by Hansie Gouws) but only the first verse was used after 1995 when the school became a parallel-medium school. English version was written by Ms. H.M. Greyling in 2002.
Hoog en sierlik staan ons skool,
Met sy uitsig ver en wyd.
Dis die mooiste, beste skool
In die hele wêreld wyd.
Piet van Vuuren, Piet van Vuuren
Ons is trots op jou naam en lief vir jou.
Vol van vuur op vaste rots
Sal ons sterk staan, sal ons bou.
On a hilltop standing tall,
Is our school we love so dear.
Here united we are all
Building a bright future here.
Piet van Vuuren, Piet van Vuuren
We are proud of your name and we love you.
Through your guidance we will find
Life’s true meaning for us too.
History of the School
| HISTORICAL OVERVIEW |
Founded in 1924
The history of the school goes back as far as 1924 when it was still Brixton English Medium School. It was the only school in the area and Afrikaans children attended Goede Hoop School in Fordsburg. In 1925 Rev. J.C. Pauw was appointed to the school board and dedicated himself to the establishment of an Afrikaans medium school. In 1926 a parallel-medium class was formed within the English Medium School and the school was known then as the Brixton Parallel-medium school. The corner stone of the school was laid by the chairperson of the school commission, Rev. W.J. de Klerk.
Mrs. S.J. Potgieter was the first Afrikaans teacher and had to share the classroom with an English teacher at that time. She acted as principal from August 1929 to April 1930. The school was then at the “scout hall” in Caroline Street in Brixton at that time. Numbers grew and one August 1929 the two language mediums split into two independent schools.
Mr. D.P. Terburgh was appointed as the first principal of the school, then known as Brixton Laerskool. His term of office was from April 1930 to March 1956.
At that times, some of the grade 3 learners were still housed at the “scout hall” (91 Caroline Street) and the “Masonic Hall also known as the Freemason’s Hall. A new school was built for the English medium learners under the Brixton tower and it continued to exist as Brixton Primary School. The name of the Afrikaans school was Brixton Laerskool and by 1938 the school already had over 600 learners. Two other schools opened in the area, namely Langlaagte and Cottesloe Afrikaans Medium schools.
Mr. P.W. van H. Opperman acted as principal from 16 January 1956 up to 28 June 1957. The new principal, Mr. John Davey took over from him. He was the 2nd principal of the school.
The school hall, named the Piet van Vuuren hall, was inaugurated on 10 November 1961. On 22 September 1966, under the leadership of Mr. Oosthuizen (3rd principal), who was principal from 1 January 1963 to 31 December 1968, a decision was taken to change the name of the school to Laerskool Piet van Vuuren.
The school was named after Mr. P.Z.J. van Vuuren who was a member of the executive committee of the House of Assembly in Transvaal (Gauteng). It was to honour the exceptional services he rendered during the period he had served as the Member of the Executive House of Assembly. The new name of the school was implemented on 22 July 1966.
Mr. Vorster became the fourth principal of the school from January 1969 to August 1977. Mr. Naas Botes became the fifth principal in 1978 and was the principal up to May 1992. Mr. Gert Jacobs (6th principal) took over from him in April 1992 and was principal up to June 1994.
In 1995 the school once again became a dual-medium school, presenting Afrikaans and English as Languages of Learning and Teaching (LOLT) and also ended a history of apartheid when learners from all cultural backgrounds could attend the school for the very first time in its history.
Mr. Henning van der Merwe (7th principal) took over from him on 26 July 1994 up to 10 August 1999. Mr. Hendrik Labuscagne acted as principal from 11 August 1999 up to 17 March 2002.
The current principal, Mrs. H.M. Greyling was the first appointed female principal, appointed from 18 March 2002 to date. She is the 8th principal of the school.
The school’s numbers increased yearly and in October 2005, the Gauteng Department of Education, allocated the premises of two pre-primary schools, namely Kammaland and Rainbow Kids, to the school, which became home to the junior learners up to December 2010. It was called “Pietieland” but the School Governing Body experienced challenges to maintain the two separate premises in terms of electricity, water, administrative costs and infra-structure maintenance. The parents agreed to erect temporary classrooms on the main premises.
The school continued to serve the broader community as a parallel-medium school and to provide education in Afrikaans and English. The numbers of the Afrikaans medium learners were declining in the community since 1994 and in 2019 the school governing body agreed to start the process of becoming a single medium school, with English as the Language of Learning and Teaching.