Cape Academy of Mathematics, Science and Technology

The Cape Academy of Mathematics, Science and Technology, often abbreviated to "Cape Academy", is a co-educational public boarding school, situated in the Constantia Valley of Cape Town, South Africa. The Cape Academy was founded in 2004 by the Western Cape Education Department to offer quality instruction in the sciences to students from previously disadvantaged backgrounds, as part of the government's strategy to fill the skills gap present in South Africa.EstablishmentThe Cape Academy was established in 2004 at the site of an old reformatory, the Constantia School for Boys, as initiative by the local education department to improve the results of previously disadvantaged learners in the National Senior Certificate examinations. It officially opened its doors on 19 January 2004, with an address by the then Western Cape Premier, Marthinus van Schalkwyk. The establishment of the school initially cost the Western Cape Department of Education more than R5 million.AcademicsThe Cape Academy enrolls students into the Further Education and Training educational phase, educating students from grades 10 to 12. Both English and Afrikaans are offered as languages of instruction. It's grade 12 students write the Western Cape Education Department matric examinations in November each year.Subjects offered include: Mathematics Physical Science Life Sciences Information technology (IT) Computer applications technology (CAT) Accounting Life Orientation English isiXhosa Afrikaans Mandarin Of these subjects, Mathematics, Physical Science and either IT or CAT are compulsory for all students. In accordance with South African educational policy students all take at least one language as their home language and another as an additional language. The Cape Academy is a parallel medium school, offering all courses in both English and Afrikaans.