Shortly after the first residents moved to Edgemead in 1972, a group met to discuss the need for a school.  It took six long years of planning and meetings by the then newly-formed Edgemead Residents’ Association in support of this parent group, before the Dept. of Education rented six houses in Lombard Way from Garden Cities, and 93 pupils enrolled at Edgemead Preparatory School in January 1979.  The following year the teaching staff doubled from four to eight, the pupils to 185, and additional houses were made available, as well as pre-fabricated classrooms and a caravan.

A tender offer of R2,2 million was accepted, and the newly-constructed school building was officially opened at the beginning of 1983.  There were soon 660 pupils, 29 staff and, by 1987, EPS was the largest English medium primary school in the Peninsula, with 850 pupils and 37 staff.

Because of its continued rapid growth, a further R1million was allocated and 10 additional classrooms built in 1991. There was a devastating fire in 1997, arson was suspected, but the SAPS never found the culprits. However, turning a tragedy into a triumph, a modern computer centre was incorporated into the rebuilding.

Principal Fred van Vuuren reports that this year the school has a total enrolment of 1216 pupils and a staff complement (teaching and support) of 70, and Edgemead Primary continues to be one of the leading Primary Schools in Cape Town.  Since there is no further residential building in Edgemead, the school is slowly being able to accommodate more children from outside the area, which has resulted in EPS becoming a truly cosmopolitan primary school.

As part of Garden Cities’ 1987 celebrations for the 2000th completed house, a competition was held and the following were some of the EPS entries on the theme “Why I like living in Edgemead”:

We have a very nice school.  It is the biggest school in the Cape Province. In the morning all the birds are sining all the shrubs are covered in dew. The grass is bright green in the morning.

I think the people who have the privilege to live in the little town Edgemead are very lucky indeed.

There are lots of places where kids can have races, there are benches for old folks where they can sit and tell jokes.

Edgemead the edge of the meadow
Not like a city with dead cold streets
but lots of houses, all in a row
And pretty flowers and trees, wherever you go.