Proteus has partnered with Students for a Better Future (SBF) to support them in ensuring that all of their bursaried children achieve greater than 60% for high school maths. To do this, Proteus are supporting SBF with the identification of assessment tools that provide diagnostic data, the development of a robust monitoring and evaluation framework that tracks progress, and the implementation of data analysis and decision making tools and processes to drive improvement. 

The challenge

SBF offers high school bursaries to between 50 and 70 children from primary schools in Cape Town and the surrounding areas every year. The selection and onboarding process is rigorous, as is the ongoing pastoral, psychosocial and academic support to students once they have been selected and placed in one of the 12 high schools that SBF has established relationships with. 

Despite this support, data indicates a steady decline in maths scores from grade 8 to 12 (for every cohort with the exception of the 2022 intake), with too many children ultimately struggling to get above 60% for maths in matric. This is problematic, as children require a minimum of 60% for maths to take a science, maths or technology degree at university. 

What we are doing

Proteus Advisory was invited to a consultation session to map out the dimensions and attempt to understand the nature of the challenge, in order to support SBF with the development and implementation of a solution that will ensure that all bursaried children take and pass maths in matric with scores of greater than 60%.

The consultation process identified three key areas in which Proteus will be supporting SBF:

• Identifying and implementing a maths assessment tool that serves as a stronger indicator of academic success later on
• Developing and implementing an Early Warning System that triggers thoughtful and impactful responses
• Reviewing, iterating and embedding a revised monitoring and evaluation framework that collects the right data, at the right time, to generate insights that lead to action and impact. 

What next?

Over the next six months, Proteus will be working closely with the team at SBF to develop and implement the new assessment tools, monitoring and evaluation framework, and data driven decision making tools and processes. When we’re done, we’ll review the implementation of each of these and the impact that they have had on ensuring that all children on the SBF programme achieve greater than 60% for their matric maths exams – setting them on the right path for tertiary academic success.