The private school in South Africa that almost went bankrupt and then became one of the top 100 schools in the world
The Western Province Preparatory School (WPPS) is one of only five South African schools to be ranked among the top 100 in the world in the 2025 ranking by Spear’s magazine.
It is also one of only two preparatory, or primary schools from South Africa to make the list.
WPPS—or “Wetpups” as it is known—was founded by Geoffrey Stansbury and Raymond Hutchinson in February 1914, where it opened its doors to the first 26 pupils.
The school’s origins trace back to what the administration describes as a “fortuitous” meeting between Trinity Hall Cambridge graduate, Stansbury, and South African author Sir Percy Fitzpatrick in 1912.
Fitzpatrick is well known for many things, including politics and financing, but the one thing that most would recognise him by is his book, Jock of the Bushveld.
Inspired by Fitzpatrick’s tales of South Africa’s potential, Stansbury made his way to the country and eventually settled in the Cape.
Hutchinson, originally of Yorkshire, had settled in Cape Town in 1913, and together with Stansbury established the Western Province Prep School in Kenilworth, with both serving as joint headmasters.
By the late thirties the school had relocated to Claremont and could no longer accommodate and support two headmasters and so the partnership was dissolved.
Notably, Hutchinson went on to Port Elizabeth where he founded another top school, St George’s Prep School.
After Stansbury passed away in 1941, his wife, Christine, became the sole owner of the school, with their eldest son, John, taking over as headmaster after he completed his studies in England.
However, by 1959 the school was found to be no longer financially viable.
To escape the financially difficulties, the school approached St Andrew’s College Grahamstown for support, and the resultant association with the college enabled the school to be registered as a church school.
This allowed it to avoid municipal rates and taxes. Old Boys and parents then raised the full amount needed to buy the school from Stansbury, securing its future.
Becoming a top global school
From its ambious beginnings and troubled middle years, WPPS is a testament to what community-driven support can do for a school.
Over the decades, with support from parents and Old Boys, the school expanded rapidly, acquiring surrounding properties and building new facilities like swimming pools and fields, and AV tech in the late 90s.
A chapel was built around the same time, rooting the school in its association with the Anglican faith, while a Centenary Pavilion, Aquatic Centre and new classroom blocks came at the school’s 100-year anniversary in 2014.
Now 111 years old, WPPS has been ranked as one of the top schools in the world by Spear’s Magazine, highlighting its reputation for not only academic excellence, but its impact on and reputation within its communities.
The ranking is compiled by an expert panel of leading international educationalists, who deeply research the elibile schools.
According to Spear’s, to make the ranking a school doesn’t necessarily have to excel academically—though it is an important component of its methodology—but rather a wide range of social, cultural, and pastoral factors have been weighed.
For WPPS, the magazine said that the school is known for its commitment to holistic education, integrating academic, sporting and cultural activities to foster well-rounded development in its students.
“Built upon the values of compassion, accountability, courage, respect, integrity and humility, every boy can find his place within the diverse WPPS community,” it said.
Unlike high schools and colleges, where matric results are published for wider scrutiny, preparatory schools don’t have publicly-accessible aceademic records.
However, the school’s association with St Andrew’s makes it a direct feeder school for the college, which, like many other private schools in the country, is a top performer academically.
WPPS follows the South African national curriculum and offers a range of extracurricular activities, including swimming, music and, of course, rugby.
However, with a global reputation for prestige and excellence comes a hefty price tag. Tuition fees for grade 7 are around R148,000 (2025 fees), with boarding fees adding another R85,000.
Pictures of WPPS
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