Our History

The threat of attack from the sea in 1942 prompted the move of a number of Clifton Durban boys to “the country”.

Clifton is a non-profit, public-benefit organisation with a Board of Directors of the company. The Directors are appointed by the Trustees and are responsible for the strategic direction of the school. The Board appoint the Head of the School who, in turn, is responsible for appointing staff.

The Board has various sub-committees which oversee the following functions: Estates; Finance; Academics; Marketing and Information & Technology.

The Head and Senior Management report to the Board on a quarterly basis. The Senior Management team consists of the Headmaster, the Deputy Head, the HOD of Junior Primary, the HOD of Sport, HOD of Expressive Arts, HOD of Boarding and the Bursar.

“It was 1942 and the threat of war was very real to Durban. Being 9 years of age when we were all off to Nottingham Road by train, we were completely oblivious to the situation with war and it was only in later life that you discovered the reasons for this move further inland. We were very fortunate to go to Spring Grove Farm of Colonel Greene’s in Nottingham Road.”

– Esmonde Dowse, Clifton Old Boy 1942

“We came across this big old stone house at the end of the drive way and that was where we were going to have our school”

– Frank van Vloten, Clifton Old Boy 1942

“We didn’t have classrooms so class would be in the open air, you know, Standard One would be under that tree and Standard Two would be over there. I mean, it was very intimate teaching. It was great.”

– Kim Elgie, Clifton Old Boy 1942

“The move from Durban to Nottingham Road was fortuitous for the school. We have ended up in a fantastic area of farmlands in the KZN Midlands, at the foot of the Drakensberg. It really is the ideal place for children, the school and teachers to be.”

– Mr Pete Quinn, SP HOD

“A great deal of the old was brought into play together with the new and it seemed to me that that little bit of paradise, that educational paradise, was being taken advantage of in its best possible opportunities and offerings.”

– Dr R. Dudley Forde, Past Pupil and Board Member

“’Beware: free range children’; it encapsulates all that Clifton is about. It is about children being children, about children being safe, and I think if one looks at the original reason why the children left Durban, it was about being safe.”

– Mr Viktor Kurz, Past Parent and Eighth Headmaster

In 2017, Clifton Nottingham Road celebrated its 75th birthday!

OUR TRADITIONS

Clifton traditions have evolved around the outdoors and our unique rural setting. Ask any Cliftonian, past or present, and they’re guaranteed to all have special memories of these traditions.

Bobsleigh Hill

Bobsleigh Hill The best place to try out your homemade bobsleigh boards for a race down the hill. Masonite or a good box from the school shop work well.

Cliffs Dam

Cliffs Dam Just over the hill, and a good place for a swim. A favourite hike for boarders and day scholars alike.

Dream Tree

Dream-Tree A “rite of passage” for the Grade 7 leavers is to climb the Dream Tree. The aim is to get to the top, look up at the sky and send your dreams into the universe. The view is incredible and the climb for the brave. You will still see some Old Cliftonians ties and shirts in the upper branches.

Lapha

Sleeping out in the Lapha Tucked at the bottom of Top Woods, alongside the Adventure Centre, is the Clifton Lapha. An ideal spot for a sleepout. Boarders can order their “rations” from the school kitchen; hot chocolate and camping snacks.

Colonel Greene

The Ghost of Colonel Greene It is said that Colonel Greene likes to still walk on the school grounds and check on things. His favourite spot is the Headmaster’s House.

Duck Diving

Duck Diving The incredible summer storms in the the Midlands are not only good for the farmers but also provide opportunity for duck-diving. Puddles of accumulated water on the fields are perfect for natural slippery slides.

Top Woods Fort

Top Woods Fort “What the senior primary has always promised was the golden highway to the Holy Grail that was, and is, Top Woods. It was indeed the promised land – forts and clans were formed and disbanded daily.” – Frederick Waller, Old Cliftonian, Class of 2017 What better place for fort-building, the Clifton cross country course, or for a relaxing quiet time.

Treverton Tunnels

Treverton Tunnels When Treverton had a fire and some of their boarding houses burnt down, pupils of the school came to Clifton for a while. Their boarders stayed in the present staff room. Directly under this are the tunnels which, according to legend, the Treverton pupils used to get to Clifton and back in times of an emergency.

Clay Mines

Clay Mines A perfect place to collect clay to use for klei-lats, make clay pots, cattle etc. On new boarders day, it is traditional to hike to the clay mines, get really dirty and then enjoy being hosed down by the fire hose in the Clifton quad.

The Grace

In the 1940s, few people owned cars. Most children arrived at the school gates in an ox-cart which had met them at Nottingham Road Train Station. The local boys would come by horse. When the children reached the school, “The Grace” would be sung as a form of prayer giving thanks to God for a safe journey. We continue this tradition today when we return from sports games or trips with a new addition of a “Three Cheers” for the driver.

The Grace

May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ

And the love of God our Father

And the fellowship, the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us

For evermore and evermore and evermore

AMEN

School Song

It is traditional that the School Song is sung at all Monday assemblies and the Annual Prize Giving.

For the beauty of the earth

For the beauty of the skies

For the love which from our birth

Over and around us lies

Christ our Lord to Thee we raise this our hymn of grateful praise

For the joy of ear and eye

For the heart and rains delight

For the mystic harmony

Linking sense to sound and sight

Christ our Lord to Thee we raise this our hymn of grateful praise

For the joy of human love

Brother, sister, parent, child

Friends on earth and friends above

For all gentle thoughts and mild

Christ our Lord to Thee we raise this our hymn of grateful praise.

The Grace

In the 1940s, few people owned cars. Most children arrived at the school gates in an ox-cart which had met them at Nottingham Road Train Station. The local boys would come by horse. When the children reached the school, “The Grace” would be sung as a form of prayer giving thanks to God for a safe journey. We continue this tradition today when we return from sports games or trips with a new addition of a “Three Cheers” for the driver.

The Grace

May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ

And the love of God our Father

And the fellowship, the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us

For evermore and evermore and evermore

AMEN

School Song

It is traditional that the School Song is sung at all Monday assemblies and the Annual Prize Giving.

For the beauty of the earth

For the beauty of the skies

For the love which from our birth

Over and around us lies

Christ our Lord to Thee we raise this our hymn of grateful praise

For the joy of ear and eye

For the heart and rains delight

For the mystic harmony

Linking sense to sound and sight

Christ our Lord to Thee we raise this our hymn of grateful praise

For the joy of human love

Brother, sister, parent, child

Friends on earth and friends above

For all gentle thoughts and mild

Christ our Lord to Thee we raise this our hymn of grateful praise.