HOCKEY

Congratulations to the following Laddsworth boys and girls who have been selected to represent the Umgungundlovu District for Hockey. Both the boys and girl’s teams will attend an Inter-District Trials Festival on Sunday, 4 May 2025.

GIRLS:

Under 13: Thandile Ndlovu; Simnikiwe Sokhabase, Morgan Pretorius,
Sophie Drew, Kirsten Francis

Under 12: Georgia Floros
Non-Travelling Reserve: Naomi Morgan

BOYS:

Under 13: Jonny Johnson, Dean Taylor, Liam Rampaul
Non-Travelling Reserve: Liam Freeman-Smith

Under 12: Matthew Koopman, Odwa Ndlovu

Well done and congratulations to all players.

Following the outstanding success of the Laddsworth Boys’ and Girls’ A Swimming teams, we are proud to confirm that Laddsworth has made history as the first school to ever win both the Boys' and Girls' PMB & Districts Schools Swimming Championships in the same year.

Bringing home two prestigious trophies, each with an incredible 95-year legacy, is a moment of immense pride for the entire Laddsworth community. These trophies represent decades of dedication, excellence, and fierce competition, and to have both find a home at Laddsworth this year is a testament to the hard work, teamwork, and commitment of our swimmers, coaches, and supporters.

This achievement will be remembered as a milestone in Laddsworth’s history - Well done to every swimmer for once again, Aiming High.

Come and see how Laddsworth has served the Hilton and surrounding community, providing value-driven, quality education to boys and girls from Grades One to Seven for 122 years.

Laddsworth strives to honour its traditions and fiercely guards the values of Loyalty, Honesty, Self-Discipline, Sincerity, Courage and Respect. Our pupils are continuously encouraged to strive for excellence in the classroom, on the sports field, and on the cultural stage, through the school motto: “AimHigh”

Join us at the 2025 Laddsworth Open day

Date: 19 February

Time: 09:30-11:00

1 Winstead Rd, Hilton, 3245

Get ready to take the next step in your child’s educational journey. Don't miss the 23rd edition of the Laddsworth High Schools Expo, taking place on 5 February 2025, in the Laddsworth School Hall.

An event designed to help both learners and parents from Primary Schools all around the Midlands and neighbouring area, to meet 22 High Schools under one roof. The Expo is the perfect platform to explore your high school options.

The Laddsworth High Schools Expo opens at 14h00 and closes at 17h00, allowing visitors the opportunity and flexibility to attend during these times, to accommodate their busy work and school schedules.

Laddsworth Primary School would like to thank the exhibiting High Schools, and looks forward to welcoming the Midlands community to this year’s Expo.

For more information about the Expo or Laddsworth Primary School, visit the Laddsworth website, ADMISSIONS page, or follow the school on Instagram and Facebook.

In celebration of World Rhino Day, the Laddsworth Eco-Club introduced the Hilton community to 'Daisy,' the Laddsworth Project Rhino creation. This creation was done to support the #FutureRhinios campaign run by Project Rhino, as schools around KZN create their own rhino creations.

'Daisy' is covered by an armor of old shattered CDs, has red nails, and her horns are wrapped by the Girls' summer dress material.

Daisy can now be seen grazing and standing proud at the Hilton Quarry SuperSpar.

Thank you to Athlone Primary School, Cowan House Prep School, and Drakondale School of the Arts for joining us in showcasing the outstanding musical culture the Midlands has to offer. It truly was a celebration of talent and collaboration.

Laddsworth extends our heartfelt gratitude to Mr Greg Downs, from the Hilton Quarry Super Spar for his incredible support of Laddsworth. They have generously sponsored Hilton Quarry SuperSpar branded 1st team sports kits for each extra-mural sporting code.

Laddsworth takes great pride, in wearing these new sports uniforms, as we continue to Aim High. Watch this space, with more kits to follow.

The Laddsworth Trust Fund Golf Day 2024 took place on Friday, 02 August 2024 at the Victoria Country Club. 144 players enjoyed a very well-organised and fun-filled day. My sincere gratitude goes to all the sponsors and donors of the prizes. Prizes were presented to every player.

Thank you Mrs Bisset, Mrs Germiquet and Mr Binedell for the hours of work in making this day a success. We appreciate Mrs Coetzee, Mrs Jager and the maintenance team for their organization and efforts. Special thanks to the Victoria Country Club for hosting our event and allowing us to use their wonderful facilities.

On behalf of the Trustees of the Laddsworth Trust Fund, Laddsworth staff, the organising committee and the School Governing Body, I would also like to take this opportunity to extend our heartfelt appreciation to our Hole and prize sponsors:

Laddsworth proudly presents: 

A choral concert featuring the Neuer Kammerchor (Germany), KZN Midlands Youth Choir, and Laddsworth Senior Choir

Date: Thursday 30 May 2024

Time: 18:00

Tea: 17:00

>>> BOOK YOUR TICKETS NOW <<<

If you want to go fast - go alone

If you want to go far - go together

This slogan, which Neuer Kammerchor Heidenheim, South Germany, encountered for the first time on its first tour through South Africa and Namibia in 2014 has since become the motto of the choir.

Neuer Kammerchor Heidenheim under the direction of Thomas Kammel has grown since its foundation in 2005 to almost 70 young singers today. With a lot of passion, the young people rehearse consequently every Saturday morning and regularly inspire their audience with around 30 performances a year.

Regular participation in international choir competitions has earned the ensemble a number of awards in recent years. 22 gold medals and 2 silver diplomas have been won by the 16-20 year-olds to take home from the competitions.

Collaboration and exchange with other choirs is also regularly cultivated, last year two university choirs were taking part in big joint events in Heidenheim. The Youth Choir of the University of Pretoria in spring and the UniChor Munich in autumn.were guests in Heidenheim for big joint events.

For this year in May, a concert tour across South Africa is planned, where the NKC already toured in 2014 and made numerous contacts and friendships. And so this year, they will also resume the contacts from back then in Stellenbosch to the Paul Roos Gimnasium, in George to the South Cape Childrens Choir, in Durban to KZN Youth Choir together with Kearnsey College Choir, and especially to the UP Youth Choir in Pretoria as the main partner and deepen the encounters or find new friends. On the occasion of a specially arranged charity concert for the partly fire-damaged Carpe Diem School in George, the Neuer Kammerchor Heidenheim with its 65 singers and under director Thomas Kammel will present on May 23rd at 7 pm at the audience hall a program of its wide range with music from several centuries in different languages. For their 7th concert during the tour, the singers from Germany are guests at the Laddsworth Primary School in Pietermaritzburg Hilton for a joint concert with new friends from the Midlands Youth Choir under W. Silk.

For more information have a look at

Website:  www.neuerkammerchor.com

Facebook:  Neuer Kammerchor Heidenheim

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063745472928

On Saturday, 16 March 2024, Laddsworth participated in the Bake-Off and Expo at the Quarry Centre.

In the Bake-Off segment, participants showcased their skills by creating Show-Stopper Cakes. Laddsworth achieved 1st place, winning an R8,000 Quarry Centre shopping voucher. I extend our heartfelt gratitude to Mrs Gillian Ilijevski for her invaluable assistance in guiding a group of Grade 7 girls, enabling them to acquire new skills and create truly remarkable cakes. The theme "Let the Love Shine Through" was beautifully depicted in the decoration of three cakes, each symbolizing love for family, knowledge, and nature.

I commend Gabby Ngcobo, Isabella Alexander, Rachel Coetzee, Tyler Gunter, Kyro Singh, Kayla Morrison, Amy Taylor, Freya Ulyate, Charis Donkin, Khumo Shongwe and Sarah Alexander for their outstanding cake creations. Special thanks to Ms Joubert for her support and guidance.

My appreciation goes out to all the parents of Grades 2, 4, and 6 who generously provided treats and contributed towards the ingredients for the Bake-Off. Thank you to Mrs Jager, Mr Binedell, Mrs van der Merwe, Mrs Kinners, Mrs Rogers, Mr Pieters, Mr Buthelezi and Mr Maphumulo for coordinating the Laddsworth Site and the Cake sale.
To pupils and parents, thank you for your enthusiastic support on Saturday, 16 March 2024.

Congratulations to Josh and Kyle Smith for winning the 'Knowledge' cake, Jason Coetzee for winning the 'Family' cake, and Jaclyn Loubser for winning the 'Nature' Show-Stopper cake.

On Tuesday, 5 March 2024, the Laddsworth Girls A Swimming Team attended the prestigious Pietermaritzburg and Districts Inter-Schools A Gala.

Having won the shield for the first time ever in 2022, and retaining first place the following year in 2023, the Laddsworth Girls were determined to end their swimming season on a high and bring the trophy home for a third straight year.

Both the pupils’ and coaches’ hard work paid off, with Laddsworth winning the gala by a staggering 54.5 points. Completing the “hat-trick,” they also won the U13 Relay Trophy.

To the pupils, parents, coaches and Laddsworth community, thank you for your dedication and support. You continue to inspire us all to #AimHigh.

On Friday, 9 February 2024, the Laddsworth Grade 6 and 7 teams participated in the Kids Lit Quiz, an international literature competition encouraging learners to read for pleasure. The regional heats held at Athlone Primary School Pietermaritzburg saw participants from many neighboring schools.

Congratulations to the Laddsworth Grade 6 Team: Kaila Stander, Sophie Stevens, Leranya Govender, and Xavi Smith who were placed third in the overall competition.

The 𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀 of the 2024 Kids Lit were the Laddsworth Grade 7 Team: Kyro Singh, Dylan Crabtree, Charis Donkin, and Sarah Thorpe.
As regional champions, on Saturday, 17 February, the Laddsworth Grade 7 Team flew to Cape Town to compete in the National Kids Lit Championship at The Grove Primary School. It was an amazing experience and the pupils had a fantastic time competing against schools from around South Africa #AimHigh

As 2024 gets into full swing, it’s time for families to start selecting and applying for High Schools. Mark your calendars for the 22nd edition of the Laddsworth High Schools Expo taking place at the Laddsworth Primary School Hall on Wednesday, 7 February 2024.

This special event welcomes pupils and parents from all around Pietermaritzburg, the Midlands, and neighboring communities. The Expo brings together 24 local High Schools under one roof, to assist you in making informed decisions about your child’s educational journey.

The Laddsworth High Schools Expo opens at 14h00 and closes at 17h00, allowing visitors the opportunity and flexibility to attend the Expo considering their busy work and school schedules.

Don't miss this opportunity to shape your child's future!
Join us at the Laddsworth High Schools Expo.

Laddsworth Primary School would like to welcome you back to the first day of the 2024 School Year.

A special welcome to this year's Grade One pupils and parents as they join the Laddsworth Family 

On Friday 8 December 2023, Laddsworth hosted its Grade 7 Speech Day and Prize Giving.

On Thursday 30 November 2023, the Laddsworth Choir and musicians had an unforgettable evening performing with St Anne's Diocesan College at the 'Sounds of the Season' musical collaboration. It was a night to celebrate both music and the coming of Christmas.

More importantly, it was an occasion to bring the Hilton community together through song and even a bit of dance.
Thank you St Anne's Diocesan College for including Laddsworth in this celebration of music, and the festive season.

On Saturday Laddsworth hosted the annual Boys 5-a-Side Soccer Tournament. 10 Schools with 38 teams and 304 boys took to the field for a fun-filled morning.
The final results were as follows.
U9 Tournament - 1st Laddsworth, 2nd Merchiston
U10 Tournament - 1st Merchiston, 2nd Woodlands
U11  Tournament - 1st Alston, 2nd Merchiston
OPEN Tournament - 1st Bisley, 2nd Richmond
A massive THANK YOU to My SPAR - Hilton Quarry for sponsoring the event and all the food packs enjoyed by the teams and staff. Thank you to What Event for providing the platform to communicate live fixtures, results, and log standings.
Overall a fantastic day at Laddsworth and we look forward to hosting next term's Girls Edition of the Laddsworth 5-a-Side Soccer Tournament.

On Wednesday 1 March 2023, Laddsworth celebrated its 120th Birthday.

It was a day filled with lots of celebration and fun for everyone involved. We were overwhelmed by the amount of support shown by pupils, staff, parents, and the Hilton community.

The morning started with a massive cake made by My SPAR - Hilton Quarry, so big it had to be brought to the field by truck.

The entire School dressed in blue, gold, and white 120 t-shirts, were led by Mr. G Lambooy and bagpiper, Mr. I Turnbull, down to the field where they surrounded a 16x10m 120 badge on Stride Field.

We said a prayer, then sang the School song and Happy Birthday. Mr. Lambooy shared some words on the history of Laddsworth before cutting and handing out the cake to each class.

Each grade then split up to do a range of different fun activities, kite building, mini Olympics, the amazing race, treasure hunts, and even a clown, just to name a few.

The day ended with Mr. Lambooy handing out a number of Laddsworth 120 gifts and memorabilia to all the pupils and staff.

We say thank you to My SPAR - Hilton Quarry and all the members of the Laddsworth staff and community that made the 120th Birthday of Laddsworth Primary School so special and memorable.

OUR GIRLS HAVE DONE IT AGAIN

Our Laddsworth Girls A Swimming Team have won the Pietermaritzburg and Districts Girls Inter-School A-Gala and retained their historic title from 2022. In addition to completing "the double," they also brought home the U12 and U13 Relay Trophies, making it a clean sweep.

Our Boys A Swimming Team also had a fantastic result, narrowly coming 3rd overall in the Pietermaritzburg and Districts Boys Inter-School A-Gala.

Proud is an understatement, and Laddsworth would like to thank all the pupils, coaches, staff, and families for their commitment and hard work put into the Aquatics program this season.

In 1903, 20-year-old Miss Daisy Ladds welcomed 20 pupils to a new school at the Hilton Hall. “The Hilton Road School” opened its doors to pupils arriving on horse trap and donkey, with a group being taken to and from the Cedara station by mule cart. All 20 pupils worked around one large round table, on slates with slate pencils.

The number of pupils at Miss Ladds’ school increased steadily and an assistant later joined her. The school became Government-aided and on 1 August 1918, it was taken over by the Natal Educational Department under the Free Education Act, becoming the Hilton Road Government Primary School, with Miss Daisy Ladds as Headmistress.

With the number of pupils still increasing, Miss Daisy Ladds moved to a newly built school ground above Voortrekker Road in 1937. 3 classes and an administration office quickly became inadequate for the 71 pupils enrolled that year, and more classrooms had to be built the following year. The Laddsworth Lodge townhouse complex now occupies this property.

Following her retirement in 1949, the school was renamed after Miss Ladds in 1958, in honour of her life’s work, years of service and vision. Nicknamed “Laddie”, she is still remembered by past pupils for her discipline and always being firm, but kind.

In October 1988 the School moved again, to its current site in Winstead Road. The new 21 classroom school facility, boasting modern buildings and extensive grounds, was officially opened by the Director of Education Mr A.B. Olmesdahl on 1 March 1989.

Laddsworth has been very fortunate in having had only 10 Principals in its 120-year history. In the last decade since Mr Gavin Lambooy took up the post of Headmaster in 2013, the school has grown tremendously from 510 pupils to the current enrolment of 660.

Major developments in infrastructure, the building of new facilities and significant increases in personnel have been achieved by the School Governing Body in the last decade. The school enjoys a uniquely designed and extensive complex of buildings, gardens and fields, which blends with, and encapsulates the country atmosphere of Hilton.

Laddsworth Primary School continues to enrich the school environment with some of its latest developments including a modern newly built Hall, extended Media Centre Complex, Advanced Computer Centre facility, 9 additional classrooms, together with a new Tuck-shop and first-class sporting facilities.

The school is well positioned to fulfil the previous Headmaster, Mr Stride’s wish for “the school still having to grow, to meet the needs of the community” which he had expressed at the School’s 75^th anniversary 45 years ago.

We continue to “Aim High”, strive to honour our traditions, fiercely guard our values and serve our mission to provide a value-driven, quality education to the Midlands Community.

Laddsworth 5-a-Side Soccer Tournament

Laddsworth Primary School, 23 July 2022

A fantastic day as Laddsworth Primary School held their annual Girls 5-a-Side Soccer Tournament. U9, U10, U11, and Open girls from 10 different Schools took to the fields on Saturday morning.

School held their annual Girls 5-a-Side Soccer Tournament. U9, U10, U11, and Open girls from 10 different Schools took to the fields on Saturday morning.

The Tournament comprised of 8min, round-robin pool games, with points being awarded for wins, draws and goalless draws. From there, semi-finals were played between 1st and 2nd of both pools A and B, with the winners progressing to the Final.

The winners and runners-up were as follows.

U9- Winners- Cowan House

Runners up- Laddsworth

U10- Winners- Athlone

Runners up- Cowan House

U11- Winners- Athlone

Runners up- Laddsworth

OPEN- Winners- Laddsworth

Runners up- Bisley

Congratulations to all the girls that participated, as everyone in attendance was treated to some fantastic and often nail-biting soccer, with a number of playoff games being decided by penalty shootouts.

Thank you to The Hilton Quarry Spar for once again supporting and sponsoring the Laddsworth 5-a-Side Soccer Tournament.

It was also great to have “WhatEvent” cover the event, as fixtures, results, and log standings were all readily available to supporters and teams online by link or QR Code.

Overall a great day and way to open the Laddsworth Term 3 sporting calendar #AimHigh

Laddsworth has always had a proud tradition of hockey at the School but 2022 has been especially successful. 20 Laddsworth pupils were selected to represent the Umgungundlovu Districts Primary Schools’ Teams. From those, an impressive 16 pupils were selected to represent the Kwa-Zulu Natal Inland Primary Schools Hockey teams, making Laddsworth one of the most representing Schools in the area.

Congratulations to all the pupils selected, as well as all the coaches and Laddsworth Sports Department for this fantastic achievement.

NATIONAL TOURNAMENT FROM 2 – 6 JULY 2022 - STELLENBOSCH

KZN INLAND U13 A BOYS           Luthando Shelembe

KZN INLAND U13 A GIRLS          Jemma Pitman

REGIONAL TOURNAMENT FROM 25 – 28 JUNE 2022 - HILTON

KZN INLAND U13 B BOYS           Blake Francis

KZN INLAND U13 C BOYS           William Riley

KZN INLAND U13 B GIRLS          Anna May

KZN INLAND U13 C GIRLS          Sophie Hobden

Tessa Moreno

REGIONAL TOURNAMENT FROM 26 – 30 JUNE 2022 - PIETERMARITZBURG

KZN Inland U12 A Boys               William Johnson

KZN Inland U12 B Boys               Nsika Msimang

Sam Wessels

KZN Inland U12 A Girls                 Paige Williams

Amile Nxumalo

Payton Nero

KZN Inland U12 B Girls                 Deborah Lock

Amanda Mchunu

                                                      Lily Strydom

Laddsworth would like to congratulate Matt Bisset from Grade 7, on being selected for the Midlands U13 Rugby Squad.

On 8 March, 2022 The Laddsworth Swimming Girls made History by winning the most important Gala in the Junior School Swimming Program, the Pietermaritzburg and Districts Inter-School “A” Gala. This is the first time Laddsworth Primary School has won the event, since its inception in 1930, 92 years ago.

The Boys team also produced a fantastic result, being placed 3^rd overall, and also for the first time won the U12 Relay Trophy.

Huge congratulations to the Laddsworth pupils, staff and all involved in the Swimming Program.

They all embraced the School’s Motto of “AIM HIGH” and were able to turn the hours of hard work and the early morning training into something truly special.

The fruits of their efforts have created such positivity throughout the entire Laddsworth Community.

Christelle van Tonder (Grade 5) took part in an SA kids Golf Tournament at Umhlali Country Club on 23 January 2022. She won her age group of 9 – 10. The year is shaping up to be yet another great one for Christelle on the Golf Course.

During the Holiday, 9 Laddsworth boys participated in the Junior T100 cricket festival hosted by the Hollywoodbets Tuskers at the PMB oval. The festival took part over 3 days, comprised of around 80 kids across 6 teams, each having an owner, coach and sponsor.

Sam Wessels and William Johnson’s team made the semi-finals while Josh Vurovecz's team ended up winning the final.

All three boys were drafted into the Tuskers Rising Stars Academy and will be trained by the Tuskers coaches and players. A fantastic opportunity for all three boys.

Congratulations to all the Laddsworth boys that took part in the festival.