Small classes, relationship-first learning
The show keeps returning to the idea that significant learning happens inside relationships. Small classes are presented as the method that lets teachers know every child, and not as a limitation. The owners carry this thread, backed by teachers, visiting heads and parents.
How it developed: The thread moves from small classes as a way to customise, to relationships as the core premise. By 2026 it is qualified: size works only alongside a pedagogical backbone and an intentional culture.
The thread's title and description are AI-written, drawn from the episodes below. The quotations are verbatim from the episode audio, each linked to the moment it was said.
What was said
“The ability to streamline Charlie's academics and allow him to excel in his chosen sport is another byproduct of the very small classes and how they allow us to customize a child's educational experience around their talents and passions, allowing them the opportunity to turn these into professional careers.”
“We weren't trying to be different for the sake of disruption. That wasn't the intention. It was because we believe so passionately in successful education being relationship-based,”
“I don't believe that any significant learning, like Rita Pearson says, can happen without relationship.”
“We believe that significant learning happens when kids have a meaningful relationship with the people that are teaching them.”
“a lot of learners might feel like hidden figures in other classrooms, and they hide in the background, but at Edu Inc, because it's so small, there's nowhere for them to hide.”
“a Stellenbosch University research saying that reducing class sizes on its own doesn't improve results. It's reducing the class sizes, having a specific pedagogical goal and, mindset in how you are going to facilitate the curriculum, and then creating an intentional culture within your school,”
Episodes in this thread
- Edu Inc Case Study | Charlie's story 14 February 2019
- Dunkirk, small boats and independent education | Prof Jonathan Jansen 11 February 2021
- Breaking Legacy Thinking in Schools | Francois Naude 9 March 2021
- BIG vs small - how to choose the right school for your child 8 April 2021
- The difference that makes the difference 10 August 2021
- Our Headmaster joins SA People for a conversation 16 September 2022
- Are you ready to be a REAL Math teacher? 15 November 2022
- Small Schools by Design: Why Size, Relationships and Culture Beat Scale 15 May 2026