P.O.
Box 20079
Durban North 4016 Chair of SGB: R. Mun-Gavin
E-mail: [email protected] Telephone: (031) 563-6501/2
www.northwoodschool.co.za Fax: (031) 564-1898
Northwood School
12 March 2024
Dear Northwood Family
We are thrilled to announce the appointment of Dr Garth Shaw as the new Headmaster of Northwood.
He brings with him a wealth of experience, an unwavering commitment to education, and a passion
for nurturing an inclusive and thriving learning environment.
With 18 years of dedicated service in educational leadership, Dr Shaw joins us from Dale College,
where his exceptional leadership has resulted in a remarkable turnaround and improvements in
performance across the board.
His vision for education and learner development aligns seamlessly with the ethos of Northwood,
valuing not just academic excellence but also holistic development. He seeks to foster a culture of
inclusivity, innovation, and community engagement. Indeed, the ethos of a public boys’ school
resonates strongly within him, having spent the majority of his school career and schooling in boys’
schools. While his appointment prior to Dale College Boys High School was Claremont High School, a
co-ed school in Cape Town, his previous and primarily formative stint was at Paarl Boys’ High School.
His own schooling was at Queen’s College Boys High School.
He holds a PhD from the University of Cape Town, in which his dissertation focused on school
management and the provision of schooling to disadvantage-context learners in schools that are
dominated by the middle-classes. He also holds a B.Ed Honours in School Management and a B.Sc (Ed -
Math) qualification from the University of Stellenbosch.
On the academic front, the positive transformation of Dale College’s matric pass and exemption rates
in recent years speak of his intention and ability to stimulate healthy learning environments for our
boys. As a proud sportsman, he leads an active life and played school sport at a competitive level in a
number of different codes, including rugby, waterpolo, athletics and biathlon. He claims his greatest
achievement on the sports field is to have captained Border to an unbeaten Craven Week, and having
cycled the Cape Epic. Garth’s passion for, and experience in sport will help Northwood continue to
develop strong sport structures.
On the cultural front, Garth has great appreciation and excitement at the excellent and varied cultural
offerings at Northwood, understanding the necessity of the arts in cultivating a rich and balanced life.
He counts it a privilege to protect and promote cultural activity for the boys at Northwood.
Please join us in welcoming Dr Shaw to our school community. We are excited to be led by a man with
his energy, dedication, and forward-thinking approach into this new chapter in the history of
Northwood. We are confident that under his guidance, we will continue to flourish, nurturing the
talents and potentials of our students, and maintaining our esteemed position as ‘the school of
choice’.
Dr Shaw will be taking the reins from 1 July this year, and we are grateful to have the calibre of Mr
Reggie Govender, who stands in the Acting Head position until Dr Shaw arrives.
With appreciation,
Richard Mun-Gavin
Chairperson of School Governing Body
