The Electives Programme has been introduced to provide the boys of Durban High School with the opportunity to develop vital skills that are not necessarily addressed in the normal school curriculum.

These include critical and entrepreneurial thinking, problem solving and creativity.

Electives have been carefully chosen to support the normal school curriculum and to address one or more of the areas listed below.

Boys apply practical knowledge they have learnt in subjects such as Mathematics, Physical Sciences and Life Sciences to skills like Rocket Building and First Aid.

Rocket Building requires an understanding of fundamental concepts in Physics and Mathematics, whilst First Aid puts areas of Life Sciences into practice.

Not all our boys move on to tertiary education. It is therefore important that the Electives Programme provides relevant courses that provide a foundation of skills that boys can use in the working world.

Entrepreneurial electives provide boys with the opportunity to develop entrepreneurial thinking that would be expanded into actual entrepreneurial initiatives in the future.

Electives, such as AutoCAD, Online Learning and Sailing, offer skills and certifications that can be used immediately after school.

There are two different types of academies, namely the Sports Academy and Performing Arts Academy.

Sports Academy:

• The Sports Academy focuses on the six core sports offered at Durban High School:  Aquatics,  Basketball, Cricket, Football, Hockey and Rugby.
• Boys in Grade 8-11 select and sign up for their preferred sport.

Performing Arts Academy: 

• The Performing Arts Academy provides boys with a basic understanding of performance through an entirely practice based approach.
• This elective covers choreography, acting and singing skills separately, as well as a collaboration of the three.
• The elective also forms the basis of a major production, and any other performances that may arise during the year.