History of Sentinel Primary School
Sentinel Primary school is situated in the picturesque fishing village of Hout Bay,
in a valley on the Atlantic seaboard of the Cape Peninsula. It is one of the oldest
seaside public-combined schools in the Western Cape and was officially
established in 1969.
The primary school had its humble beginnings in the St. Peter’s Anglican Church
in Hout Bay Valley and then moved to a, now demolished, building in Hangberg
under the direction of the first principal, Mr. Richard Manuel. In 1969 the students
and its new principal Mr. Henry Jacobs moved into their new school. Under the
management of seven successive principals, R. Manuel, M. Abrahams,
- Jacobs, J. Kruger, C. Jacobs, J. Jansen and the current principal Amanda
Engelbrecht it has flourished into a hub of education for the children of the
impoverished settlement of Hangberg.
Under the management of Mr. Joe Jansen it was converted to a Non-fee paying
school in 2009 to help the under-privileged community in Hangberg. Sentinel also
celebrated its 40th anniversary in this year and it was memorialized by a Back-toschool
Ball which was the main attraction of the school year.
In 2011 Sentinel Primary School, which at this time had been converted into an
Intermediate school to accommodate Grades 8 and 9, launched its partnership
with the local fishing company Oceana Group Limited to improve the quality of
education through innovative technological and continuous contributory
approaches.
Under the leadership of the current principal, Amanda Engelbrecht, the school
has undergone many improvements including a recent upgrade to its buildings
and grounds. More than 100 indigenous fruit trees have been planted in the last
three years and two new Grade R classes have been built.
Sentinel Primary School is looking forward to educating the future generations.