For many children in under-resourced communities, the transition from Foundation Phase education (with mother tongue teaching and learning) to the Intermediate Phase (where the language of instruction changes to English) is challenging. Many learners who start Grade 4 are unable to read for meaning in any language and have trouble understanding basic number patterns and relationships. The PEP Academy aims to bridge this transition gap, ensuring learners are better prepared. Starting in 2008 with just 640 learners, the programme has expanded nationally.

In 2025, the PEP Academy welcomed 4 455 learners across four provinces. This brings the total number of children taking part in this learning programme to 34 000 since it started.

Integrating into the PEP Foundation
This year marks an exciting turning point for the PEP Academy. After operating through an outsourced model for many years, the programme has officially moved into the PEP Foundation, becoming its flagship education initiative.

This transition reflects a broader evolution that allows the PEP Academy to plan long-term, strengthen its academic model and develop complementary programmes under a single Foundation structure. It also brings the programme closer to Pepkor’s people development ecosystem, with a permanent Foundation team now in place and new opportunities for integration across the group.

Evolving the curriculum for impact
As the PEP Academy matured, so too did its academic approach. With learners attending three sessions per week, the team refined the curriculum to make every hour count. Rather than covering the whole language and maths syllabus, facilitators concentrated on core levers that unlock learning:

• Building number sense and calculation strategies
• Strengthening reading with comprehension
• Reinforcing active participation and independent learning habits

Life skills, previously delivered as a stand-alone subject, was absorbed into literacy lessons. This allowed the programme to prioritise foundational language development without losing the personal and developmental touchpoints that help learners build confidence and resilience.

Measurable gains in literacy and numeracy
The impact of this refined curriculum is evident not only in learners’ confidence to learn but also in the data. Each year, the PEP Academy tracks the progress of a sample group of 30% of learners to assess whether learning outcomes are improving. The 2024 results show steady, meaningful gains in both literacy and numeracy.