ABOUT US

The name Fairbairn dates back centuries to the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. It was often given to someone with youthful or attractive features, or to a child known for their beauty. The name comes from the Old English words fair, meaning lovely, and bearn, meaning child.

During the 1960s and 1970s, the Goodwood and Parow areas experienced rapid growth. As the population increased, the need for more schools in the northern suburbs of Cape Town also grew. At the time, JG Meiring High School was the only secondary school in Goodwood serving English-speaking learners.

The Goodwood/Vasco English-medium school was founded on 1 October 1976 with the appointment of Mr C.E. de Wet as headmaster. While the school buildings were still under construction, the deputy principal and secretary worked from the boardroom of the Parow School Board. They remained there until the administrative section of the school was completed in January 1977.

The first assembly took place on 19 January 1977. In its first year, Fairbairn offered Standards 6, 7 and 8. Many of the Standard 7 and 8 learners transferred from nearby JG Meiring High School. The school was officially inaugurated a year later, on 24 February 1978, by Dr P.S. Meyer, Director of Education of the Cape Province.

At a meeting on 28 March 1977, the school committee unanimously chose the name Fairbairn College. However, the Parow School Board and the Cape Education Department overruled the decision and approved the name Fairbairn High School instead. The school was named after John Fairbairn, who came to the Cape at the invitation of Thomas Pringle to start a school for the children of the 1820 settlers.

In 1992, Fairbairn became a Model C state-aided school. The Governing Body used its new authority to revisit the name. On 23 November 1992, it unanimously decided to rename the school Fairbairn College. The Cape Education Department approved the change, and the name was officially updated on 11 February 1993.

Fairbairn opened with nineteen educators and 356 pupils, beginning a proud tradition of education and community.