Holy Cross School was known as Holy Cross Mission in the early days and was the first Coloured School in the Cape. The school opened on the 24th January 1910 after four sisters set out from the Transkei to start a coloured mission here in Cape Town. Until 1920 when free education was introduced, the Sisters charged fees of one penny per week in the lower classes and 4 pence from standard four up. In 1918 a room from the neighbouring house was hired to accommodate the standard five and six learners. The numbers of learners increased progressively so that in 1933 a new building had to be erected. Imagine this: one hundred and one standard three pupils, fifty-nine boys squeezed into the passage; thirty-six girls into the Principal’s office, the lower classes were in the Sisters’ Chapel, with the sanctuary screened off by a curtain. In 1935 overcrowding was once again experienced. In 1939 a new school was opened for Sub-Standards A and B and Standard Two pupils. Finally, ...