Apply for school placement on time

PARENTS MUST ensure that they find a school for their children a year before their children are due to start school.

At the start of the year, excited pupils from around the country begin their first day of the school year. However, there are many who can’t share in before their children are due to start school.

“Parents should apply for placements in the first term, with the last day for applications usually being the end of the term. The admission process begins at the start of the second term in April and extends to the end of August. Each year, the placement of learners for the following year should be finalised between October and November.”

It is also important for parents to apply to several schools, to increase the chances of their children being placed.

“Parents also need to check the registration deadlines of their provinces, as these may differ slightly from other provinces,” Mhlanga advises.

He added that the South African Constitution states that all children between the ages of 7 and 15 need to attend school, which places a responsibility on the department to ensure that all learners are enrolled.

Mhlanga said that parents of children who haven’t been placed should urgently

“Parents are encouraged to contact DistriCt offiCEs for assistance in placing learners.”

contact their provincial and district education offices.

“Parents are encouraged to contact district offices for assistance in placing learners. It allows them to register learners at other schools within the district that have enough space to accommodate learners.”

There are currently more than 70 district offices in all nine provinces. Documents needed when making an application for your child include:

• Birth certificate • Immunisation card • Transfer card or last school report card for learners who have been to school previously.

For further assistance, parents can contact their provincial learner admissions coordinators.