School placements for the 2025 academic year are ongoing as around 120 000 learners are meant to be enrolled for Grades 1 and 8.
- Parents whose children have not yet been placed in Grade 1 or 8 for 2025 will find out in September, as the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) continues processing applications.
- By May, 119,086 applications had been received for new primary and high school learners.
- Parents are advised to contact district offices if their children remain unplaced by the fourth term.
With the first phase of placements for Grades 1 and 8, for the 2025 academic year already completed, parents whose children have not been placed will only know their fate in September.
While some learners have already secured their spots for next year, placements remain ongoing as schools now work through their waiting lists, according to the Western Cape Education Department (WCED).
According to WCED, a total of 23 792 Grade 1 and 95 294 Grade 8 applications have been received across the province.
The online window for late applications for Grade 1 and 8 in 2025 closed at the end of May, with late applications only considered after applications received during the month-long on time window.
Finalising lists
Since the on-time admissions window for parents applying for a place for their child in Grade 1 or 8 in 2025 closed on Friday 12 April, an additional 11 464 applications had been registered, bringing the total to 114 144 learners by May. This number without the total of learners transferring from Grade R to 1 without applications brings the new primary and high School learner tally to 119 086 applications by July.
“The placement process is ongoing. Schools are still finalising their placement lists,”
says the department spokesperson Bronagh Hammond.
With school placements a growing concern annually, Hammond says all learners who had applied on the system or via district offices for the 2024 academic year were placed.
For the past few years, and into the future, applications remain online for certain grades.
“We have not had many complaints at all this year (about the online system). There were issues with the password reset function which have been fixed, otherwise, the system has worked well. We also made available pop up stations for parents who wanted physical assistance.
District offices
With the process of placements still ongoing, Hammond advises parents to contact their district offices should children not have been placed by the fourth term.
In a statement, Western Cape Education Minister David Maynier urges parents to apply for Grade R or school transfers for the 2025 school year from Thursday 1 August when applications open.
Hammond says the cut off date for the first phase of Grade R placements for parents before auto-confirmations is Monday 30 September, with parents notified from Tuesday 17 September.
Transfers will be communicated by the schools by Saturday 19 October.
Grade R admissions
- For admission to Grade R, a child must turn six in the year that the child starts Grade R. Parents applying online will need the following supporting documents:
- Immunisation card;
- ID, birth certificate, passport, study permit or proof of application or police affidavit; and
- Proof of address or police affidavit.
- Parents who have not registered on the online system previously will first need to register. Once registration is completed, they can then proceed to the application.
Transfers for other grades
Transfer applications are to be done at the relevant school in which the parent/caregiver wishes to apply to or their nearest WCED office.
This applies to school transfer requests for learners already attending school in Grades 2-7 and Grades 9-12.
Please note that schools can only capture applications for their own institution, but district officials can capture applications for multiple schools.
Parents or caregivers will be required to fill out the WCED application form, which can also be downloaded from the WCED website, but can only be submitted to schools or the district office from Thursday 1 August.
The relevant supporting documentation is required:
- The last school report card;
- ID, birth certificate, passport, study permit or proof of application or police affidavit; and
- Proof of address or police affidavit.
Parents can drop off the application form and supporting documents at the school directly.
They can also contact the school for details on electronic (e-mail) submissions on the official WCED form only.
Visit the department’s admissions site for more information and forms https://wcedonline.westerncape.gov.za/admissions
Samantha Lee-Jacobs
www.news24.com
