Parents urged not to “double-park” on the system

The online window for late applications for Grade 1 and 8 in 2025 closes on 12 May 2024, and parents are urged to ensure that they apply as soon as possible, the Western Cape Education Department says. These applications will be flagged as late and considered after the applications received during the month-long on time window.

Since the on-time admissions window for parents applying for a place for their child in Grade 1 or 8 in 2025 closed on 12 April 2024, the WCED have received late applications for an additional 11 464 learners.

This brings the total number of learners whose parents have submitted applications for Grades 1 and 8 in 2025 to 114 144 learners.

The WCED thanked the parents who have already applied so far, as they are helping the department to plan better for a place for their child in a school next year.

The overwhelming majority of these applications (87%) have been captured on the online system by parents themselves. The online admissions system is zero-rated and does not use any data. If parents need in-person help capturing their application, they can visit their education district office for assistance.

Parents of Grade 1 and 8 learners who did not apply before 12 May 2024, will need to contact their district office for assistance as soon as possible thereafter.

The window for Grade R applications and transfer requests for Grades 2 – 7 and 9 – 12 will run from 1 to 16 August 2024.

What happens next? (On time applications)

Parents are reminded that they do not need to drop off their certified hard copies at this stage. They will only need to do so once they have received an offer from a school and accepted the offer as their final choice of school.

Parents will start seeing the outcomes of their on-time applications online from 30 May 2024, and we will remind them of this as the date approaches.

Parents must then accept or decline successful offers before 14 June 2024, and they are encouraged to do so as quickly as possible.

It is especially important for parents to confirm their choice of school speedily when they have received offers from multiple schools. These parents are essentially ‘double parking’ on the system, stopping schools from offering these places to other applicants until they make their choice.

If a parent has not confirmed their choice by 14 June 2024, the system will automatically confirm their top-ranked school that has made an offer. All other offers will then be removed, so that those places can be offered to other learners.

Parents who do not receive an offer on 30 May 2024 should not be disheartened: places always open up as parents confirm their final choices. The department says it will leave no stone unturned in their efforts to place every learner whose parents applied on time as quickly as possible.