Admissions Terms and Conditions
Terms and Conditions
1. This document must be read together with the Western Cape Education Department (“WCED”) Policy on the Management of Admission and Registration of Learners at Ordinary Public Schools as well as the National Education Policy Act,1996, which together govern admissions procedures in public schools.
2. The meaning of "parent" or "guardian" is defined in the South African Schools Act (SASA), 1996 (Act 84 of 1996).
3. All communication will be directed to the person whose details are filled in as the primary parent/guardian.
4. In the event of a dispute concerning the identity of the parent/guardian, the nearest district office may be contacted for assistance
5. Any false or incorrect information submitted during this application process may result in your online application being rejected, and / or disqualified by the relevant school's Governing Body or the WCED.
6. Placement at a school of choice cannot be guaranteed and is subject to the availability of spaces and the school’s admissions policy.
7. The school governing body determines the admissions policy, and parents/guardians are required to familiarise themselves with the admissions policy of the school before applying. The policy of the applicable school will be available on the school's website.
8. This online application is subject to the school exercising and applying their applicable admission policy.
9. Final placement outcomes are guided through a school’s admission policy and applicable internal departmental guidelines.
10. Grades R, 1 and 8 Admissions: Application Procedures and Deadlines
10.1 Applications for grade R, 1 and 8 open on 10 March 2026 and close on 14 April 2026.
10.2. The parent/guardian may choose to SAVE and RETURN to the application but must click SUBMIT before 14 April 2026. The parent/guardian may save the application and return to complete it later. However, the application must be submitted on or before 14 April 2026 in order to be considered.
10.3. Once the application has been submitted no changes can be made to the learner details.
10.4. Should any application be incomplete, the status will be automatically updated to a completed status at midnight on 14 April 2026. After this date the auto-complete will run once per week.
11. Transfer Requests for Grades: (2-7) - (9–12)
11.1. In respect of all in person transfer applications, an application must be submitted directly to the school/district office.
11.2. All applications for other grades (Grades 2-7 and 9-12) will be treated as transfer requests.
11.3. Transfers requests/applications will take place between 3 August 2026 and 17 August 2026.
11.4. These requests (Grades 2-7 and 9-12) must be submitted as a hard copy application on the WCED Transfer Request Form. This, plus the supporting documents, must be submitted to the school of choice/nearest district office, where the request will be captured on the system.
11.5. Schools will only be able to capture requests where a parent/guardian wishes the learner to transfer to that specific school.
11.6. Districts will be able to capture transfer requests for multiple schools.
11.7. PLEASE NOTE: Transfers will only be considered where the learner has relocated.
11.8. Learners in exit grades (the highest grade in a school, excluding Grade 7) will be placed.
12. Required Supporting Documentation for Admissions
12.1. Parents/Guardians MUST upload certified copies of the required supporting documents onto the system as part of the online admission application.
12.2. Certified hard copies of supporting documents must only be submitted to the school once the learner has been accepted and the parent/guardian has confirmed their final choice on a date to be determined by the school.
12.3. PLEASE NOTE: Processing delays may occur where documents are still outstanding on your application and may affect the outcome of your application.
13. List of Documents
13.1. The last official school report card/results of the learner, if the learner attended a school previously.
13.2. Identity document/birth certificate/passport of the learner;
OR
13.3. Study permit issued by Department of Home Affairs (“DHA”) in case of foreign learners and if a study permit is not available;
OR
13.4. Proof of application to the DHA or a police affidavit may suffice.
13.5. Immunisation card (Road to Health Chart) of the learner (applicable to primary schools only)
13.6. Proof of residence (municipal / rates account / lease agreement / affidavit confirming residence)
13.7. In cases when the parent/guardian/ward does not have the required documents, they must contact the district office, who will advise them on the appropriate steps to follow.
14. PLEASE NOTE:
14.1. The WCED does not accept any liability whatsoever for incorrect information captured/uploaded on the WCED's School Admissions Management Information (“SAMI”) system.
14.2. Parents/Guardians MUST print and keep a copy of the online application for their own records.
14.3. Parents/Guardians must check the admission policy of the school/s they are applying to BEFORE submitting their application.
14.4. Schools may not request any additional information which is not in line with the SASA.
14.5. Schools may NOT require parents/guardians to use the school's or any other hard copy or online system to capture or process applications.
14.6. Schools will indicate on the WCED's SAMI system whether there are any outstanding documents that the school will need to process the application.
15. Acceptance of Placement
15.1. The order of priority of the applications is very important.
15.2. In the case that the learner is accepted at more than one school and the parent/guardian has not indicated their final decision and confirmed by 15 June 2026, the first school where the application was successful, as ranked by parent/guardian, will be activated automatically. All other successful applications will be removed to prevent applications blocking places at schools.
15.3. Grades R, 1 and 8 - Outcome of applications will be made available online from 28 May 2026.
15.3.1. Parents/Guardians must confirm acceptance of placements at schools between 28 May and 15 June 2026. After 15 June 2026, parents/guardians will only have three additional days to accept a placement at the school.
15.4. Transfer Applications
15.4.1. Applications open on 3 August 2026 and close on 17 August 2026. Parents/Guardians must confirm acceptance of placements at schools before 30 September 2026.
15.4.2. After 30 September 2026, parents/guardians will only have three additional days to accept the placement at a school.
15.5. . In the case that all the applications have been unsuccessful, and the learner/s has/have not been accepted at any school where they have applied, the WCED may be contacted to assist parents/guardians to find an available placement.