The Gauteng Education Department opened applications for Grade 1s and 8s on August 10 and parents and guardians are urged to know as much as they can before applying.
According to the department’s MEC, Panyaza Lesufi, this year’s procedure has been made simpler for the benefit of all.
“When a parent or guardian applies to a school for their child, it is critical to remember that the following criteria is considered in order of priority of the following: home address within the school’s feeder zone, siblings and or previous schools, work address within school’s feeder zone and home address which is within 30km radius.”
The department provided the following guidelines and reminders:
• Before parents or guardians apply, they must provide accurate parent and learner details to schools where their children are currently in Grade 7
• From August 2–6, primary schools will verify and update parents or guardians’ details including the cellphone number, identity document number and home address
• Parents and guardian will need to provide one reliable cellphone number so they can receive important SMS notifications regarding the application process. From August 10 SMS notifications with a link to the application process will be sent to applicants
• The parent/guardian will be required to verify the cellphone number on the system before starting a five-step application process which consists of the verification of parent/guardian details, home address details, learner details, application to a maximum of five schools and uploading documents to the system or submitting documents at schools
• In phase two, parents and guardians will also complete the five-step application process without prior verification of details. Parents will need to upload or submit certified copies of supporting documents to schools they applied to within seven days
• The documents required for Grade 1 and 8 applications are: parent and child ID or passport; refugee permit; asylum seeker permit; permanent residence permit; study permit; South African birth certificate; proof of home address; proof of work address; latest school report and clinic card/vaccination report (Grade 1 only)
• If a parent uses a cellphone number that differs from the one provided to the school, the system will prompt the parent to contact the school to correct the number
• Every step of the application process will be confirmed via SMS for security and verification purposes
• Parents who apply to schools of specialisation must ensure that they contact the school to arrange for the auditions or admission tests for the learner.
