2024 school applications and placement process
The Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) received a total of 324 756 Grade One applications and 432 219 Grade Eight applications.
The 2024 online admissions application period ran successfully from June 15 to July 21 amassing a total of 757 075 Grade One and Grade Eight applications
The Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) received a total of 324 756 Grade One applications and 432 219 Grade Eight applications.
According to the department, this success can be attributed to system improvements over the years, which are necessitated by continuous stakeholder engagements and technological advancements.
The distinction between complete and incomplete applications is:
• Proof of residence is valid, legible and authentic.
• No documents/no proof of address submitted.
• Partial documents submitted, but no proof of residence submitted.
• The applicant is qualified according to one of the qualifying criteria (HAWSFZ, sibling, previous school, work address in school feeder zone, HAW30KM, HAB30).
• Submitted documents/proof of home address are invalid, illegible or not authentic.
• Application is processed for placement.
• Applicant received placement offer during placement period (from September 4).
Schools with available space will be opened for parents to select for placement from December 11.
Placement period
Admissions placement period for grades one and eight will begin on September 4 and will continue throughout the remainder of the year until all learners are placed
Placement offers
From September 4, parents and guardians with complete applications will receive SMSes with placement offers to the contact numbers they used when applying.
Parents/guardians will then have to log on to www.gdeadmissions.gov.za using their credentials to accept an offer as final or accept while awaiting other offers within seven days (please avoid playing the waiting game).
SMSes will be sent out continually from September 4 until all learners are placed. This means that not all applicants will receive an SMS on the first day of the placement period, but must expect an SMS anytime from September 4 and throughout the year.
If parents and guardians have not received an SMS, there is no need to panic as applicants are welcome to use their credentials to log on to www.gdeadmissions.gov.za to check whether a placement offer was issued or not.
In the event an SMS states that your child has been placed in Grade One or Grade Eight at a certain school, this will be regarded as a successful placement to the mentioned school.
There will be no need for a parent/guardian to access the system to accept an offer in that regard because the child would be placed at the mentioned school.
Forgot password/lost credentials
Parents and guardians who may have forgotten or lost their credentials must click on “Forgot Password” on the landing page and follow the prompts to regain access to the system.
Alternatively, parents and guardians are welcome to interact with call centre agents on 0800 000 789 or WhatsApp on 060 891 0361.
Normally, high volumes of calls are received during the placement period, and the department’s offices experience a high number of walk-ins from parents/guardians. The department pleads for patience and understanding as the officials work hard to assist everyone.
Placement criteria
Parents and guardians are reminded that the placement offers are based on the following criteria considered in order of priority below (not first-come-first-serve):
1 – Home address within the school’s feeder zone
2 – Sibling(s), previous school
3 – Work address within school’s feeder zone
4 – Home address within 30km radius
5 – Home address beyond 30km radius
Parents and guardians are also reminded that placement according to the above criteria is determined by the capacity of each school.
Placement of unplaced learners
Parents/guardians are reminded that all placement is subject to the priority of placement criteria and availability of space (capacity) per school.
Therefore, applicants that cannot be accommodated at schools they applied to due to the schools having reached capacity, will receive transfer offers of placement at the next closest school with available space.
Transfer offers are made only after confirmation that none of the schools to which a parent applied has available space.
Parents/guardians who are offered placement at schools that they have not applied to have the option to accept or decline the placement offer.
To allow a fair admissions process, provision is made for objections and appeals. Applicants who are offered placement at schools that they have not applied to have the option to accept or decline the placement offer.
To submit an objection, the parent declines the placement offer, and completes an electronic objection form online.
Objections must be submitted within seven days of receiving the placement offer. Note that when placement is offered at one of the schools that the parent applied to, objections and appeals are not applicable.
All objections are investigated on merit and an outcome is provided within 14 days of submission.
Applicants who decline the objection outcome may submit an appeal online within seven days of receiving the objection outcome.
Appeals are processed and responded to within 14 to 21 days of receipt. Parents must note that the appeal outcome is final.
Objections and appeals
Applicants who do not accept placement offers within seven school days will be auto-placed at the school that made an offer of placement.
It is important to note that placement is prioritised for applicants with verifiable home addresses within the school feeder zone and closest to the school and where space is available. When schools reach full capacity, applicants will be offered placement offers from schools with available space.
