Education

A parent's guide to schooling

At what age must my child enter school? What if I can't afford the school fees? Are teachers allowed to smack my child? What if my child has special educational needs? Can I educate my child at home? We give you the answers, and more, to frequent questions about South Africa's schooling system.

What are the South African government's responsibilities regarding education?
At what age must my child start school?
What are the grades in SA schools?
What documents do I have to supply to admit my child to a school?
Can my child attend any public school?
How do I go about finding the right school?
What can I expect to pay?
Can a school take legal action against me if I don't pay my child's school fees?
But what if I can't afford to pay school fees?
Can a school refuse to admit my child if I haven't paid school fees?
Can a school refuse to admit my child for any other reason?
What if I'm still having trouble getting my child into a school?
Are teachers allowed to smack my child?
How large will my child's class be?
What is outcomes-based education?
Is learning computer-based?
Will my child have access to sporting and other facilities?
Will my child school in a multicultural environment?
What if my child has special educational needs?
Do parents have a say in the running of their children's school?
Are school uniforms compulsory?
How long are the school holidays?
Do students write exams?
What is the matric pass rate?
Should I send my child to a private school?
Can I home school in SA?
Useful documents

What are the South African government's responsibilities regarding education?
Section 29 (1) of South Africa's Constitution reads: "Everyone has the right to a basic education, including adult basic education; and to further education, which the state, through reasonable measures, must make progressively available and accessible." According to the South African Schools Act of 1996, schooling is compulsory for all South Africans from the age of seven (grade 1) to the age of 15, or the completion of grade 9.

At what age may my child start school?
The age of a child entering grade 1 is age five turning six by 30 June in the year of admission. For grade 0 (otherwise known as grade R - the reception year), the age is four turning five by 30 June in the year of admission.

If parents feel their children are not yet ready for school, they are allowed to admit them at an older age - five turning six for grade 0, and six turning seven for grade 1. Many schools conduct school-readiness tests to determine if a later admission would be in the child's best interests.

What are the grades in SA schools?
Schooling runs from grade 0 (the reception year also known as grade R) through to grade 12. Grades 1 to 9 are compulsory, and classified as General Education and Training. Grades 10 to 12 are considered to be Further Education and Training.

Grade 12 is the year of matriculation, which is required (with certain minimum conditions) for tertiary education. Some private schools also offer a post-matric "sixth form" year which allows students to sit for A-level examinations.

What documents do I have to supply to admit my child to a school?
For public schools, the only documents parents are required to supply when applying to admit their child to school are:

the child's birth certificate
the child's immunisation card
a transfer card or last school report, if the child has already been to another school

A child may be registered provisionally if these documents are not immediately available, and the parents must be given a reasonable time to submit them.

Can my child attend any public school?
A parent may register his or her child at any public school, if there are vacancies. But most schools have a feeder zone, an area the school is obliged to favour when admitting students. The order of preference for admission to schools is:

Children whose parents live in the school's feeder zone - this includes parents who live at their place of work, such as domestic workers.
Children whose parents work in the feeder zone.
The rest are admitted on a first-come, first-served basis, and may be placed on a waiting list.

However, the provincial department of education is obliged to find a place in school for every learner. The feeder zone system does not apply to private or independent schools, which generally have far more stringent admission requirements than public schools.

How do I go about finding the right school?

For state schools, the Department of Education has a database of schools across the country in MS Excel format, which includes school addresses and contact details.
Alternatively, contact your provincial department of education.
For private schools contact the Independent Schools Association of Southern Africa for their list.
Or take a look at the online directories listed in the box on the right of this page.

What can I expect to pay?
Many of our state-aided schools - which receive a state subsidy as well as fees from parents - are on a par with private schools at a fraction of the price. A good state-aided school, offering smallish class sizes (about 20-something), may cost R6 000 to R15 000 per year compared with a private school, offering not much extra, costing from R10 000 to R35 000 per year - excluding boarding, which could cost an extra R20 000 a year.

State funding is organised on a quintile system, in which schools are divided into five categories according to the poverty levels in the areas they serve. Poorer schools are given larger state subsidies, and so have lower school fees, while wealthier schools are given smaller subsidies, and so have higher fees.

In the poorest areas of all, parents are completely exempt from paying school fees. These "no-fee" schools receive all their required funding from the government, and will make up 40% of all schools in 2007.

Can a school take legal action against me if I don't pay my child's school fees?
Yes. In terms of the Schools Act, parents have a legal obligation to pay public school fees, as determined by the school governing body.

But this action can only be taken if the fee-exemption criteria have been applied, and the parent still found to be liable for - in other words, can afford to pay - the fees. This obviously excludes no-fee schools, and orphans are exempt from school fees.

But what if I can't afford to pay school fees?
At all public schools, parents may apply for a reduction in or even exemption from school fees. If both parents' annual earnings are less than 10 times the yearly school fees (before tax), the child qualifies for a full fee exemption. Partial exemptions can also be made for parents with financial problems. This generally requires some kind of proof of income.

Schools are encouraged to form a School Fees Committee, which should assist parents in applying for exemption. Forms for fee exemption should be available at the school office; otherwise contact your provincial department of education.

Can a school refuse to admit my child if I haven't paid school fees?
No. In terms of the Schools Act, no student may be refused admission to a public school on the grounds that his or her parent or caregiver is unable to pay, or has not paid, school fees.

It is also illegal for a school to refuse to allow a child to take part in the school's sporting, cultural or social activities - such as the matric dance - on the grounds that fees have not been paid, or to retain the child's report.

Can a school refuse to admit my child for any other reason?
No - unless the child has already been expelled from that particular school. All schools must admit students without discrimination of any kind. Schools may not administer tests, or use pre-school experience or language as reasons not to enrol a child. Admission may not be refused because parents or guardians:

are unable to pay, or haven't paid, school fees
have not provided documents - such as household water and electricity accounts - that prove the parent's ability to pay school fees
do not subscribe to the school's mission statement
have refused to sign an indemnity contract
are unable to afford all or part of the school uniform

What if I'm still having trouble getting my child into a school?
Call the Department of Education's toll-free hotline on 0800 202 933, contact your provincial education department, or contact the Education Rights Project.

Are teachers allowed to smack or cane my child?
No. The Schools Act outlaws corporal punishment. Any teacher administering physical punishment faces prosecution for assault, and may be fined or even jailed.

Corporal or physical punishment can take many forms, including hitting with a hand or an object such as a cane, belt, whip, shoe or ruler, slapping, kicking, shaking, burning, pinching or pulling hair, forcing someone to stand in an uncomfortable and undignified position, denying or restricting someone's use of the toilet, denying meals, drink, heat and shelter as a form of punishment, or forcing someone to do excessive exercise.

How large will my child's class be?
There is usually some correlation between class size and fees. The average teacher-to-pupil ratio in state schools is 1:33, as compared with 1:18 in private schools. At those state-aided schools where parents pay for extra teachers by way of school fees, and at the more expensive private schools, the maximum number of pupils is usually about 30. At poorer schools this is often higher, with as many as 40 to 50 children in a classroom.

What is outcomes-based education?
Outcomes-based education (OBE) is an approach to learning that seeks to link education more closely to the real world, giving students skills to access, criticise, analyse and practically apply knowledge, rather than simply absorb and repeat it parrot-fashion.

OBE attempts to collapse the divide between formal knowledge and everyday knowledge, so children can relate what they learn to the world around them by putting it to practical use. OBE requires the teacher to be a facilitator - encouraging learners to find the information themselves - rather than a bearer of truth.

Is learning computer-based?
This depends on a particular school's resources. Most private and state-aided schools have well-stocked computer or media centres, and increasing numbers have computers in every classroom. There are several government and private initiatives to get the rest - most schools in townships and rural areas - online within the next few years.

The OBE curriculum places strong emphasis on children accessing information themselves, and computer-based learning is a daily feature of school life where affordable. Many endeavours are being made to give disadvantaged children and communities access to computer-based learning with community-based computer centres and school programmes.

For some useful sites for information on schools online and for online learning resources, see the box on the right of this page.

Will my child have access to sporting and other facilities?
While township schools are sorely under-resourced when it comes to sports fields and other facilities, most schools in the suburbs have good to excellent sporting facilities. Space is seldom a constraint in South Africa, and a growing number of schools boast state-of-the-art astroturf hockey fields, indoor gym centres, squash courts and swimming pools.

The emphasis on sport depends largely on the school chosen, but - given that sport is a national preoccupation - most schools devote substantial amounts of time to it. Other facilities such as music rooms, theatres and art centres depend largely on the particular bent of the school and on its financial resources. Most state-aided schools offer a range of curricular and extra-mural choices in the arts.

Will my child school in a multicultural environment?
This all depends on the school. Given that most of the population is black, most state schools are still totally black and are therefore more culturally homogeneous than racially mixed schools. Other schools, usually in urban and suburban areas, are mixed in various ways.

Some private schools are still mostly white, while others have an eclectic mix of hues and cultures. The government attempts to emphasise an anti-racist approach to teaching, and many schools tend to adopt a more multicultural approach, attempting to include the various cultures and religions.

My daughter has special learning needs. Do regular schools have remedial programmes, or must she go to a remedial school?
It depends on the severity of the problem and on how well-resourced the school is. There are over 1 300 public and private schools for children with severe remedial problems or disabilities. The national education department has a policy of "mainstreaming" special-needs children into ordinary schools in an attempt to prevent the discrimination or marginalisation of these children.

However, due to a lack of resources necessary to implement this policy, children who have been mainstreamed don't always get the special education they need. Some of the better-off schools, both state-aided and private, offer remedial education in one form or another. They employ remedial teachers and run small remedial classes alongside regular classes.

Do parents have a say in the running of their children's school?
Definitely. National policy on state schools requires that the school governing body (SGB) - made up of management, teachers, pupils (at high school) and parents (51%) - plays a large part in how the school is run, within a national framework.

Dynamic SGBs capable of raising funds and offering diverse skills to their schools have managed to turn them into thriving centres of excellence. On the downside, where parents are uneducated and poor, the SGBs are hamstrung from the start. Also, many children school miles from home, making it difficult for parents to get involved. At private schools, parental involvement depends largely on the nature of the school.

Are school uniforms compulsory?
Yes, certainly in all state schools and most private schools.

How long are the school holidays?
State schools follow the four-term system, while most private schools have three longer terms. At state schools students holiday for two to three weeks between each term (except after the third term, when the break is usually 10 days) and for about five weeks in December and January, at the end of the school year.

At private schools, the holidays are usually about a month between each of the three school terms, with a longer holiday, also usually about five weeks, at the end of the year.

Download the public school calendar for the next two years from the Department of Education website.

Do students write exams?
Outcomes-based education places less emphasis on exams and more on continual assessments of class work, projects and other tasks completed throughout the year. Also, OBE places more emphasis on whether a child grasps a particular concept than on how well he or she does so. That said, exams are still very much a feature of school life, particularly in high school. Matric marks will determine whether a student gets into university or not.

What is the matric pass rate?
The 2005 matric pass rate was 68.3%.

Should I send my child to a private school?
It all depends on the size of your budget and on what kind of education you're looking for. Private schools vary tremendously - from religious to secular, for-profit, not-for-profit, poor, rich, urban, suburban, rural ... There are plenty of A-rate private and state-aided schools (some with boarding facilities) around the country.

Though often unfounded, a lack of confidence in state schools - because of a perceived "falling of standards" - has triggered the flight of many white children away from some suburban state schools to private schools.

It is advisable to first research the schools in your area before making a hard-and-fast decision.

Can I home school in SA?
There's a growing worldwide trend towards home schooling and South Africa is no exception, with thousands of families opting to home school their children, for a variety of reasons. Some parents are keen to give their children religious or individualised tuition which they won't receive at school; others want to avoid the institutional nature of school life.

For those who wish to send their children to private schools but cannot afford to, home schooling is a cheaper alternative. Several home schooling associations are on hand to help those who choose to go this route.

Although home schooling is legal in South Africa, it is not actively encouraged by government: permission must first be sought from provincial authorities, and various requirements must be met.

Some home schooling sites offering assistance, online curricula and contacts include:

Government services provides advice on applying for registration to home-school your child.
Brainline is a distance education school, offerings an international and South African school curriculum custom developed on compact disc and the internet, from Grade 0 to 12, with a full array of services and support.
Clonard Home Education sells textbooks for home schooling.
Footprints On Our Land offers support and advice and sells materials for home-schooling in South Africa.
Love2Learn offers a Christian home-schooling curriculum from Grade 0 through 10 and offering IGCSE As and A levels.

Useful documents
Follow these links to download the following documents: