WCED urges parents to apply for Grades 1 and 8 before deadline

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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, the provincial department said it received late applications for an additional 11,464 learners.

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

“We thank the parents who have already applied so far, as they are helping us to plan better for a place for their child in a school next year,” the department said.

According to data, 87% of applications have been captured on the online system by parents themselves.

The online admissions system is zero-rated and does not use any data.

However, 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, will need to contact their district office for assistance as soon as possible thereafter.

“We urge parents not to wait until the last minute to apply,” the department said.

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

Parents are reminded that they will only need to drop off their certified hard copies once they have received an offer from a school and accepted the offer.

The outcomes of the on-time applications online will start trickling in from 30 May and parents must accept or decline offers before 14 June.

The department is also encouraging them 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, the system will automatically confirm their top-ranked school that has made an offer and 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 should not be disheartened. Places always open up as parents confirm their final choices. We will leave no stone unturned in our efforts to place every learner whose parents applied on time as quickly as possible,” the department said.