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We've put together need-to-know learner registration dates for the coming year.
Parents whose children will be entering or changing schools in 2020 must apply this year, and it is crucial to make sure your child is registered by the stipulated dates to ensure his or her placement in the appropriate grade next year.
Being on top of school applications dates apply to first-time Grades R, 1 and 8 learners, and those moving schools in 2020.
Children entering Grade R next year must be 4-to-5 years old by June 2020, and children entering Grade 1 must 5-to-6 years old by the same date.
The deadlines for the Free State, Gauteng, Northern Cape, and the Western Cape have already been reached.
Also see: Explaining school admission policies
Are you nervous or excited for your child's next schooling year? Tell us and we could publish your letter. Anonymous contributions are welcome.
The application process
Depending on your location, you may be able to apply to a school either online or manually at the school itself.
All Gauteng applications are handled centrally via online applications.
Introduced this year, the Western Cape Education Department's WCED Online Admissions Pilot Project has been made accessible to 350 Western Cape schools. The project is being tested this year and will be applied across the province in future. You can follow this link to see which Western Cape schools are using the online application system this year: wcedonline.westerncape.gov.za/admissions
Parents based in other provinces must complete application forms at the school/s of choice and the following documents will be required.
For SA citizens:
- Birth certificate
- Immunisation card
- Transfer card/letter (for those children moving schools both within or outside the province)
- The last school report card for learners who have been to school (if moving school or applying to Grade 8)
For foreign citizens:
- A Home Affairs issued Study Permit
- Temporary Or Permanent Residence Permit
Also see: Gauteng parents, you can now apply to any school regardless of your location
Registration dates:
Since learner registration dates vary from province to province, here we've rounded up the application dates of each provincial department.
The dates for a number of provinces are not yet available but we've listed the last known dates (those for 2019 registration) to give parents an idea of when learner registration will take place in 2020.
*We've contacted each department to inquire about school enrolment dates and will be updating this story with the details as soon as we receive a response. For now we listed last year's school application dates for an indication of time period.
Also see: 5 school admission policy mythbusters
Eastern Cape
Opening: 1 August 2019
Closing: 31 October 2019
Free State
Opening date: 1 April 2019
Closing date: 31 July 2019
Gauteng
Opening: 13 May 2019
Closing: 15 July 2019
KwaZulu-Natal
Opening: 2 April 2019
Closing: 20 September 2019
Limpopo
Opening: 1 August 2019
Closing: 31 October 2019
Mpumalanga
Opening: 2 May 2019
Closing: 30 August 2019
Northern Cape
Opening: 13 May 2019
Closing: 7 June 2019
North West
Opening: 8 April 2019
Closing: 30 August 2019
Western Cape
Opening: 15 February 2019
Closing: 15 March 2019
Chat back:
Are you nervous or excited for your child's next schooling year? Tell us and we could publish your letter. Anonymous contributions are welcome.
