Don’t Wait! Confirm your choice of school today
Statement by Bronagh Hammond, Director of Communication: Western Cape Education Department
Starting today, parents who applied during the on-time admissions period (11 March 2024 – 12 April 2024) will be able to view the outcome of their applications for a place for their child in a school for 2025 on the online admissions system.
Schools have been applying their admission policies over the past few weeks to determine successful applicants based on their capacity for 2025.
Parents will be able to check their outcomes at: https://admissionswesterncape.datafree.co/admissions/admission.sm_admissions_tracking.homepage
Any parents who encounter technical problems accessing the site can be assisted by calling 0861 819 919. (Press 1 for admissions).
Parents can expect to see the list of schools applied to, with the outcome of the application to each school visible.
What to do if you have received an offer of a place
If you have received an offer of a place for your child, a button will be visible that will allow you to confirm and accept the place.
Parents who have been offered a place must confirm their choice of school by 14 June 2024. After this date, their highest-ranked choice of school will be automatically confirmed.
We appeal to parents to confirm their places as soon as possible, as this will free up places for other learners. This is especially important where a learner has received offers from multiple schools. Once these ‘double parked’ learners are confirmed to a specific school, the places at the other schools can be offered to other learners.
Once the choice of school is confirmed, parents are required to drop off their hard copy documents at this school.
What to do if your child has not received an offer from any school
There will be learners who are not successful in getting placed during this first initial phase. We know that this is extremely stressful and disappointing, but we appeal to parents to bear in mind that we are still very early in the admissions process, and thousands of places will still open up.
For example, thousands of Grade 8 learners have been ‘double parked’, allowing over 30 000 spaces to still become available to other learners once parents have confirmed their choices.
It is advisable to stay in touch with the schools applied to and to request that the learner be placed on a waiting list.
While the wait is stressful, there will be many shifts within the system as parents confirm and decline places. This happens over the next few months or so as schools finalise their admissions lists. If parents still do not have a place for their child later this year, the Department will assist them with placement options.
What to do if you have not yet applied
The online admissions system is now closed for Grade 1 and 8 applications. However, parents can still apply for 2025 by applying either at one of our Education District offices or at a school. The schools are able to capture your application, however, this does not confirm acceptance.
Parents can please call 0861 819 919 for further advice if required.