Admission Appeals: Important information | Recommendations
Before logging an appeal, please familiarise yourself with the following:
- By now you have received the outcome of your online admission application for 2025.
- To avoid disappointment, parents are required to confirm a successful placement on the WCED’s School Admissions Management Information (SAMI) system.
- Please confirm at least ONE of your successful admissions (if any) to avoid disappointment that could result in the learner not being admitted to any school for 2025.
- Confirmation of a successful admission application does not prevent you from submitting an admission appeal to the Ministry against another school where your application was unsuccessful (please see FAQs for more information).
- The WCED cannot guarantee placements at schools of choice.
- Schools determine their admission policies and parents/guardians must study the policy of the relevant school, which is available on the school’s website, before applying and when considering submitting an admission appeal to the Ministry.
- The most recent and updated school admission policies are also available on the SAMI system.
- The online application is subject to the school exercising and applying its admission policy.
- The school makes the final decision on whether the application is successful or not.
- The WCED is not involved in this decision-making process.
- If ALL the applications have been unsuccessful and the learner has not been accepted at ANY school where they have applied, the WCED may be contacted to assist parents/guardians in finding an available placement.
- Section 5(9) of the South African Schools Act, 1996 (Act 84 of 1996), provides for a learner or the parent of a learner who has been refused admission to a public school to appeal against the decision to the Member of the Executive Council (“the Minister”).
- Admission appeals may be submitted to the Ministry using the online Admission Appeals system:
https://wcedonline.westerncape.gov.za/admissions
Admission Appeals
It is recommended that you first contact the school and request that they reconsider your application should any vacancies become available.
Thousands of learners have been accepted into more than one school – which means that spaces will become available in the coming weeks and months. In the meantime, you may also:
- Write to the schools you have applied to and ask them to place your child onto their waiting list;
- You can also engage the School Governing Body to request that the school reconsider their decision;
- Speak to your WCED district office about other placement options available to your child;
If you feel that the school made a mistake or acted unfairly in any way you may appeal to the Provincial Minister.
Appeals open for Grade 1 and 8 applications on 1 August 2024, and for the remaining grades, including Grade R, on 1 October 2024.
Admission appeals may be submitted to the Ministry using the online Admission Appeals system:
Admission Appeals
Please attach the evidence or documents in support of your claim.
Online Admission Appeals: All further communication of logged cases must be done on the Online Admission System.