Cape Town School or Nursery Search
Moving with children of any age can be a worrying time for both parents and youngsters. Also, the location of the right school will be a key factor in determining where you want to live.
There is a distinct lack of information on the Internet about both the schooling system and the school options here in South Africa. Through research, past school searches and contacts within the Education system, Space have developed a school and nursery search service which removes the guess work from something as important as choosing the right school for your children. Many parents are not content with relying on scant information they find by chance, but want an impartial, human input on this big decision, not a load of statistics.
Our services include recommending appropriate schools and nurseries in the immediate area with detailed information on their facilities and academic standards. We will pre-visit the schools which you select for your short-list and ask all the pertinent questions you need answers to, helping you select the best option for your children. We will also confirm the availability of places, arrange visits (and accompany you, if required,) handle any application forms and, if necessary, suggest suitable educational counselors to assist with more specific requests, such as special needs. We charge a fee of R5,850,00 for this service for the first child. Any subsequent children are charged at a discounted rate of R3,850,00.
Things you need to know:
- Wait lists for the best schools are common. Get your applications in a year in advance if you can. However, in our experience "no" does not always mean "no".
- Schools in SA mostly start their school year in January, so if you are moving over from Europe or elsewhere with a Aug/Sept starting term there will be a slight difference. This may impact your move date.
- Remember that the school holidays will reflect the December/January summer - the major holiday in the school calendar is for around 5-6 weeks from early December.
- If you are coming to pre-visit schools then please try and organise your trip when the schools are actually open as their holidays are completely different to the ones in the rest of the world. Most schools are on holiday for the following weeks (allow a week either side for different years:) Dec 5 – Jan 21, Apr 3 – April 15th, June 26 – Jul 20, Sep 24 – Oct 5.
- Most of the better known schools, not just the international schools, can handle pupils arriving later in the school year.
- Most schools require a registration fee to be put on their wait-list. (E.g R250)
- Once you have been offered a place you will have to pay a placement fee - a standard amount for a private school is R2,500.
- If you are coming to visit schools, bring as much information per child as possible - birth certificates, immunisation cards, school reports (the most recent you can get), details and contact numbers for the school at a very minimum.
- If your child has special learning difficulties then bring any assessments that have been done for your child to bring the local schools up to speed with your child's requirements. Ideally an educational psychologists report done in the last six months and any details about medication.
- Most schools prefer to meet the children, not just the parents.
- Allow plenty of time for visiting schools during your time in Cape Town. It is important to meet with the right people, who often teach, so availability can be difficult. Make sure you have a copy of all the questions you need answering.
- Many clients on corporate moves have not been informed about the need for study permits. Your children will need study permits unless they have SA citizenship. It is absolutely vital that you apply for these BEFORE your children plan to start school in SA as proof of this application will be required by the school alongside payment of any fees due. Some schools are not allowing children to start prior to receipt of these permits which take up to 45 days to acquire, so you need to plan ahead as much as possible. Please see our section on immigration for further details.
About the Author
Darren Mcdemott writes for Space SA is a British and Irish-owned property search company based in Cape Town, South Africa.
Citizenship in Schools - Part II
