The 2024 Gauteng school applications period ran from 15 June and closed on 21 July 2023.
Parents and caregivers who submitted admission applications during the application period began receiving placement offers from Monday, 4 September 2023. Giving an update on the placement process, the GDE has revealed that so far placed 81 033 Grade 1 learners and 65 726 Grade 8 learners for the 2024 academic year.
At the end of the first week (4 September 2023 to 7 September 2023) of Grade 1 and Grade 8 placement, the department can report that the placement process ran smoothly.
“While the department is proud to acknowledge that as of 7 September 2023, a total of 141 036 (46.09%) applicants have accepted placement offers, it remains concerning that 71 775 parents have not responded to placement offers,” the GDE said.
According to the department, the placement progress is significantly slowed by parents who are not accepting placement offers, as the spaces are reserved for seven days, while no offers can be released to other applicants from the same school.
Parents are reminded that applicants are ranked for placement according to the regulated admissions criteria in the following order up to the capacity of each school:
- Home address within school feeder zone closest to the school.
- Siblings in Grade 1 – 7 or 8 – 11 only.
- Previous school in feeder zone of the school applied to.
The department said when all applicants in the above categories are placed, placement offers will be released to applicants in the following categories in the order outlined below, up to the capacity of each school with available space:
- Work address within school feeder zone.
- Home address within 30km.
- Home address beyond 30km.
Accepting Placement Offers
Once parents receive a placement offer from the department, they must visit the Gauteng Online Admissions website to confirm the offer as final or to accept while keeping an eye out for other options.
The Department said if the SMS states that a child has been placed at a certain school, it is regarded as a successful final placement to the mentioned school. These parents are not required to visit the admissions website to accept the offer.
Parents are reminded that there are two options to select after offers are issued, which are “accept placement offers as final”, or “accept placement offers while awaiting additional offers within seven school days”.
Applicants with offers not accepted within seven schools will be auto-placed at the school with a placement offer closest to the parent’s home address after the seventh day.
There will be no need for a parent/guardian to access the system to accept an offer in that regard because the child would be placed at the mentioned school to secure placement.
Parents are further urged to check their cell phones for placement offers or login to their profiles on www.gdeadmissions.gov.za to view and accept placement offers.
What Your Application Status Means
Here's a breakdown of what your application status means:
- Application is being processed: The application is awaiting offer of placement. There is no offer from any of the schools applied to. These parents then have to wait for a placement offer.
- Placement offer made: A school has given a learner offer of placement. These parent have to accept the offer within 7 days.
- Placed: Applicant qualifies for placement in ONLY ONE of the schools applied to and is automatically placed.
- Accepted as Final: Parents accepted the offer as final, and the learner is placed.
- Provisionally Accepted: Parents accepted an offer of placement but is still awaiting offers from other schools.
Meanwhile, parents with incomplete applications (no documents or no valid proof of residence) will be able to select a school with available space from 11 December 2023.
What Happens If Your Child Is Not Placed?
According to the department all learner placements are subject to the priority of placement criteria and availability of space per school.
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Therefore, applicants that cannot be accommodated at schools they applied to due to the schools having reached capacity, will receive transfer offers of placement at the next closest school with available space.
Parents and guardians who applied for 2024 Online Admissions are urged to be patient if they have not yet received placement offers. The placement process is currently in progress and will continue until every learner is successfully placed.
Transfer offers are made only after confirmation that none of the schools which a parent applied to has available space. Parents and guardians who are offered placement at schools that they have not applied to have the option to accept or decline the placement offer.
However, if parents are not satisfied with the school allocated to their child are afforded the option to raise objections. This objection process can be done online, where parents can object to a specific school placement.
If we gave you a school that you didn't apply to and you feel that don't want it, you must give us reasons during the objection process
In cases where an objection is rejected, parents can escalate the matter to the MEC (Member of Executive Council) for Education, who may reconsider the decision. Information about the objection process, as well as office locations and contact details, will be made available on all GDE social media platforms.
Should parents and guardians require any further information or assistance who have no access to the internet to accept placement offers, are encouraged to visit schools, districts or the head office to be assisted to accept offers.
Parents are also welcome to interact with the departments call centre agents on 0800 000 789 or WhatsApp on 060 891 0361.
