2024 online admissions application period closure

The Gauteng Department of Education is reminding parents that the 2024 online admissions application period for Grade 1 and Grade 8 closes on July 21 at midnight.

No new applications will be accepted once the application period has closed. As of July 20, a total of 724 202 Grade 1 and Grade 8 applications were successfully submitted.

Parents and guardians who have already applied are reminded that all documents must be submitted or uploaded by 12:00 on July 28.

All applicants who have not submitted or uploaded their documents by July 28 will have their applications considered incomplete and will forfeit the opportunity of receiving placement once the placement period begins.

Proof of home address is the most important document when submitting an application. Placement is confirmed on whether the school could verify the details of the proof of home address, which should have the information that correlates with the details entered into the system.

The department pleads with applicants to refrain from submitting fraudulent documents as schools have systems to verify such.

Failure to submit proof of residence, submission of falsified proof of residence and falsified proof of work address where applicable, will result in the applicant forfeiting the right to preferential placement at a school.

The following documents are accepted as proof of home address:

Homeowners:
• Municipal account not older than three months in the name of the applicant parent bearing the full residential address.

Tenants/renters:
• Certified copies of the lease agreement
• Proof of rent payment/rental payment slip with full physical residential address not older than three months.
• Statement of any account in the name of the applicant parent bearing the full physical residential address.

The system will prompt schools to verify and update document status whether uploaded online or submitted physically.

SMS notifications will be sent to parents to acknowledge the submission and verification of documents.

The system will also generate a report indicating the number of unverified documents per school on the school, district and provincial dashboards.

Once all documents have been verified, an application is considered as complete and eligible for placement.

Parents who have not submitted /uploaded certified proof of residence must submit the same by 12:00 noon on July 28.

Applicants who have not submitted /uploaded certified proof of residence will not receive placement offers.

Upon successful completion of an application online, and once all documents have been verified, applicants must wait to receive placement offers.

The placement period will start on September 4, where placement offers will be sent out to parents and guardians with complete applications via SMS.

The department will not be in a position to issue SMSes to all parents on the announced date, hence it will continue until all learners have been placed.

It is critical to remember that the following criteria are considered in order of priority below when placing learners:

• Home address within the school’s feeder zone.
• Two siblings/previous schools.
• Work address within the school’s feeder zone.
• Home address within a 30km radius.
• Home address beyond a 30km radius.

Parents/guardians are reminded that all placement is subject to the priority of placement criteria and availability of space (capacity) per school.

Therefore, applicants that cannot be accommodated at the 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.

Transfer offers are made only after confirmation that none of the schools to which a parent applied has available space.

Parents/guardians who are offered a placement at schools that they have not applied to have the option to accept or decline the placement offer.