The Western Cape department of education (WCED) has successfully placed all grade 1 and grade 8 in class so far across the province.
Since the beginning of January this year the WCED has placed 26 312 Grade R, 1 and 8 learners across the province. This is in addition to the tens of thousands of learners placed during 2025.
Bronagh Hammond, the director of communication in the department, said despite having placed 96% of all learners who applied last year, including late applications submitted up to December, the WCED experienced an unprecedented number of new extremely late applications at the start of the year.
“Since the beginning of January this year,” Hammond explained,” the WCED received25 065newextremelylate applications for grades R, 1 and 8.
“As of 6 February 2026, for grade 8, the WCED has placed 99.6% of learners for whom applications were received, with placement in progress for 396 learners.”
In grade 1, placement is in progress for 326 learners, representing a placement rate of over 99%. For grade R, placement is in progress for 1 148 learners. 13905 extremely late applications were received for grade R this year!
With schools having only reopened on the 14 January 2026, Hammond said the WCED officials have worked extremely hard to place learners as quickly as possible. “The fact that morethan26 000placementshave been made within four weeks is a remarkable accomplishment by our team.”
The WCED has consistently communicated that the 10th school day is a critical milestone in the admissions process. It allows schools to:
- Confirm actual attendance through physical head counts;
- Deregister learners who have not arrived; and
- Identify available spaces for rapid placement.
While it is always preferable for all learners to be in school on the first day, the reality is that late applications require time. Officials must consult with School Governing Bodies (SGBs), negotiate available spaces, and finalise administrative processes that would normally take months — now condensed into just a few days.
Hammond said while the department celebrates the placement of tens of thousands of learners in an exceptionally short period, they remain mindful that new extremely late applications continue to arrive daily. These are being handled with urgency, and we appeal to the public to allow officials the space to complete this work.
“The WCED remains committed to ensuring that every learner in the Western Cape has access to a place in school as quickly as possible.”
