UMnyango WezeMfundo
Department of Education
Lefapha la Thuto
Departement van Onderwys
Circular 43 / 2005
Date: 12 August 2005
Topic
Enclosures
Management of Admissions to Public
Special and Specialised Schools
for 2006
Annexure 1: Form C1: GDE ADMISS.06
Annexure 2: Enrolment and Waiting List
Annexure 3: ESS Referral Form


Distribution



All Divisional Managers and Senior
Managers at Head Office and District
Offices;
Principals and staff of all public ordinary
and special and specialised schools;
Members of School Governing Bodies;
Teacher Organisations and Unions; and
Relevant Non-Governmental
Organisations
The information must be forwarded to all
learners, parents and caregivers
Enquiries
On request, this circular will be
made available in isiZulu
within 21 days
Directorate:
Inclusion and Special Programmes
(011) 355 0728 / 0733
Also available on the GDE website at: www.education.gpg.gov.za
Office of the Head of Department: Education
Room 1009, 111 Commissioner Street, Johannesburg 2001
P.O. Box 7710, Johannesburg, 2000
Tel: (011) 355-1511 Fax: (011) 333-5546 E-mail: ceogde@gpg.gov.za OR mallelep@gpg.gov.za
English: Page 1 of 8
ADMISSION OF LEARNERS TO PUBLIC SPECIAL AND SPECIALISED
SCHOOLS IN THE GAUTENG DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
1.
PURPOSE
The purpose of this Circular is to:
1.1
1.2
1.3
1.4
2.
align the provincial admissions processes with the latest legislation;
replace Circulars 62/2002, 42/2003 and 35/2004;
advise principals and staff of all public ordinary and special and
specialised schools on administrative procedures for admission of learners
to special and specialised schools for 2006;
refer principals and School Governing Bodies (SGBs) to the relevant
legislation
to ensure compliance with admission into special and
specialised public schools.
INTRODUCTION
This Circular outlines the management procedures and processes for
admission of learners to special and specialized schools for the year
2006.
In revising and aligning the admission process, the GDE focused on
applying the relevant legislation by supporting the principles of
access, equity, redress and the prevention of unfair discrimination.
3.
LEGISLATIVE / POLICY FRAMEWORK
3.1
3.2
3.3
3.4
3.5
3.6
The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa
South African Schools Act, 1996 (Act No. 84 of 1996)
Admission of Learners to Public Schools (General Notice 4138 of 2001)
Education White Paper 6: Special Needs Education (Building an
Inclusive Education and Training System, 2001)
(Gauteng) School Education Act, 1995 (Act No. 6 of 1995)
National Education Policy Act 27 of 1996.
4
MANAGEMENT PROCEDURES OF ADMISSION
4.1
The Role of the Head of Department (HOD)
Section 5(7) of the South African Schools Act, 1996 (SASA), Act No. 84 of
1996 (as amended) states that –
"… application for the admission of a learner to a public school must be
made to the education department in a manner determined by the Head
of Department."
English: Page 2 of 8
In order to comply with the above mandate, the HOD of the Gauteng
Department of Education has established the structures listed below and
developed processes and procedures to be followed during the admission
of learners into special and specialised schools.
The following structures have been established:
4.1.1 The District Admissions Teams for Special and Specialised Schools
(DATSSS), which comprises of district officials and specialist personnel
from special and specialized schools.
4.1.3 The Provincial Admissions Team for Special and Specialised Schools
(PATSSS), comprising of Head Office and district officials. Specialist
personnel from special and specialized schools will be accessed, whenever
a need arises.
4.2
The Role of the Head of the District (HOD)
The Head of Department (HOD) of Education hereby delegates the
responsibility for the administration of admissions in districts to the Head
of the District the following areas:
4.2.1 Establishment and management of DATSSS;
4.2.2 Co-ordination of admissions procedures for special and specialised schools
at district level;
4.2.3 Co-ordination of the registration procedures for special and specialised
schools at district level;
4.2.4 Co-ordination of late registration as well as registration of transferred
learners throughout the year;
4.2.5 Monitoring of the non-attendance of learners of compulsory school-going
age at special and specialized schools;
4.2.6 Monitoring of the register for admissions;
4.2.7 Ratification and certification of the School Admissions Policy submitted by
the School Governing Body.
4.3
The Role of the Principal of the Special and Specialised School
The HOD hereby delegates the responsibility for the administration of the
admission of learners to a special or specialised school to the principal.
The principal has to ensure that the administration of admissions is
carried out procedurally and in line with the stipulations in this Circular
and related legislation.
English: Page 3 of 8
Administration of admissions includes:
4.3.1 Making available application forms for admission and the admission policy
of the school to all parents on request;
4.3.2 Ensuring that the School Based Support Team reviews and analyses the
learner profiles, the referral form, the GDE 450 Support Form and other
supporting documents to arrive at recommendations for the learner
requesting admission at the school;
4.3.3 Ensuring that the assessment of learners focuses on the level of support
required, specialist programmes offered and resources available at the
school, and not purely based on a report from a specialist(s);
4.3.4 Ensuring that no learner is subjected to a week long assessment for
admission purposes;
4.3.5 Ensuring that no psychometric and/or other tests are conducted for
admission purposes;
4.3.6 Assisting parents in completing the form when such assistance is
required;
4.3.7 Receiving completed admission application forms from the parents;
4.3.8 Ensuring that all required forms are attached and correctly completed;
4.3.9 Forwarding all applications together with the recommendations and all
the required and supporting documents to the DATSSS;
4.3.10 Facilitating recommendations of the DATSSS and PATSSS;
4.3.11 Contacting parents and informing them about the outcome of the
application in writing;
4.3.12 Keeping a register of admissions;
4.3.13 Liaising with the DATSSS co-ordinatior; and
4.3.14 Forwarding the enrolment and waiting list, (Annexure 2) to the DATSSS
co-ordinator by the last Friday of each school term.
NOTE:
A. It is not the function / role of the principal or the SchoolBased Support Team (SBST) or a Multidisciplinary Team at the
school to determine whether a learner is to be admitted to a
school or not. The responsibility of determining whether a
learner may be admitted to a specific special or specialized
school rests with the DATSSS and/or PATSSS .
B. It is not the function or role of the principal to declare the
school full. A school can only be declared full by the Head of
the District.
4.4
The Role of the School Governing Body (SGB)
It is the role of the School Governing Body:
English: Page 4 of 8
4.4.1 To determine the admission policy of the school in terms of Section 5(5)
of the South African Schools Act, 1996 (Act No. 84 of 1996, as amended),
the Admission of Learners to Public Schools (General Notice 4138 of
2001) and in accordance with the guidelines stipulated in Section 5(1) of
the Education Policy Act, 1998 (Act No. 12 of 1998).
4.4.2 To submit the School’s Admission Policy to the Head of the District by the
end of April of each year for ratification and certification.
4.4.3 To inform all parents of learners admitted to a school of their rights and
obligations in terms of SASA and all applicable national and provincial
policies, legislation, rules and regulations.
4.5
The Role of parents
It is the role of parents to:
4.5.1 Liaise with the School Based Support Team (SBST) on the performance of
the learner, and to consider the recommendations furnished;
4.5.2 To lodge an appeal with the MEC, if he/she is dissatisfied with the
decision taken by DATSSS;
4.5.3 Avail him/herself for consultation between the Principal, SBST, DATSSS,
and/or PATSSS as required.
4.6
The Role of the Principal of the Ordinary Public School (Referring
School)
It is the role of the principal of the school referring a learner to ensure:
4.6.1 That the SBST engages with all relevant information regarding the
learner, consults with the parents, provides support to the educator and
makes recommendations to place the learner to a special and specialized
school only after all efforts to assist the learner have been made;
4.6.2 That the recommendation, together with all relevant information,
including the learner profile, the GDE 450 support form, should be
forwarded to the DATSSS.
4.7
The Role of DATSSS
It is the role of DATSSS to:
4.7.1 Receive all the application forms for admission into special and specialized
schools;
English: Page 5 of 8
4.7.2 Assess the applications to determine the optimum support the learner
may require and to identify where and how this can be accessed;
4.7.3 Base the recommendations on the learner profile and the GDE 450 form,
indicators of need, access to curriculum and levels of support required.
4.7.4 Facilitate the admission of learners into special and specialized schools,
both within the district, and across districts;
4.7.5 Avail themselves for other applications throughout the course of the year;
4.7.6 Ensure that proper referral processes have been followed by the school;
4.7.7 Manage the waiting list.
Details of Education Support Systems representatives are listed in the table
below: List of Names of DATSSS Officials
District
4.8
D1: Gauteng North
Name of ESS
Representative
C Kitching
Tel. No
(012) 362-6817
D2: Gauteng West
D3: Tshwane North
D4: Tshwane South
D5: Ekurhuleni East
D6: Ekurhuleni West
D7: Sedibeng East
D8: Sedibeng West
D9: Johannesburg East
D10:Johannesburg North
D11: Johannesburg South
D12:Johannesburg West
Head Office: ISP
Head Office: ISP
Head Office: ISP
D Bell
M Sethosa
S Botha
M Nhlapo
B Lebeta/ V Moodley
H Matjeke
C Mazibuko
N Ameen
L Strydom
Z Hlatswayo
T Erasmus
T Mashiane
N Manga
E Smith
(011)
(012)
(012)
(011)
(011)
(016)
(016)
(011)
(011)
(011)
(011)
(011)
(011)
(011)
693-4904
323-9001
341-6362
812-2700
389-6000
421-4175
933-3300
408-9323
694-9315
983-2112
472-1400
355-0733
355-0728
355-0836
The Role of the PATSSS
It is the role of PATSSS to:
4.8.1 Co-ordinate the process of admissions of learners to special and
specialised schools;
4.8.2 Facilitate case conferences, and keep records of such case proceedings
for future reference;
4.8.3 Make the final recommendations for all appeals and inter-district
admissions of the learners.
English: Page 6 of 8
4.9
Registration and Admission of Learners
The registration process may continue throughout the year, however, it is
recommended that the majority of learners be registered during the
period: July to September 2005.
The PATSSS Team will meet monthly or as the need arises to facilitate
applications received for admission into special and specialized schools
across the districts.
4.10 Exemption of Compulsory School Attendance
All applications related to the above must be forwarded to the DATSSS in
writing, and the Head of Department will make a final decision on
whether to grant permission or not.
4.11 Admission of Foreigners and Asylum Seekers
This Circular also applies to learners who are not citizens of the Republic
of South Africa and whose parents are in possession of a permit for
temporary or permanent residence issued by the Department of Home
Affairs.
A learner who has entered the country must present the study permit on
application to the school.
Persons classified under legislation as illegal aliens must, when they apply
for admission into special and specialized schools for their children, show
evidence that they have applied to the Department of Home Affairs to
legalize their stay in the country in terms of the Aliens Control Act, 1991
(Act No. 96 of 1991). The school should offer assistance in this regard.
4.12
Appeals
A parent that is dissatisfied with the decision of the DATSSS / PATSSS
may appeal against the decision of these structures to the Member of
Executive Council. See Annexure 1.
The MEC will, however refer any query back to the DATSSS / PATSSS
should the required form and accompanying letter from the school not be
completed.
English: Page 7 of 8
5.
CONCLUSION
This circular supports the promotion of equal, non-discriminatory access
to learning intervention and support to all those learners that require such
support.
The information contained in this circular must be forwarded to all
learners, parents and caregivers.
MALLELE PETJE
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
English: Page 8 of 8