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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 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, school reports, 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. Please see our section on immigration for further details.
Past School Searches have led to the following
feedback on this service provided by Space:
"Once again for the record. The job you have done so far has exceeded our expectations. You have made what could of been a nightmare of a process happen in the tightest of time scales. As you will probably discover your children end up being the most important things in your life and in turn their education is one of the most important things to them. I feel very relaxed that they will be remain happy and well educated when we arrive in South Africa. This is mostly down to your efforts. Your continued support in tidying up these few outstanding actions is much appreciated"
Mr & Mrs P Piggott, who moved from
Surrey, UK. Now living in Cape Town.
"I also wanted to thank you and tell you that I was not very convinced of doing the right thing when I contacted you in the first place but it has turned out to be very good. You gave us a good insight and it has made something that is quite stressful into a very good experience so thank you very much and if we do need any more help I will contact you regarding our further projects.
Thank you again for everything and I hope you are doing well."
Family relocating to Cape Town from Barcelona.
"Thank-you very much for all your help. We finally decided on Panorama primary for our son. They are happy for him to start the last term of 2006. Good luck with your business venture."
Returning South African mother and British
father relocating.
"Thanks for all your help on this, I don't know what I would have done without you."
British parent moving to South Africa
with her two teenage daughters.
Full references available on request.
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Here is what a family who moved to SA in 2003 said
about the schooling of their children in Cape Town:
"My husband and our family of 4 children decided to
move to Cape Town almost 3 years ago. We have found
the whole move to Cape Town to be extremely beneficial
to the children from every possible perspective. Three
of our children have attended 2 different SA schools
for the past three years and their experience of schooling
has been an extremely positive one without exception.
They all settled in well, at the time they were 7,5
and 2 and the adjustment was easy.
We were initially concerned about the quality of the
education for the older two who had previously attended
a top private school in central London, Kensington
Preparatory school. They settled in immediately and
still are much happier and better grounded at their
school in Cape Town which my husband and I feel delivers
a first class level of education of an international
standard. I also now teach at that same school and
am therefore in an informed position to comment as
I do. Furthermore, our school is an International
School which uses the Cambridge syllabus, therefore
posing no problem for our kids returning and reintegrating
to the UK system should we relocate back to England.
All our children have benefited hugely from the move
here to Cape Town and the quality of their lives and
our family life is far, far higher than in the UK
from so many perspectives. As the climate is so pleasant
for so much of the year, outdoor activities are easy
and available. My kids swim (in the sea and pool),
hike, surf, play tennis most days and have definitely
become more ‘outdoorsy’ which has got
to be an extremely healthy thing for any child. Having
a beautiful home with Table Mountain in the back garden
and beautiful beaches on the doorstep is an amazing
thing for a child to grow up with."
Mr and Mrs P, Constantia.
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