South African school years

[juneblues]

Can anyone tell me the school years of the following children in January 2014, if starting at a South African school?

child born July 2004
child born December 2000

thanks

Yes, Grade 8 - ie first year of high school and grade 4 in primary school. Tho with Dec birthday, you'd easily have the option to hold them back a year if you wish. School year is Jan-dec. hth.

Exactly what Salbertina said. Grade 8 and grade 4 and December birthday's can be held back a grade.

However, if they are moving from the UK you might find them ahead of their South African peers. When you go to view schools ask to have an actual look at some children's work. If you think your child is ahead, and you would like the school to consider putting them in the grade above, then have a chat to the school. You might need to get an assessment from an Educational Psychologist if this is the case.

If you intend to return to the UK I would not drop your December born child down a year as they may find that when they return they will be behind the UK kids.

My DCs are all bad planning December born and we put them in their correct years in SA. We returned o the UK when they were in high school and they were all fine.

Your Grade 8 DC will be excempt from the official languages requirement if this is relevant to you. Our older kids learnt French independently rather than having to learn Zulu and Afrikaans. We knew we were returning to the UK so this suited us.

They will have a subject called Life Orientation which is normally referred to as 'L.O.'

Just to add in gov school foreign kids only exempt from lang requirements for 2 years, not after! But in practice, it'd be hard for them in such a school to opt out anyway.

I am not sure about a two year limit on the language exemption unless things have changed recently. (Which is quite possible ) I know my older DCs could have matriculated without a second official language. There were at an IEB school.

The OP can look into it if it is relevant to her kids.

It's the "first additional language" thing, got more strict under the new CAPS curriculum, kids have to do a certain minimum number of hours, have to pass this language at the end of a grade as well as for matric. Think there's going to be a flood of some kids into international schools!
Where's OP gone, have we scared her off? didn't even swear in Afrikaans

Here is the Gov Policy Document on the SA National Curriculum GET and FET

The language requirements look the same as they did 4/5 years ago but I obviously didnt go through them that carefully I am too lazy We managed to get an 'exceptional' exemption for one of our kids direct from the Ministry Of Education. They were surprisingly helpful and understanding. We didnt mind the youngest learning Zulu and Afrikaans but we wanted DD to concentrate on her French. The older ones got an automatic exemption.