Some Vaal schools report fewer Grade R and Grade 1 applications for 2027

Principals at two primary schools in Vanderbijlpark say they have received fewer applications for Grade R and Grade 1 places for 2027, while a school in Sasolburg reports the opposite, according to Vaalweekblad.¹

Frans van Kradenburg, principal of Laerskool Emfulenipark, told the paper that his school had seen a noticeable fall in applications for both its Afrikaans and English classes. He said the drop was clearest among children due to start Grade R in 2027, but that it also affected Grade 1.¹

Van Kradenburg said some schools were more sought after than others. He added that, in his view, the Gauteng Department of Education should be able to place prospective Grade 1 learners in available school places fairly easily this year.¹

Coenie Herbst, principal of Laerskool Kollegepark, also in Vanderbijlpark, said many families were moving from Gauteng to the Cape.¹

At Noordskool in Sasolburg, Jonathan Wright said intake had gone up in both the Afrikaans and English streams.¹

None of the schools gave application numbers, so the size of the changes cannot be checked. These are the principals’ own accounts and do not show a trend across the region.

Nationally, Grade 1 enrolment in ordinary public and independent schools rose from 1,054,790 in 2024 to 1,090,015 in 2025, according to the Department of Basic Education’s School Realities reports (the 2025 figures are preliminary).²³