WCED..Over and Out

With all the anticipation, all the stress and all the additional grey hairs I have acquired during the High School application process the day finally arrived for parents all across the Western Cape to find out the fate of their kids applications for school in 2020.

Then insert additional stress as parents who applied for more than 1 school have to help these kids make this life changing decision to select the right school, they have until the 12 of July to make said selection however many of the schools contact you via e-mail to encourage you to make a choice sooner than later so that those kids who are on their waiting lists can be given a space. How then do you select your dream school? Of all the interviews we went for I got some sound advise and the most common statement was make sure your child picks a school that they feel comfortable with. Yes its important to get the best school for your child's future but finding the one that best fits your child is more important. Allow them to be part of the selection process so that they feel empowered and they know that the chosen school is a place they want to frequent. Remember as hard as it is to realize they will soon be teenagers and will need to make many decisions on their own so laying the right foundation to allow them to make good choices is critical.

So after months of stress, planning, open days, pro's and con's lists etc. we have finally made our selection! Luckily we were very blessed to be offered a place at 2 of the best schools in the Western Cape, not an easy choice but we are happy with our choice.

To say that this process is stressful is an understatement and I wish someone would have given me a heads up before hand so that I was more mentally prepared, thus I have decided to do just that.

If I can give you any advise it would be to not wait until your kids is in Grade 7 to decide which school they would like to attend, my recommendation would be to visit potential high school open days when your child is in Grade 6, this way you have a more clearly defined idea of which schools you would actually like to consider in 2 years time. The reason for this is that all the open days follow each other quite closely and it takes a huge toll on not only your time off from work but on your kid who is already trying to stay afloat in the fast changing world of Grade 7.

Luckily for future parents and applicants the process will be simpler as it will all be electronic and online and no need for duplicated processes. Another factor to take into account is that High School Fees are far more than primary school fees obviously depending on whether your child was at a Government or Private Primary School, so make sure you are mentally prepared for this big financial jump and that your choices of school reflect this accordingly. Personally I created a spreadsheet of our potential schools, the costs, requirements for entry, the process of application and the open days in order to give me an overview of my options.

Ultimately you need to do whatever works for you and your family, trust your gut and your selection and pray that everything else will follow as it should. To all my fellow parents thank you for your support during this process, thank you to those that celebrated with us once we secured our preferred schools and thank you for your positive thoughts, I wish your child all of the best for the 2020 school year.