‘Oversubscribed’ schools leave Mitchells Plain parent frustrated over her son's Grade 8 placement
A Mitchells Plain parent has voiced outrage over her son’s Grade 8 placement, claiming the Western Cape education system has failed her family.
Melissa Smith has shared her frustration after her youngest son was placed at Glendale High School, despite her efforts to secure a spot at Rocklands High alongside his twin brothers.
“Today was supposed to be my Grade 8 son’s first day of high school. Instead, he is sitting at home, looking at me like I failed him, when in truth, the education system has failed us as parents,” Smith said.
She described months of back-and-forth appeals and visits to multiple schools and education offices.
“Despite sibling placement, proximity, and months of back-and-forth appeals, my youngest son was rejected on the basis of being ‘oversubscribed.’ I appealed,” she said.
Smith said the placement at Glendale High forces her son to travel outside his community, attend a school he is unfamiliar with, and be separated from his brothers.
“What message are we sending our children when we force them into schools far from home, far from family, and then tell parents to just ‘accept it’? I refuse to accept this. I refuse to be silent,” she said.
In response, Western Cape Education Department (WCED) spokesperson Bronagh Hammond said the placement was reasonable.
“The learner has been accepted at Glendale HS, which is 2km from his parent’s listed address. This is 900m more than the school of choice they want him to attend. This is not unreasonable,” Hammond said.
Hammond added that admission to focus schools such as Mondale High is based on academic requirements, which the learner did not meet.
“Regarding Rocklands, their appeal was also dismissed based on the fact the school is oversubscribed. Unfortunately, some schools cannot accommodate all the learners that want to be placed in them,” she said.
She highlighted the volume of applications, noting that Rocklands High received over 3,000 applications, while Mondale High received over 4,000.
Smith, however, remains determined.
“I will escalate this. I will take this further. And I will not stop until my child is placed where he belongs, with his brothers, in his community, at a school minutes from his home,” she said.
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