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Home education registration in Limpopo

Applications for home education in this province go to the Head of Department of the Limpopo Department of Education, whose head office is in Polokwane.

  • Department Limpopo Department of Education
  • Seat Polokwane
  • Deemed approval 60 days
  • Rule set bela v1

Where to apply

Limpopo has three main home languages in different parts of the province. Name your child's Home Language clearly in the plan, and say how the First Additional Language is taught (in Selemo, orally first, through songs, games and verses).

Before you apply, read the department's own requirements on its website or ask its office, and ask whether it wants the application at the head office or at your district office.

The steps

  1. Read what the Limpopo Department of Education asks for, on its website or by asking its office.
  2. Complete the Education Plan for this phase and download it.
  3. Gather the documents in the list below.
  4. Fill in and sign the Limpopo Department of Education's application form for home education.
  5. Submit the application to the Limpopo Department of Education and keep proof of the date it was received.
  6. Record the date you applied in Selemo, so Selemo can count the days with you.
  7. If you have heard nothing after a month, write to the Limpopo Department of Education to ask about progress and keep a copy.

The documents

A copy of the child's birth certificate, a copy of each parent's or guardian's identity document, proof of address, the Education Plan for this phase, a weekly timetable and the child's most recent school report, if they were at school.

The 60-day clock

If the Limpopo Department of Education has not answered a complete application within 60 days, Selemo's reading of the rules is that it may be treated as approved, so keep proof of the date you applied. For example, an application received on Monday 12 October 2026 reaches its 60th day on Friday 11 December 2026.

Planning the school day in Limpopo

Summers in much of Limpopo are very hot, and the north of the province lies beyond the Tropic of Capricorn, in mopane and baobab country.

In the hottest months, plan the main lesson and any outdoor work for the early morning, and keep the afternoon for handwork, stories and rest indoors.

Marula fruit ripens across much of the province in late summer, a natural harvest for the nature table and for counting and sharing lessons.

Around Polokwane, Selemo's season engine finds savanna with summer rainfall. On the shortest day the sun rises at 06:44 and sets at 17:23; on the longest it rises at 05:12 and sets at 18:49.

That is 10 hours 40 minutes of daylight in June against 13 hours 37 minutes in December, and at the spring equinox the sun rises at 05:51 and sets at 17:58: a main lesson that starts an hour or two after sunrise works in every season, and the Education Plan's section on the week and the day records when it begins.

Home Language and First Additional Language

The languages most spoken at home in Limpopo include Sepedi, Xitsonga and Tshivenda. The Education Plan names your child's Home Language and First Additional Language, and the CAPS comparison follows that choice.

Assessment at the end of the phase

A competent assessor looks at your child's progress at the end of each phase: the Foundation Phase towards the end of Grade 3 and the Intermediate Phase towards the end of Grade 6. Arrange the assessor early in the final year, and share the assessor pack before the meeting.

  • Contents
  • The learner
  • Outcome coverage
  • Comparison with CAPS
  • Selected main lesson book pages
  • Termly reports
  • Milestone checklists
  • Evidence chain verification

Seasons near you

Savanna

The year in Polokwane

Polokwane stands on a high, dry plateau in the bushveld of Limpopo, about 50 kilometres south of the Tropic of Capricorn.

Rain falls in summer, often in short, heavy storms, and the year is dry overall. Summer days are hot; winter days are mild and sunny, with cold nights.

Places to walk near Polokwane: Polokwane Game Reserve and Bakone Malapa Northern Sotho Open-Air Museum.

Sources and status

  • The department, steps, documents, deemed-approval period and assessment points come from Selemo's compliance rule set bela v1, in effect from 1 January 2026 and awaiting legal review; the BELA Act and the South African Schools Act govern home education, and the Limpopo Department of Education's own requirements come first.
  • The home languages are the most widely spoken in Limpopo in Statistics South Africa's census, and sunrise and sunset are computed by Selemo's season engine for Polokwane, rounded to about 5 km, for the solstices of 2027.

Registering in Limpopo, without the worry

Selemo builds the Education Plan from your record, counts the days after you apply and gathers the assessor pack when Grade 3 ends.

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