BELA Act

Compliance without anxiety

Registering for home education is mostly paperwork done carefully and on time. Selemo keeps the record as you teach, so that when the department asks, the answers are already written down.

Phases and assessments

Registration follows the school phases. At the end of a phase, a competent assessor looks at the child's progress across it.

Foundation Phase

Grade R to Grade 3

Assessed towards the end of Grade 3.

Home Language, First Additional Language, Mathematics, Life Skills

Intermediate Phase

Grade 4 to Grade 6

Assessed towards the end of Grade 6.

Home Language, First Additional Language, Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Technology, Social Sciences, Life Skills

Senior Phase

Grade 7

Selemo covers the first year of this phase.

Home Language, First Additional Language, Mathematics, Natural Sciences, Social Sciences, Technology, Economic and Management Sciences, Life Orientation, Creative Arts

Registering, step by step

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

Documents to gather

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 Selemo makes this for you from your record.
A weekly timetable The week and the day section of the Education Plan describes your rhythm.
The child's most recent school report, if they were at school

The 60-day clock

If the department has not answered a complete application within this many days, the application may be treated as approved. Keep proof of the date you applied. Ask your provincial department how it applies this, as this rule awaits legal review.

Selemo counts 60 days from the date you record.

What goes in the Education Plan

The plan describes how your child will be educated during the phase. Selemo fills in what your record already shows and leaves the parts that are yours to write.

The learner and the family
The child's name, date of birth and home language, the parents or guardians, and where the family lives.
Phase and grade
The phase and grade this plan covers, and the year it begins.
Subjects
The subjects followed in this phase, and how each is taught at home.
The curriculum
How the year is taught: main lesson blocks of three to four weeks, each with its story, movement, art and bookwork, and the blocks planned for this year.
How the curriculum compares with CAPS
Which CAPS topics the curriculum meets, which it meets partly or later, and how any gaps will be closed before the end of the phase.
The week and the day
The teaching days in a week, when lessons begin and how long they last.
Weekly hours
Planned hours of teaching in a typical week.
How progress is assessed
Continuous observation through the year, the main lesson books, termly reports, and the assessment by a competent assessor at the end of the phase.
Resources and learning environment
In your own words: where lessons take place, the materials you use (main lesson books, block crayons, paints, instruments, the garden) and any outside classes or groups.
Who teaches
In your own words: who teaches the child, their own education or experience, and any support they draw on.

The Foundation Phase assessor pack

Before the assessment at the end of Grade 3, Selemo gathers the pack below from your confirmed record.

Towards the end of Grade 3, a competent assessor looks at the child's progress across the phase. Arrange the assessor early in the 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

Between 6 and 24 main lesson book pages, chosen by you.

Registration in your province

Each province has its own department and its own way of receiving applications. These guides follow the same rule set with the details of each province.

Questions families ask

Is home education legal in South Africa?

Yes. A parent may educate a child at home once the child is registered for home education with the provincial department of education. The BELA Act, in force since December 2024, sets out how that registration works.

When should we apply?

Before home education begins, and again for each new phase. Applying early gives the department time to answer before your teaching year starts.

What does the 60-day clock mean?

Selemo's reading of the rules is that if the department has not answered a complete application within 60 days, the application may be treated as approved. Keep proof of the date you applied, and ask your department how it applies this.

Do we have to follow CAPS?

The curriculum needs to be comparable to CAPS, not the same as it. Selemo shows an honest comparison: what your child's work meets, what it meets in part, what it has not reached yet, and where its timing differs from CAPS.

Who assesses our child, and when?

A competent assessor, at the end of each phase: Grade 3, Grade 6 and Grade 9. Selemo prepares the Foundation Phase assessor pack from the evidence you have confirmed.

Is Selemo a legal adviser?

No. Selemo's guidance is its own reading of the requirements and has not yet been reviewed by a lawyer. Check what your provincial department asks for before you apply.

Keep the record as you teach

Selemo fills in the Education Plan from what you already record, and gathers the assessor pack when the time comes.

Start the 14-day trial Read the registration guide

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