INCA Education around the world
South Africa: Internal school organisation
4.5 Internal school orgranisation
4.5.1. Organisation of teaching groups
4.5.2. Student progression through special provision
4.5.3. Class size
4.5.4. Teacher specialisation
4.5 Special publicly-funded provsion within our outside mainstream education
See 3.2.5.
4.5.1 Organisation of teaching groups
The Government's aim is that the majority of students with special educational needs should be taught in mainstream schools. See sections 4.2.1 and 4.3.1 of the mainstream South Africa archive for information on the organisation of teaching groups in mainstream public schools.
4.5.2 Student progression through special provision
The assessment policy emphasises continuous performance appraisals over year-end examinations and is partly aimed at reducing the high rate of repetition in the country's publicly funded schools by assisting students with learning problems. In accordance with the policy, students have to meet expected levels of performance to be promoted from one Grade/year group to the next. Continuous assessment includes a written and practical test at the end of the year. In terms of the policy, students should not spend more than four years in each phase of education (see section 3.2 of the mainstream archive) and should, as a rule, progress with their age group. The process of assessment involves a partnership between teachers, students, parents and education support services. These services include occupational and speech therapists and psychologists. Students failing to meet expected levels of performance at the year-end can, in exceptional cases, be allowed to repeat that year. Such a decision is taken by the school in consultation with a child's parents.10
Students with learning problems need not automatically repeat a year. They can, for instance, be advanced to the next Grade and receive special coaching in problem subjects. Gifted children are also identified and allowed to advance more rapidly through the education system.10
See sections 4.2.2. and 4.3.2 of the mainstream South Africa archive in addition.
4.5.3 Class size
See sections 4.2.3. and 4.3.3 of the mainstream South Africa archive for details of sizes of teaching groups in mainstream schools.
4.5.4 Teacher specialisation
See section 7.5.1. in addition.
It has previously been typical for South African schools to assign teachers to teach the same Grade year after year. This meant that every year the teacher receives a new set of 40 - 60 learners, and he or she needed time to get to know these students, discover their strengths and challenges, and try to find ways of supporting them. The Department of Education's 2005 guidelines for 'the Implementation of Inclusive Education: Full-Service Schools' sought to institute an approach of assigning teachers to follow the same group of learners through a whole phase. This approach is intended to allow more flexibility in terms of pace and content of learning programmes. It is also intended to improve teacher accountability for the learning of all students, and enhance their professional development.13
