Process
All applications to Paarl School need to be processed by the district offices of the Western Cape Education Department (WCED). You can contact the WCED District office allocated to your area of residence. They will supply you with an application form to be filled in and signed along with guidance to the best suited school for your child. If your child is currently in a WCED school, the school should assist you with this part of the process. Along with the application, any reports – medical, therapeutic or scholastic of sort must be attached. The completed application pack is then sent back to the District office to be processed.
The placement committee, consisting of representatives from the WCED head office, various district offices and special schools meet each term to discuss all applications received for a specific school and reach one of the following outcomes:
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The application provides enough information to indicate that the learner will benefit from the programme offered at that school. The child’s name is put on the waiting list and placement will be offered as soon as an opening becomes available.
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The child is invited for a screening/trial placement at the special school.
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More information is needed before a recommendation can be made.
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From the information provided in the application, it is clear that placement at the specific special school will not be in the learner’s best interest. The application is sent back to the case manager for further management and support.
Criteria
The following groups of learners are admitted to Paarl School:
• Learners with cerebral palsy – a neurological condition affecting posture, movement and muscle tone. It develops owing to damage and/or malformation of the immature brain, which occur in utero, during birth of after birth up to the age of 5. This category includes acquired brain injury after the age of 5 (e.g. as a result of a motor vehicle accident)
• Learners with a physical disability – this includes medical or physical conditions that complicate placement in mainstream schools e.g., spina bifida, muscular dystrophy, spinal atrophy, arthritis, neurofibromatosis, arthrogryposis, syndromes, myopathy, progeria, complicated serious respiratory and/or medical conditions (e.g. asthma, heart conditions. Kidney conditions, skeletal disorders, cancer treatments, etc.).
• Learners with specific learning disabilities – learners with average to above average cognitive ability but does not perform in accordance with his/her cognitive ability in a certain scholastic area (e.g. reading, spelling, mathematics or writing). This impediment has neurological origins.
• Learners with neurogenic speech and/or language disorders – impairments in speech and language abilities that results from damage of the nervous system (e.g. aphasia and verbal apraxia).
• Learners with developmental coordination disorder (DCD) – a chronic neurological condition that affects motor coordination and the ability to perform everyday tasks. It is typically diagnosed in childhood and can persist into adulthood. Symptoms of DCD include difficulties in acquiring motor skills, delays in reaching motor milestones, poor balance and coordination, problems with fine motor skills, and difficulty with planning and organization. It is not a learning disability, but it can impact learning. Children with DCD struggle with
physical tasks and activities that they need to perform both in and out of school.
