THE SIAS School Application Process
The SIAS School Application Process for Via Nova School
Here’s what you need to know as a parent looking to place your child in an LSEN (Special) School, or wanting to transfer to another Special School.
All applications for LSEN (Special Schools), whether MID (Moderate Intellectual Disability) or SID (Severe Intellectual Disability) – including Autistic Spectrum Disorder – are processed through the Department of Education. It is always beneficial to start seeking placement as early as possible.
If your child is out of school, the Department requires a specific document from the parent or guardian to start the process, known as a DBE123a. This document is obtainable from the Department itself. Various other documents are also required, such as parent IDs, birth certificate, proof of residence, diagnosis, therapist/doctor reports not older than 2 years, Road to Health (clinic card), SASSA card, medical aid card, and salary advice. These are then submitted by the parent to their nearest Department of Education offices.
If the learner is currently in a school, the school itself must assist with the application to the Department by completing a SNA 1&2 document, gathering all the information as above and submitting to the relevant District at the Department of Education.
The District identifies which is the most suitable school for the learner based on the information they receive about the learner as well as their place of residence. Sometimes it can be more than one school.
When the identified school receives the learner’s file from the Department, the school’s process for placement is followed, which involves perusing the information, determining the learner as indeed a candidate for the school, and identifying if there is a suitable space for the learner.
The parents are then notified when they should bring their child to the school for either assessment to support specific class placement, or for registration.
Please note that specifically Via Nova school is a fee paying school, and if the parents/caregivers are not financially stable an option of school fee exemption is available which is a process to follow. Please contact the school for more information regarding this.
For further enquiries on the process you are welcome to contact us at Via Nova.
