What does "special needs" refer to?  A person is termed to have special needs when they require extra help in areas that may be mental, physical or psychological.  Examples of these would be people with autism, Down's syndrome, dyslexia, sight and hearing impairments, cystic fibrosis etc. Cited: Wikipedia, 2009. 

Children with these conditions are recognized as having special educational needs (SEN).  This means that they require an educational plan that is different from that of the majority of learners; a plan which is targeted at meeting their specific needs.  That is, these children learn in different ways, and sometimes have differing rates of learning and abilities to acquire knowledge, and so they need a specific learning plan which differs from child to child.

The South African government makes provision for special needs education in its education planning. In fact, in December 2008, Treasury announced that it will grant R9.5bn to the development and improvement of education for special needs children, over the next three years.  The department says that there are about 88 000 learners with special needs in approximately 400 special schools in South Africa. It is also estimated that a further 288 000 such children are not attending school.  Cited: South Africa The Good news, 2008.

If your child falls into the Special Needs category, you will be informed of this by the school.  It is the policy of government to only send children with severe special needs to special schools. Children with lesser disabilities will remain and receive extra support in a mainstream school.  This approach is referred to as "Inclusive Education".   Depending on the nature and severity of the disability, it is possible that the school will recommend that the child; be placed in a special school, either temporarily or as a longer-term solution.  Your application for admittance to a special school will go to the Western Cape Education Department, telephone number  0861 923 322 , and be processed there.  You will be placed on a waiting list and your child will be admitted as soon as there is an available place.  This may be a long and arduous process, and the best you can do at this time is to be very strong and patient, and find your own ways of supporting your child.  Do some research on the internet to understand the challenges your child experiences and join some online parenting forums for parents such as you.  You will find it both useful and comforting to be able to share your feelings, difficulties and questions with other people in the same situation.  These online forums will also help you in supporting your child better.  Keep your eyes peeled for more articles on this subject on the SmartCape website.

Click on this link for a list of Special Schools in the Western Cape.

Sources:
Wikipedia
South Africa The Good News
Parliamentary Monitoring Group
Western Cape Education Department

Page Updated: 18 January 2011