Supporting your child, without taking over.
CAPS and the NSC exam system aren’t the same as when most parents were in school. Here’s a plain-English guide to what actually matters, and how to help without hovering.
What “passing matric” actually requires.
To be awarded a National Senior Certificate, a learner needs to achieve at least 40% in three subjects — including their Home Language — and at least 30% in three other subjects, with full evidence of School Based Assessment (SBA) submitted in every subject.
Beyond that minimum, university and course entry requirements are usually much higher — so “passing” and “meeting your child’s actual goals” are often two very different bars.
In at least 3 subjects, including Home Language
In at least 3 other subjects
Full School Based Assessment evidence required, every subject
How to help, without doing it for them.
Set up the space, not the schedule
A quiet, consistent place to study with the phone out of reach helps more than a strict timetable you enforce. Let them own the “when.”
Ask about the process, not just the mark
“What did you work through today?” opens a conversation. “What did you get?” usually just gets a shrug.
Let mistakes be theirs to fix
Struggling with a topic is part of learning it. Stepping in too early can quietly teach a child to expect rescue instead of building the skill.
Normalise asking for help
Not knowing something isn’t a failure — it’s the reason lessons, tutors and study guides exist. Model that attitude yourself.
Signs a learner might be quietly struggling.
Not every learner says “I’m falling behind” out loud. These are worth a gentle check-in, not a confrontation.
How to check in on progress.
We don’t have an automated parent dashboard — the most direct way to get a real update is to reach out to us.
If you’d like an update on how a lesson or subject is going, or want to raise something a tutor should know, get in touch directly and we’ll talk it through with you.
Contact usIf cost is part of the conversation.
We’ve put together a list of external bursary and scholarship programmes worth looking into.
Have a question before enrolling?
Whether it’s about subjects, pricing, or which format suits your child best, we’re happy to talk it through first.