Rationale: Targeted Grades & Subjects

• Exit and transition grades are targeted in the lower grades. Grades 3 and 6 are the exit grades in Foundation and Intermediate Phases while Grades 4 and 7 are the transition grades into the Intermediate and Senior Phases respectively.
• Transitioning into a new phase poses challenges for learners and they include the following:
  • Change in the notional time;
  • Change in the Language of Learning and Teaching (LoLT);
  • Transitioning from being taught by one teacher (Grade 3) to having multiple teachers (Grade 4);
  • Increase in the number of subjects (from 4 subjects to 6 subjects in the IP and 6 subjects to 9 subjects in the Senior Phase);

• In Grade 9, learners have to select the subjects they will be offering in the Grade 10 and this has implications for further fields of study and career choices;
• The learning losses experienced by learners in the FET phase due to the rotational school attendance in 2020 has led to poor curriculum coverage which will have serious implications for the National Senior Certificate (NSC) exit examinations. In order to alleviate the effects of the learning losses, it is important that teachers and learners in the targeted grades and the FET phase in particular are supported by the Education Assistants; and
• The targeted subjects have the highest learner enrolment and poor performance in these subjects could have an adverse effect on the overall NSC results.