Remedial CAPS

Remedial CAPS is the national curriculum, repaced. Grades R to 9, in English or Afrikaans. Same content, taught in a way that rebuilds the skills underneath — concepts repeated, reviewed, and broken into smaller, manageable steps, at a supported catch-up pace.

What it is for

Closing a gap. It is built for the child who has slipped behind their class, who has gaps from a disrupted year, or who learns differently and needs the pace to change. The goal is to close the gap in reading, writing and mathematics and keep your child moving in mainstream education.

It is a bridge, not a destination. It ends at Grade 9, and the intention is that your child rejoins the mainstream pace before the FET Phase. Ask at the outset what returning to mainstream would look like and roughly when — a supported programme without an exit plan quietly becomes permanent.

Gap or barrier — the distinction that decides this

A gap means the learning did not happen: the foundations are missing and can be rebuilt. That is what Remedial CAPS addresses.

A barrier means the learning happened but something is in the way of showing it — your child knows the answer and cannot get it onto the page in the time allowed. That is Special Needs CAPS, and repeating content more slowly will not fix it.

A child can have both. The clearest test: if you read the question aloud and gave unlimited time, could your child do it? Consistently yes points to a barrier; consistently no points to a gap. The full comparison is in the Knowledge Base.

You do not need a teaching background

The lessons are taught. What the programme needs from you is the timetable, the accountability and an honest view of where your child actually is — which is also the hardest part, and the thing other parents in this forum can help with most.

Not sure this is the right one?

• Your child can do the work but cannot demonstrate it under normal conditions → Special Needs CAPS
• Your child needs a programme built from the ground up for how they learn → Special Needs Curriculum

Details and fees for the Remedial CAPS programme are on the main Saving Grace site.