Schools for the children
It is often the weightiest decision of a family relocation — and the one that determines where you will live, how much you will spend and how your children will experience the change.
● A PRADeXPERIENCE service · accompanied schooling in French
The school zone determines the neighbourhood and the budget.
A family moving to Cape Town makes three interconnected decisions: the school, the neighbourhood, and the budget. The school comes first, because the traffic dictates a narrow radius and because school fees often weigh more heavily than the rent.
There is an approved French school in Cape Town. For a Gabonese family, this is an option that changes a great deal — and one that few people know about before arriving.
Schooling, in order
Apply for the child's study visa
The accompanying visa is not enough. Every school-age child needs their own study visa, applied for at the same time as the parent's.
Choose the system
French, South African public fee-paying, private or international. This choice determines the rest of the child's schooling.
Apply very early
Good schools have waiting lists. The process starts even before choosing the neighbourhood.
Adjust the schedule
The South African school year runs from January to December. The French school follows the September to July calendar.
The accompanying visa does not permit studies
When a parent obtains a work visa, their children receive accompanying visitor visas. These visas follow the validity of the main visa — but they do not authorise studies.
Every school child must obtain his own student visa, attached to the host institution.
The practical problem is a catch-22: the school requires the study visa, and the study visa requires an acceptance letter from the school. Both procedures must therefore progress together, and be initiated at the same time as the parent's file — not after arrival.
South African institutions are well aware of this requirement and issue the necessary certificates. However, they cannot definitively enrol a child without a valid study visa.
The South African school year is nothing like the French one
The South African school year follows the southern hemisphere: it begins in January and ends in December, divided into four terms with short holidays between each and a long break in December-January.
The French High School of Cape Town there is one exception: it follows the French calendar, with the start of the school year in early September and the end of the year in early July.
This is something to factor into your moving schedule very early on. Arriving in September for a South African school means joining an academic year that is already three-quarters over. Arriving in January for the French school means starting midway through the year. The moving schedule should follow the calendar of the chosen school, not the other way round.
The French High School of Cape Town François Le Vaillant
This is the option that most directly interests a Gabonese family, and it deserves to be known before arriving.
The establishment is part of the network of’AEFE, the French Agency for Teaching Abroad, and it is officially recognised from nursery school to the final year of high school. It operates on two campuses primary school in Sea Point, secondary in Gardens, in the City Bowl. The school has a total of around 350 to 400 pupils.
| Element | Detail |
|---|---|
| Network | AEFE — school recognised by the French Ministry of Education |
| Levels | From nursery class to final year, all accredited levels |
| Primary campus | Kings Road, Sea Point |
| Secondary campus | 101 Hope Street, Gardens |
| Languages | Teaching is in French, with a significantly higher number of English lessons than in France — around 30 % more in primary school and 40 % more in lower secondary school, in small, ability-grouped classes |
| International section | British international section approval since January 2022 |
| Exams | French Baccalauréat, including the bilingual International Baccalaureate. The school is also a Cambridge examination centre |
| Calendar | Term starts in early September, classes finish in early July |
The main benefit for a family that is unsure about staying for the long term is continuity the child remains within a recognised system and can continue their education in France, South Africa or elsewhere without any disruption to their schooling.
Two caveats to note.
First, the scholarships. School grants exist via the French consulate, but they are reserved for French nationals registered on the consular register. A Gabonese family without a French passport is not in principle entitled to it — this is a point to clarify directly with the institution rather than assuming it.
Then there is the late entry into secondary school. Joining the institution at fourteen with no level of English makes the journey difficult, especially in the international section. The earlier the entry, the easier the integration.
Fee-paying state, private, international
Fee-paying state schools
What South Africans still call «Model C» schools, even though the term officially disappeared in 1996. These are state schools that charge fees set by their governing body, are often excellent, and are deeply rooted in their local area. The best ones are found in the Southern Suburbs.
Allow around £30,000 per year for a good fee-paying state school in Cape Town. The value for money is the best in the system — but admission depends heavily on the catchment area, which brings us back to the question of the neighbourhood.
Private schools
Cape Town has some of the most prestigious schools in Africa. The most prestigious historical institutions charge around £190,000 per year excluding boarding, and the fees of private South African elite schools have risen sharply in recent years — several now exceed R400,000 per year including boarding.
These amounts remain lower than their British or American equivalents, which explains their attractiveness to international families. Pupils generally sit the IEB matric, which is recognised for university entrance.
International schools
Several international schools exist in Cape Town, offering American, British, German or Cambridge curricula. The American International School of Cape Town, in Constantia, accommodates around 500 pupils of over fifty nationalities, from kindergarten to Year 13.
The German school in Cape Town features an interesting peculiarity: it is fully accredited as a German school abroad, and its pupils obtain both the South African matric and the German Abitur, providing direct access to universities in both systems.
For whom: highly mobile families, or those who want to keep open the option of higher education outside of South Africa.
Orders of magnitude side by side
| Option | Indicative annual cost | Language | Approved degree |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fee-paying state school | ~30,000 R | English | National Senior Certificate (NSC) |
| French High School of Cape Town | Upon request from the establishment | French, with enhanced English | French Baccalauréat, bilingual international Baccalaureate |
| International school | Variable, often > 100,000 R | English (or German) | Cambridge, AP, IB or Abitur depending on the institution |
| Reputable private school | from ~R190,000 | English | Matric IEB |
These amounts are indicative and change every year. They almost always exclude the uniform, transport, supplies, activities and initial registration fees, which can represent a significant extra cost. Always ask for the complete fee schedule, not just the tuition fees.
Go further
- Cost of living in Cape Town — integrate schooling into a comprehensive family budget
- Neighbourhoods & housing — to be chosen once the school is known
- Work / residence visa — The children's study visa is applied for along with the parent's.
Schooling, accompanied
We are processing the academic and visa components together, because they depend on each other.
- Choice of the school system suited to your family project
- Connecting with establishments and tracking applications
- Study visa for each child
- Coordination between admission letter and visa application
- Advice on the moving schedule depending on the chosen school
- Support for the first few weeks of school
We know these schools
Supporting a family isn't just about sending a list of schools. It's knowing which ones accept French-speaking children mid-year, and which ones have a three-year waiting list.
- The pitchWe know the institutions, the actual timeframes and the contact persons.
- In FrenchThe registration forms are in English. We are preparing them with you.
- Visa and school togetherBoth approaches will block each other if they are not carried out simultaneously.
Good to know
Do my children need a visa to go to school in Cape Town?
Is there a French school in Cape Town?
Does the South African school year start in September?
How much are school fees in Cape Town?
Does my child need to speak English to go to school?
When should you register your children?
Which school for your children?
Book your free 30-minute consultation, in French. Tell us about the age of your children and their level of English — we will tell you which options are realistic.
