A high school’s size determines its subject menu. This is where the catchment constraint bites hardest.
How CAPS subject selection works
Every FET learner (Grades 10 to 12) takes seven subjects. Four are compulsory: Home Language, First Additional Language, Mathematics or Mathematical Literacy, and Life Orientation. The remaining three are electives chosen from an approved national list.
The approved electives include: Accounting, Agricultural Management Practices, Agricultural Sciences, Agricultural Technology, Business Studies, Civil Technology, Computer Applications Technology (CAT), Consumer Studies, Dance Studies, Design, Dramatic Arts, Economics, Electrical Technology, Engineering Graphics and Design, Geography, History, Hospitality Studies, Information Technology, Life Sciences, Mechanical Technology, Music, Physical Sciences, Religion Studies, South African Sign Language, Tourism, Visual Arts.
A large urban high school may offer 15 or more of these. A small rural school may offer six or seven. The electives a school can offer depend on the teachers it employs, the facilities it has (laboratories for Physical Sciences, workshops for Technology subjects, kitchens for Hospitality), and the number of learners choosing each subject. A subject with fewer than a viable minimum number of takers (often around 15 to 20) may not run.
Subject availability by option
Emil Weder Secondary
The specific subject list at Emil Weder has not been confirmed for this tool. As a rural public secondary school, it is likely to offer a core set of electives (History, Geography, Life Sciences, possibly Physical Sciences, Business Studies, and one or two practical or vocational subjects). The range will be narrower than a large town school. TBV directly with the school.
The Ward 2 Schools Program proposal identifies History, Geography, Life Sciences, Mathematics, and Tourism as the five subjects most directly connected to the valley’s own economy and ecology. If Emil Weder already offers these, the Schools Program strengthens them. If any are absent, that gap matters for learners who want to study them.
Overberg High School / Hoërskool Overberg (Caledon)
Overberg High School (Hoërskool Overberg) is one dual-medium school with about 492 learners [IC: School Register SA, 2023]. A school of this size typically offers 10 to 15 FET electives. Its Afrikaans website references “Vakkeuses” (subject choices), but the specific list has not been confirmed. Nor has whether every elective runs in the English stream. TBV directly.
For parents whose children need Physical Sciences, Information Technology, or other subjects that require specialist teachers and facilities, a Caledon school is more likely to offer them than a small valley school.
Online providers
Online providers vary significantly in subject range. Most offer the core academic electives (Physical Sciences, Life Sciences, Accounting, Business Studies, Economics, Geography, History). Some add CAT, IT, Visual Arts, or Design. Few offer practical/workshop subjects (Technology, Hospitality, Agricultural Sciences) because these require physical delivery.
Parents should check the specific provider’s Grade 10-12 subject list before enrolling. Key questions:
- Does the provider offer the three electives your child wants?
- For practical subjects: how are the practical components assessed? Are experiment kits shipped? Are supervised sessions arranged?
- Can a subject be added or dropped in Grade 10 if the initial choice proves wrong?
UCT Online High School, Teneo, CambriLearn, and Wingu Academy each publish their FET subject lists. These should be compared directly against the child’s interests.
Silverwood (if constituted)
No subject list has been published. A small start-up school will face the same constraint every small school faces: too few learners to run a full menu. A school opening with 30 or 40 learners in Grade 8 might offer three to five elective subjects. This narrows over time if enrolment grows, but in the founding years, families whose children want less common subjects (IT, Music, Dramatic Arts, Engineering Graphics) may find them unavailable.
The BioHub Founding Brief emphasises project-based learning integrated with the GoE platform, which aligns naturally with Life Sciences, Geography, History, Tourism, and Mathematics. Whether subjects outside this cluster would be offered is unknown. TBV with founders.
Microschool or learning pod
A microschool inherits the subject range of its online curriculum provider, supplemented by whatever the local facilitator can teach. If the facilitator is a qualified science teacher, supervised practicals become possible. If not, practical subjects remain constrained by the online provider’s arrangements.
The Grade 10 choice is consequential
Subject choices made in Grade 10 determine which university programmes a learner can apply for. Some requirements:
- Medicine: Mathematics and Physical Sciences (not Maths Literacy) with high marks.
- Engineering: Mathematics and Physical Sciences.
- Actuarial Science: Mathematics.
- Law: Some universities require specific language achievements; subject requirements vary.
- BCom (Accounting): Mathematics and often Accounting as a school subject.
- BSc programmes: Mathematics and typically Physical Sciences or Life Sciences.
A school that does not offer Physical Sciences closes the door to medicine, engineering, and many BSc programmes. A school that offers only Mathematical Literacy (not Mathematics) closes the door to any programme requiring Mathematics.
Parents whose children have specific post-school ambitions (see Variable 8: Post-School Pathway) must check that the school offers the prerequisite subjects at the required level.
Questions to settle before moving on
- Does your child already have strong subject preferences or career interests that require specific electives?
- Does each option you are considering offer those subjects?
- For practical subjects (sciences, technology, hospitality, arts): how does each option handle the practical component?
- If your child’s preferred subject is not available at the most convenient school, is that a reason to choose a different school, or can the interest be pursued outside the curriculum?
- Is Mathematics (not Maths Literacy) available at the school you are considering? If your child might want a university programme requiring Mathematics, this is non-negotiable.
Evidence status
| Claim | Status |
|---|---|
| CAPS FET requires 4 compulsory + 3 elective subjects | IC (DBE policy, WCED documentation) |
| Subject availability scales with school size | IC (general, confirmed by WCED subject offering patterns) |
| University programme prerequisites (medicine, engineering, etc.) | IC (university admission guides; specific requirements vary by institution and year) |
| Ward 2 Schools Program targets History, Geography, Life Sciences, Maths, Tourism | MS (Ward 2 Schools Program proposal, July 2026) |
Gaps
- Emil Weder’s FET subject list. TBV directly.
- Overberg High School FET subject list, including which electives run in the English stream. TBV directly.
- Silverwood’s intended FET subject offering. TBV with founders.
- Specific subject lists for each online provider (available on their websites but not compiled here). Parents should download the relevant prospectus.
- Nearest SACAI examination centre for practical subject assessments. TBV.
This page is part of the Valley of Grace High School Decision Tool. See also: Variable 6: Pedagogy and Values, Variable 8: Post-School Pathway.