Impaq: Taking the hassle out of choosing a curriculum

The 2018 Home Education Policy states that parents of learners from seven to fifteen years may “choose the curriculum to be followed by the learner” (par. 10 (1)(h)) on condition that the “proposed education programme is suitable for the learner’s age, grade, level and ability” (par. 13 (1)(b)(i)).

Now we may ask: What is a curriculum?

A curriculum refers to the academic content (knowledge and skills) to be mastered by a learner during a specific period according to the development stage of that learner (age, grade, level and ability). Previously, a curriculum was called a syllabus.

Within the above context, it is clear that it is a daunting task to develop a curriculum for your child that would answer to all the educational requirements. It is not only about developing a curriculum for a particular age, level and ability, but one also needs to consider the relationship between the different subjects and topics, how the one year scaffolds upon the previous, how the subjects are sequenced, and much more.

Related: Choose the best home education curriculum for your child: Here’s how

What curriculum do learners who are registered with Impaq follow?

Impaq follows the national curriculum, known as the CAPS (Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement).

Why? CAPS is pegged on the national qualification framework (NQF) which is internationally recognised. This means that learners registered with Impaq will not be exposed to content and assessments that are inferior to the level of learning that is required of the various ages, levels and abilities. Impaq, therefore, ensures that learners will conform to the standards required from schools.

By following a curriculum, that is at the same level as that of schools, ensures that your child would be

• able to enter a school if he/she would prefer to do so,
• allowed to access higher education, as higher education institutions require entrance qualifications to be accredited, recognisable and exportable, and
• able to easily integrate into the workplace as employers will be knowledgeable about the learner’s profile of competencies.

What is the case with homeschool learners in Grades 1 – 9?

The parents are responsible for monitoring the academic progress of their children (DBE, Home Education Policy. par. 13 (1)(a)(ii) & (iii)) and they need to be able to report on their child’s “educational attainment” at the end of each phase. Here Impaq provides the parents with all the assessments as required by the CAPS curriculum to compile a portfolio of evidence of the learner’s progress.

What is the case when a homeschool learner wants to do the National Senior Certificate (NSC) at the end of Grade 12?

The Home Education Policy determines that a learner receiving education in an out-of-school situation (such as at home) and chooses to write the NSC (school-leaving certificate of the CAPS curriculum) he/she  “must register with an education provider registered with an assessment body responsible to conduct the final National Senior Certificate”.

To do the NSC, learners need to register with a provider (such as Impaq) for Grades 10 – 12, as the provider then takes the responsibility to conduct the school-based assessments (SBA marks for tests, tasks and mid-year examinations) which constitute a percentage of the final mark of every year.

Impaq follows CAPS, which requires that all assessments must be developed by “competent assessors”, meaning professionally qualified teachers, registered with the South African Council of Educators (SACE). These assessments need to be done under the supervision of approved invigilators and marked by “competent assessors”, which implies that Impaq is compliant with the CAPS assessment requirements.

Related: Eight reasons why Impaq is the best choice as curriculum provider

Conducting home education and choosing a curriculum is, therefore, so simple with Impaq.