The Western Cape Education Department will roll out a series of new interventions from the start of the 2026 school year aimed at boosting early literacy and numeracy across the province.

Education MEC David Maynier said strengthening foundational skills remains central to the province’s strategy. “Building strong foundational skills in literacy and numeracy by investing in the Foundation Phase remains a key priority for our province,” he said.

Extra teaching time to continue

The WCED first introduced additional classroom time for Mathematics and reading in 2022, adding two extra hours per week for reading and one hour for Mathematics.

Maynier said the move had been well received: “Given the positive feedback from our schools, the national Department of Basic Education recommended the implementation of the additional time in all provinces as an interim measure in 2023 and 2024, which the Western Cape extended until the end of 2025.”

He confirmed that the programme will not only continue but remain a core part of the school day next year. “We have informed schools that we will continue implementing this measure in 2026, so that developing these skills remains prioritised within the school day,” he said.

New baseline assessments for early grades

From next year, all Foundation Phase learners will undergo baseline literacy and numeracy assessments at the start of the school year.

According to Maynier, “These will be informal, integrated assessments implemented by teachers using standardised tools, and detailed guidance has been provided for each grade and language.”

The information gathered will help teachers identify learning gaps early and tailor support strategies. “The data will be recorded to assist teachers, schools and the province to identify gaps in learning early, and to tailor our interventions to support learners,” he said.

Reading fluency benchmarks to be implemented

The WCED has also notified schools that reading fluency benchmarks will be enforced across all Foundation Phase grades from January.

Maynier said benchmarking is essential for keeping learners on track: “Benchmarking per term, per grade is crucial in education because they serve as clear, measurable goals that guide teaching, learning, and assessment throughout the school year.”

He added that the regular use of these benchmarks will strengthen classroom teaching: “When reading fluency is assessed regularly, using these benchmarks, the data from these results can guide teachers in planning their lessons… ensuring that no learner is left behind.”

New numeracy programme to expand in 2026

Following the success of early-grade reading interventions, the WCED has now launched a structured numeracy programme developed in partnership with Funda Wande and supported by the “Bala Wande” initiative.

The pilot phase saw all Grade 1 teachers at 70 schools complete training in October 2025. A full rollout will follow next year. “A full rollout with training for the remaining Grade 1 teachers in the province will follow in 2026, and is planned to cover the full Foundation Phase over the next 3 years,” Maynier said.

The programme includes teacher guides, learner books and maths resource kits containing flashcards, posters and physical objects to help bring mathematical concepts to life in the classroom.

‘Working together, we can improve outcomes’

Maynier thanked teachers and school leaders for their ongoing support. “We thank our officials, School Management Teams and Foundation Phase teachers for their support in prioritising early grade literacy and numeracy,” he said.

He concluded with a call for collaboration: “Working together, we can and will improve early learning outcomes in the Western Cape!”