Special Needs CAPS curriculum
The national curriculum, adapted so a child who needs more support can still reach it, with extra time, a scribe, text-to-speech and audio assessments built in. CAPS, made accessible.
What Special Needs CAPS is.
Special Needs CAPS is the national curriculum, adapted so a child who needs extra support can access it, and still work toward the same formal outcomes. It is for the learner who can do the work, but needs the barriers removed to show it.
The adaptations are practical and built in: extra time, a scribe, text-to-speech on the platform, and assessments available in audio format. Assessments are untimed, so your child is judged on what they know, not how fast they can write it.
If your child has been stuck on standard CAPS for years with little progress, this is the change that can get them moving again, without leaving the national curriculum behind.
Special Needs CAPS, in short
- The national curriculum, adapted for access
- Extra time and a scribe where needed
- Text-to-speech and audio-format assessments
- Untimed assessments, four a year
- A 12 or 18-month pacing option
The barrier, and what removes it.
Special Needs CAPS keeps the national curriculum. It just takes down what was stopping your child from reaching it.
Adapted CAPS, day to day.
Everything your child needs lives in one place, with the accommodations already switched on.
Extra time and a scribe
Where writing is the barrier, a scribe and extra time let your child show what they know.Text-to-speech built in
Lessons and assessments can be read aloud on the platform for learners who need it.Untimed, audio assessments
Four assessments a year, untimed, and available in audio format.Self-paced, 12 or 18 months
Choose a 12 or 18-month pace so the year fits your child, not the clock.Qualified teacher support
Teachers who understand the adaptations guide the learning throughout.Judged on what they know, not how fast they write.
Every assessment is untimed and can be taken in audio format, with a scribe and text-to-speech where they help. The standard stays. The barriers come down.
The grades, and when to join.
CAPS runs from Grade R to Grade 12, in four phases. Where your child fits shapes both the subjects and how enrolment works.
Who this is built for.
The learner who can do the work, but needs the barriers removed to show it.
Not sure whether adapted CAPS or our purpose-built Special Needs programme fits your child? Adapted CAPS keeps them on the national curriculum with support layered on; the purpose-built programme is designed from the ground up. Grace or the team will help you decide.
Is adapted CAPS the right pathway for your child?
Special Needs CAPS may fit a learner who can continue toward CAPS outcomes but needs practical barriers reduced. The right pathway depends on the learner’s current level, required accommodations and longer-term academic goals.
Accommodations support access to learning; they do not diagnose or treat a condition, and no particular outcome can be guaranteed. The team should review the learner’s needs with the family before enrolment.
If a mainstream curriculum remains the wrong fit even with accommodations, compare the purpose-built Special Needs online homeschool.
Before you enrol
- Confirm the learner can work toward CAPS outcomes
- Share current reports and support requirements
- Agree which accommodations are appropriate
- Confirm grade, language and pacing options
- Keep clinical and therapeutic care with qualified professionals
Adapted, but it still counts.
The support changes; the curriculum pathway does not. Special Needs CAPS works toward the same formal national-curriculum outcomes.
Is adapted CAPS the right kind?
Special Needs CAPS keeps your child on the national curriculum with support layered on. If that is not quite it, there are other paths.
