1. Statutory Framework
In South Africa, the right to education is enshrined in the Constitution. However, the legal responsibility for a child’s education rests solely with the parent or legal guardian.
- The Primary Educator: Under the South African Schools Act (Act 84 of 1996) and the BELA Act (2024), the parent is the primary educator. This role is a legal status that cannot be transferred to a third party, tutor, or curriculum provider like NeuroMe.
- The Curriculum (CAPS): For learners pursuing the National Senior Certificate (NSC), the law requires adherence to the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statements (CAPS).
- Promotion & Progression: Promotion is governed by the National Policy Pertaining to the Programme and Promotion Requirements (NPPPR). NeuroMe aligns its materials to these requirements, but the implementation of the academic year is the parent’s legal duty.
1.1. NeuroMe’s Role: The Service Provider
NeuroMe is a provider of neurodiversity-friendly educational resources and assessment services. We are not a school, nor are we the primary educator.
Our specific obligations are limited to:
- Provision of Material: Providing learning content and assessments designed to meet CAPS requirements.
- Assessment Support: Marking formal assessments submitted by the learner and issuing assessment reports that reflect the learner’s performance against NPPPR standards.
- Neuro-Inclusion: Ensuring materials are adapted for the majority of neurodiverse learning needs to assist the parent in their teaching role.
1.2. The Parent’s Role: The Primary Educator
By enrolling with NeuroMe, the parent acknowledges that they retain 100% legal responsibility for the learner’s education. NeuroMe is a tool in the parent’s hand, not a replacement for parental oversight.
The Parent’s non-transferable responsibilities include:
- Legal Registration: Applying for and maintaining registration for Home Education with the Provincial Department of Education (Grades R-9) and NSC qualification with SACAI (done through NeuroMe).
- Monitoring & Environment: Ensuring a quality learning environment and daily time-on-task. NeuroMe does not track daily attendance or engagement; this is the parent’s duty.
- Administration: Maintaining the learner’s Portfolio of Evidence (PoE), including all workbooks, drafts, and supplementary evidence required by the Department of Education.
- Integrity Oversight: Acting as the primary invigilator to ensure all assessments are the learner’s own work and submitted by the due dates.
- Extra Support: Organising any necessary tutoring or therapeutic interventions.
1.3. The Learner’s Role: Academic Ownership
The learner is responsible for the active pursuit of their qualification.
- Authenticity: All work submitted for marking must be the learner’s own. Plagiarism or AI-generated submissions negate the legal validity of the assessment report.
- Punctuality: Staying abreast of the ionHub communication and due dates to ensure results can be processed within the academic cycle.
Legal Disclaimer: NeuroMe cannot be held liable for a learner’s failure to promote to the next grade if the parent has failed to monitor engagement, failed to register with the Department, or if the learner has failed to submit work of a passing standard. NeuroMe’s responsibility ends at the delivery of quality material and the accurate marking of submitted work.
2. Roles and Responsibilities Matrix
2.1. Teaching Time and Curriculum Implementation
The NPPPR dictates specific instructional hours per phase.
- NeuroMe’s Role: To provide Annual Teaching Plans (ATPs) and neurodiversity-friendly lesson content that covers the full CAPS scope.
- Parent’s Role: You must ensure the learner meets the minimum weekly time-on-task (approximately 23–27.5 hours per week depending on the phase). Because NeuroMe is designed for a broad range of neurodivergent needs, the parent is responsible for tailoring the environment to their specific child’s needs. If a learner does not understand a concept, the parent must arrange for intervention (tutoring/therapy).
- Learner’s Role: To engage with the sessions diligently, complete work within the allocated dates, and avoid “rushing” or skipping content.
| Phase | Grade | Minimum Weekly Instructional Time |
| Foundation | R, 1, 2 | 23 Hours |
| Foundation | 3 | 25 Hours |
| Intermediate | 4 – 6 | 27.5 Hours |
| Senior | 7 – 9 | 27.5 Hours |
| FET | 10 – 12 | 27.5 Hours |
2.2. Marking and Academic Feedback
- NeuroMe’s Role: Our assessors mark formal assessments within 14 days of the due date. Marked tasks and feedback are sent directly to the learner’s NeuroMe email.
- Parent’s Role: You must reflect on the marks and the learner’s progress. As the primary educator, all academic flagging and plans for improvement (Individual Support Plans) are your responsibility. NeuroMe does not track if a learner is falling behind; we simply mark what is submitted.
- Learner’s Role: To review marked work and use feedback to inform their future academic commitment.
2.3. Academic Evidence (The Portfolio of Evidence: PoE)
The law requires the primary educator to maintain a PoE as evidence of homeschooling.
- NeuroMe’s Role: Upon successful completion of a lesson or assessment, an automated confirmation and unmarked copy are issued via email. This is your academic evidence. NeuroMe does not store or archive these files for you.
- Parent’s Role: You must manage, file, and store all academic evidence (emails and marked tasks). In the event of a Department of Education audit, you must produce this PoE.
- Learner’s Role: Confirm that every submission results in a confirmation email. If there is no confirmation email, the work was not successfully submitted.
2.4. Assessment Integrity and The Invigilator App
To ensure the NSC remains valid, assessments must be completed under strict conditions.
- NeuroMe’s Role: We set the assessments, communicate the scope and dates via the ionHub, and provide Invigilator App codes. We run all work through AI-detection software.
- Parent’s Role: You must ensure the learner stays abreast of communication and completes assessments on the correct dates and times, within the given guidelines.
- Learner’s Role: To complete work with 100% integrity. NeuroMe has a zero-tolerance policy for AI usage, plagiarism, or cheating. Any violation results in a 0% grade.
2.5. Attendance Tracking
For homeschooling with NeuroMe, “attendance” is defined by lesson completion.
- NeuroMe’s Role: Our only assistance in attendance is the automated email confirmation of a completed lesson.
- Parent’s Role: It is your duty to ensure the learner completes all work on time. Failure to do so may result in the learner being unable to promote to the next grade. This applies to all phases.
- Learner’s Role: To engage with the sessions diligently, complete work within the allocated dates, and avoid “rushing” or skipping content. The lessons prepare the learners for their assessments and should under no circumstances be skipped or not engaged with sincerely.
2.6. Accommodations and Concessions
- NeuroMe’s Role: In Grades R-9, we do not process or record accommodations. In Grades 10-12, we will apply to SACAI on the parent’s behalf, provided the parent follows our specific Assessment Accommodations and Concessions Policy.
- Parent’s Role: You must keep all paperwork, manage the learner’s use of accommodations, and arrange for any necessary payments or external facilitators. For grades R-9, the parent is responsible for applying for accommodations with the Department of Education and storing all paper trails thereof.
3. The Burden of Proof
NeuroMe uses comprehensive, automated software. We do not have to “prove the negative” (i.e., we do not have to prove a learner didn’t do something).
If a parent claims a task was completed correctly but it does not appear in our system, the burden of proof lies with the parent. You must provide the automated email confirmation and the reference from the Invigilator App as evidence. Without these, the record in NeuroMe’s system is final.
Final Acknowledgment: By using NeuroMe, the parent accepts that NeuroMe’s responsibility ends at the delivery and marking of materials. Any failure in registration, monitoring, or academic integrity rests solely with the parent and learner.
4. Operational Policies
4.1. Communication Policy
NeuroMe is not responsible for notifying the parent of missed work. It is the parent’s duty to monitor the learner’s completion status via the learner’s email inbox. Failure to submit work by the due date results in an automatic ‘Incomplete’ status, which may negatively impact the learner’s NPPPR promotion status.”
4.2. Billing & Fees Policy
Fees cover access to the NeuroMe platform and assessment services. Non-payment results in immediate suspension of access to the ionHub and the cessation of assessment marking. NeuroMe is not liable for academic delays caused by suspension of service due to non-payment.
4.3. Technology, Data, & Hardware Policy
NeuroMe is a digital-first service. The parent is responsible for ensuring stable Wi-Fi, a device capable of running the Invigilator App and Google services, and printing facilities for the Portfolio of Evidence. NeuroMe accepts no liability for hardware failure or internet connectivity issues during assessments. NeuroMe shall not be held liable for any failure or delay in performance (including assessment marking or platform access) resulting from causes beyond its reasonable control, including but not limited to: severe load shedding, national internet infrastructure failures, or acts of God.
4.4. Self-Paced Policy
While NeuroMe provides materials, we do not monitor the ‘pace’ of the learner. If a learner chooses to work slowly, it is the parent’s responsibility to ensure the learner catches up to meet termly assessment deadlines. Extensions for assessments are not granted based on ‘slow’ self-pacing.
4.5. Privacy & Data Storage
NeuroMe complies with POPIA (Protection of Personal Information Act). We do not act as an academic archive. Our automated emails are the final record issued to the learner. We do not maintain historical back-ups of student work after the academic cycle is closed. All data sovereignty for the Portfolio of Evidence rests with the Parent.
By continuing to use NeuroMe services, the Parent/Guardian acknowledges:
- I am the Primary Educator and assume all legal liabilities of that role.
- I have read and agree to the NeuroMe Privacy Policy, Billing Terms & Conditions, and Communication Policy.
- I understand that NeuroMe is a product/service provider and not a school.
- I will maintain the Portfolio of Evidence and acknowledge that NeuroMe is not a data storage facility.
Updated: 12 March 2026