Discipline Without Harm: What the New SACE Policy Means for South African Parents

South African parents want their children to attend schools where they feel safe, respected and supported. For many years, the reality has been different. Violence in schools has been widespread, normalised and deeply rooted in outdated beliefs about discipline. Corporal punishment, verbal abuse, humiliation and harmful punishment have continued in many classrooms even though they are illegal.

The South African Child Gauge 2025 highlights a significant shift in how school violence is being addressed. One of the most important developments is the updated South African Council for Educators (SACE) Sanctioning Policy, which establishes stronger accountability for educators who commit violence, while also focusing on rehabilitation and behaviour change within the education workforce.

The Child Gauge notes that the updated SACE Policy includes clear “accountability and rehabilitation measures for educators found using violence and corporal punishment in schools”. This represents a significant turning point for parents seeking safer environments for their children.

This article explains what the new SACE Policy means for your child, why it matters, how it fits into the broader violence-prevention agenda and what parents can expect from schools going forward.

Why School Safety Matters More Than Ever

Children spend most of their day at school. When that environment is unsafe, frightening or unpredictable, the effects reach far beyond the classroom. Exposure to school violence can impact:

• emotional wellbeing
• academic performance
• behaviour
• mental health
• confidence
• long-term relationships

For South African children who already face high levels of community and household stress, school should be a place of protection and stability. Instead, school violence remains widespread.

The Child Gauge highlights that school violence in South Africa is a “multi-layered problem,” captured through national datasets like the National School Violence Study (NSVS), which tracks bullying, teacher-perpetrated violence and technology-facilitated harm. 

This makes the updated SACE Sanctioning Policy an essential step toward improving daily experiences for millions of learners.

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What Is the SACE Sanctioning Policy?

The SACE Policy is responsible for professional ethics within the teaching profession. This includes how teachers behave toward learners, colleagues and parents.

The policy strengthens:

• consequences for teachers who use violence
• clarity on punishable behaviours
• rehabilitative pathways for educators
• enforcement of professional ethics
• accountability across the education system

The Child Gauge reports that SACE is implementing more structured accountability and rehabilitation mechanisms for teachers who commit violence against learners.

This means the system is shifting toward:

• protecting children
• changing harmful teaching practices
• addressing root causes of teacher misconduct
• improving school culture over time

The aim is not only punishment. It is a long-term reform.

Why a New Approach Was Needed

For many years, corporal punishment persisted in South African schools despite being banned since 1996. Teachers continued to use hitting, slapping, caning, threats, humiliation and verbal aggression as discipline tools.

Research cited in the Child Gauge shows that violence by teachers is still one of the most common forms of school violence.

Several factors contributed to this problem:

1. Normalisation of violence

Many teachers grew up in the corporal punishment era and saw it as normal.

2. Lack of training

Few teacher education programmes focused on non-violent discipline or classroom management.

3. Stressful working conditions

Overcrowded classrooms, behavioural challenges and limited support increased burnout.

4. Weak enforcement systems

Without clear consequences, harmful practices continued unchecked.

5. Limited rehabilitation

Teachers who used violence rarely received training or behaviour-change support.

The SACE Policy was designed to address these gaps.

What Behaviours Does the New Policy Address?

The policy covers a wide range of misconduct, including:

• corporal punishment in any form
• emotional or psychological abuse
• bullying or intimidation
• inappropriate relationships with learners
• harassment
• discrimination
• verbal aggression
• neglect of duty

The Child Gauge makes it clear that the policy takes violence seriously and seeks to uphold children’s rights within all education environments.

Stronger Accountability: What Parents Should Expect

Accountability means teachers who violate children’s rights will face real consequences.

Under the SACE Policy, the following measures may be applied when a teacher commits violence:

1. Disciplinary hearings

Teachers may be investigated and disciplined for misconduct.

2. Suspension or deregistration

Educators found guilty can be suspended or permanently removed from the profession.

3. Mandatory reporting

Schools must report cases of violence to SACE, not hide them.

4. Criminal referral when needed

Serious cases may be referred to the police or social services.

5. Monitoring and follow-up

Teachers under sanction must comply with behaviour-change requirements.

These measures exist not only to punish but to protect children.

A Focus on Rehabilitation, Not Just Punishment

The Child Gauge highlights that SACE’s new approach includes rehabilitation, which is essential for long-term change.

Rehabilitation may include:

• training in non-violent discipline
• mental health or stress support
• behavioural interventions
• mentoring
• ongoing professional development
• monitoring and compliance checks

This approach recognises that some teachers use violence because they lack tools, not because they intend harm. By offering support and training, the policy aims to transform teaching behaviour, not simply remove individuals from the system.

Why Rehabilitation Is a Game-Changer

International evidence shows that strict punishment alone does not create safer schools. What works is:

• training teachers in positive discipline
• improving emotional skills
• reducing burnout
• offering trauma-informed support
• building a supportive school culture

The Child Gauge points out that interventions focusing on behaviour support for educators are critical in violence prevention across schools.

This shift acknowledges that teachers are part of the solution and must be equipped, supported and held accountable in meaningful ways.

How the Policy Protects Children

For parents, the most important outcome is safety. The SACE Policy protects children by:

• reducing teacher-perpetrated violence
• creating safer classroom environments
• promoting healthier teacher–child relationships
• encouraging respectful communication
• reducing fear-based discipline
• elevating children’s rights

The Child Gauge emphasises that safe, nurturing learning environments support healthy child development and protect children from long-term harm.

How the Policy Supports Teachers

A safe school requires safe teachers. Educators dealing with trauma, stress or burnout are more likely to lose control or react harshly. The Child Gauge highlights that many frontline educators experience:

• compassion fatigue
• high stress
• secondary trauma
• emotional burnout

These factors contribute to harmful discipline practices if not addressed.

The policy supports teachers by:

• providing structured rehabilitation
• offering training opportunities
• acknowledging stress
• improving professional standards
• creating safer working conditions over time

This balanced approach benefits both educators and learners.

What Parents Can Do Now

Parents play a vital role in ensuring the policy works effectively. Here are steps parents can take.

1. Know your child’s rights

Physical punishment is illegal in all schools.

2. Encourage open communication

Ask your child regularly:
“Do you feel safe at school?”
“Has any teacher made you uncomfortable?”
“Is anyone shouting at or hurting learners?”

3. Report misconduct

Contact the school or escalate directly to SACE if your concerns are ignored.

4. Support positive discipline programmes

Schools need parental buy-in to sustain behaviour-change initiatives.

5. Attend school meetings and discussions

Stay informed about disciplinary procedures and policies.

6. Advocate for teacher support

A supported teacher is a calmer teacher.

What Schools Should Do Going Forward

To implement the updated SACE Policy effectively, schools must:

• train staff on non-violent discipline
• create safe reporting channels
• educate learners on their rights
• collaborate with parents
• address teacher stress and wellbeing
• maintain documentation and transparency

A whole-school approach is necessary to reduce violence consistently.

Towards Safer Schools: The Bigger Picture

The Child Gauge situates school violence within the broader context of violence against children and violence against women in South Africa. It shows that school violence does not exist in isolation but is part of societal patterns of harm.

The policy is one important piece of a larger violence-prevention puzzle that also includes:

• nurturing care
• stronger community systems
• parental mental health support
• early childhood safety
• positive parenting programmes
• child-friendly justice pathways

Safer schools help break the intergenerational cycle of violence described in the Child Gauge.

Final Thoughts

The updated SACE Sanctioning Policy represents a major step forward in creating schools where children feel safe, respected and protected. With clearer accountability, stronger consequences and meaningful rehabilitation for educators, the policy balances justice with practical solutions that support real change.

For parents, this shift offers hope. It means better protection for children today and healthier learning environments for future generations.

Your child deserves a school where safety is not optional. It is a right. And this new policy brings South Africa one step closer to making that a reality.

SOURCE: South African Child Gauge 2025 – Intersections of violence against women and children: Disrupting intergenerational harm