Upon the implementation of the New Senior Secondary academic structure from the 2009/10 school year, the staffing ratios for primary classes and junior secondary classes are 1.7 teachers per class, and the staffing ratio for senior secondary classes is 1.9 teachers per class. These staffing ratios have embedded the Additional Teachers for All Special Schools6. Starting from the 2012/13 school year, the staffing ratio for senior secondary classes of special schools offering the ordinary curriculum will be 2.0 teachers per class. The number of teachers will be calculated separately for the primary and secondary sections. Any decimal teacher entitlement arising from the calculation of the foregoing staffing ratios will be provided as Graduate Master/Mistress (GM) and Assistant Primary School Master/Mistress (APSM) in the secondary and primary sections respectively. Schools may keep the fractional teacher posts, which will not be counted towards the calculation of promotion posts or graduate teacher ratio, in the teaching staff establishment. Alternatively, schools may opt for encashing the fractional teacher posts calculated at the mid-point salary of GM and APSM respectively.
(updated on 1 September 2009) 2. Ranking of Teaching Staff
(a) Principal of School
In schools with more than 3 classes, the calculation is exclusive of the post of the Principal of the school. The ranking of Principal is shown in Attachment A.
(b) Senior Teacher
Senior teachers for the primary section are included in the teaching establishment. The rank of a senior teacher should be Senior Primary School Master/Mistress (SPSM), Primary School Master/Mistress (PSM) or Assistant Master/Mistress (AM). Senior teachers are required to undertake specific duties in addition to class teaching. In a primary special school or special school with primary section with 12 – 23 equivalent ordinary primary classes, one PSM post will be re-ranked to the SPSM rank for the deputy head, and in a primary special school or special school with primary section with 24 equivalent ordinary primary classes or more, two PSM posts will be re-ranked to the SPSM rank for deputy heads. For special schools
6 Additional Teachers for All Special Schools include Resource Teacher for Supportive Educational Programmes, Teacher Librarian and teacher for spilt-class teaching.
with both primary and secondary sections, they are allowed to opt for the provision of deputy heads either at the secondary level or the primary level, but not both. The option once made is irrevocable.
All teachers in the PSM or AM rank may be appointed by promotion or direct appointment to take up the deputy head posts. (updated on 1 September 2008)
(c) Teacher Assisting in Speech Therapy (TAST)
Special schools for children with hearing impairment may appoint TASTs at the ratio of 1 for 3 classes of which one post must be offset by a speech therapist.
The number of TASTs is calculated for the school as a whole.
Where fractional staff results, this will be rounded up when it reaches 0.5, otherwise it will be rounded down. The resulting number will then be apportioned between the primary and secondary sections of the school in accordance with the number of classes in each section, in such a way that no fractional staff for either section will result.
TASTs form part of the non-graduate teaching establishment of the school.
(d) Mobility Instructor
A special school for the visually impaired or the visually impaired with intellectual disability may appoint 0.5 mobility instructor per class. Mobility instructors will be apportioned between the primary and secondary sections of the schools in accordance with the number of classes in each section and be included in the calculation of the teaching staff establishment for the relevant section before the rounding up or down of fractional staff. Mobility instructors are reckoned as members of the non-graduate teaching establishment of the school.
(e) Resource Teacher
(i) Resource Teacher for Children with Visual Impairment
A special school for the visually impaired may appoint resource teachers to teach children with visual impairment (those with total blindness, severe low vision or moderate low vision) who register with the school for the visually impaired for resource support and attend ordinary schools and special schools other than those for the visually impaired, at the ratio of 0.5 teacher for 1 – 4 students. Such teachers for secondary students of ordinary schools will be reckoned as members of the graduate teaching establishment of the secondary section while those for students of primary classes of ordinary schools and special schools will be reckoned as members of the non-graduate teaching establishment of the primary section. In calculating the number of resource teachers for children with visual impairment at Graduate Master/Mistress (GM) and Certificated Master/Mistress (CM) ranks, when dividing both numbers of target students by 4 leaves
2 remainders and the sum of the remainders does not exceed 4, the remainders should be added together for the calculation of resource teacher establishment at the GM rank.
(ii) Resource Teacher for Autistic Children
A special school for children with mild and/or moderate intellectual disability may appoint 1 additional non-graduate resource teacher in its primary section for children with autistic disorder, taking into account their needs for varying degree of remedial support at the following provision ratio:
No. of children with autistic disorder
No. of teachers provided Every 8 requiring intensive
remedial teaching programme
1 Every 16 requiring less intensive
remedial teaching programme
1
The additional teaching post is approved on the understanding that the operation of remedial teaching programme for autistic children is justified by the actual enrolment of such students in the school. The post will be clawed back when it is no longer justified.
(iii) Resource Teacher for Supportive Remedial Service
A special school for children with hearing impairment may appoint 1 additional non-graduate resource teacher in its primary section to provide remedial teaching support to students with hearing impairment who are attending ordinary primary schools and are identified to be backward academically, at the ratio of 1 teacher for 1 unit. The size of a unit is 1 – 20 students.
A special school for children with hearing impairment may appoint 1 additional resource teacher at the GM grade in its secondary section to provide remedial teaching support to students with hearing impairment who are at junior secondary level in ordinary schools, at the ratio of 1 teacher for 1 unit. The size of a unit is 1 – 10 students.
(f) Teacher for Senior Secondary Support Programme
Hospital School may appoint 1.5 teachers at GM rank for a Senior Secondary Support Programme. The additional teacher posts will not be counted towards the calculation of promotion posts or graduate teacher ratio. The School may keep the fractional teacher post in the teaching establishment or opt for a cash provision calculated on the basis of the mid-point salary of GM.
(updated on 1 September 2009) (g) Low-vision Training Teacher
A special school for the visually impaired or the visually impaired with intellectual disability may, subject to the needs identified, appoint not more than 1 additional non-graduate teacher in its primary section for delivering low-vision training programme. The school is entitled to 0.5 or 1 additional non-graduate teacher if the workload of the low-vision training service is below or over 50% of the workload of a full-time teacher respectively.
(h) Additional Senior Teacher Post of English
An additional senior teacher post, to be offset by a post in the rank of CM or Assistant Primary School Master/Mistress (APSM) as appropriate, is provided to each primary special school/special school with primary section that operates six or more primary classes and adopts the ordinary school curriculum to provide curriculum leadership in the teaching of English to improve co-ordination, planning and methodology. The conditions for appointment to the additional post are at Section 5.
(i) Primary School Curriculum Leader
With effect from the 2007/08 school year, an additional Primary School Curriculum Leader post at the PSM rank is provided to a special school with 12 or more approved primary classes; and for a special school with 6 to 11 approved primary classes, the post is at the APSM rank. (updated on 1 September 2008)
(j) Expansion of Graduate Post in Special Schools with a Secondary Section
For higher teaching standards, a special school with a secondary section may upgrade a maximum of four non-graduate teaching posts to graduate teaching posts. With effect from 1 September 2008, this provision of graduate posts upgraded from non-graduate posts is subsumed under the enhanced graduate teacher ratio. (updated on 1 September 2008)
(k) Graded Post within the Establishment
The number of posts in each grade is determined by making reference to the following attachments:
Attachment B Teaching Staff Establishment for Primary Classes in Special Schools
Attachment C Teaching Staff Establishment for Secondary Classes in Special Schools (updated on 1 September 2008) (l) Flexibility in Teaching Staff Structure
In view of the varying needs of different categories of special schools, Principals and the Incorporated Management Committee may propose, for the approval of the Permanent Secretary, teaching staff structures for the secondary sections of their schools with a higher proportion of
non-graduate posts than in the standard manning scales, subject to the following conditions:
(i) No serving teacher’s service may be terminated for the purpose of taking advantage of this provision; and
(ii) When a teaching staff structure of a school has been approved and implemented which involves additional AM or Senior Assistant Master/Mistress (SAM) posts, it will only be possible to raise the proportion of graduate posts when AM and SAM posts fall vacant. It will not then be possible to replace a departing CM with a GM.
(m) Workshop Teacher
(i) In special schools with workshops in the secondary section, one Certificated Master/Mistress (Workshop Teacher) may be appointed per approved workshop.
(ii) In special schools with workshops in the secondary section, one Assistant Master/Mistress (Workshop Teacher) may be appointed for every 4 approved workshops.
B. Non-teaching Staff Establishment