1
Appendix 1
Arrangements for Forming “Through-train”
Aided and government primary and secondary schools complying with the following three guiding principles may apply to form “through-train” schools:
(i) the primary and secondary schools should have the same philosophy and aspiration for education and must strive to enhance continuity in primary and secondary education;
(ii) the number of S1 places in the secondary school must exceed the number of P6 graduates of the linked primary school so as to allow admission of all P6 graduates; some S1 places should also be reserved so that students of other primary schools could still have a chance to be admitted; and (iii) the primary and secondary schools must have the same mode of financing
to ensure consistency in admission criteria.
2. To form “through-train” is a school-based decision made by the primary and secondary schools concerned. Before submitting an application, schools are advised to refer to the following arrangements for implementing “through-train” mode and those refinement measures detailed in this Circular:
Rationale of forming “through-train”
(i) The rationale of forming “through-train” is to strengthen collaboration between primary and secondary schools having the same philosophy and aspiration for education.
It aims to enhance continuity in curriculum, strengthen the school’s understanding of and attention for its students and alleviate students’ adaptation problems upon their promotion to the secondary school.
Collaboration between “through-train” primary and secondary schools
(ii) The linked primary and secondary schools should work closely together to develop the following characteristics:
(a) To plan and design a coherent curriculum for the primary and secondary schools to reflect a shared vision -
To illustrate, schools can articulate connections between the interface of upper primary and junior secondary education in curriculum objectives and curriculum decisions, including planning, organisation, implementation and evaluation. Schools can also put in place a mechanism to maintain comprehensive records of student progress and achievement throughout the different learning stages.
2
(b) To provide students with coherent, all-round and balanced learning experiences so as to develop their potential to the full -
To illustrate, schools can arrange coherent and progressive learning activities to cater for the needs of students at different learning stages. Take the school orchestra for instance, primary students having learnt some basic instrument playing may continue their training in the linked secondary school. Better still, the orchestra can comprise both primary and secondary students. Such arrangement may also be applied to sports, art, moral education and other learning areas.
(c) To enhance the professional growth and development of teachers to ensure that they have the capacity to cater for the diverse needs of their students -
To illustrate, the sharing of up-to-date professional knowledge and informed practice through organised staff development programmes and the sharing of good teaching practices facilitate the building up of a shared vision which optimises the all-round development of every student for his / her benefit.
(d) To have an overall planning of support services for students throughout their primary and secondary education -
To illustrate, schools can provide cross-level enrichment programmes for talented students and remedial measures for students with learning difficulties. Besides, senior secondary students may lead primary students to participate in school activities. Such arrangements allow students to learn from each other and enrich their experience.
Modes of linkage for “through-train” schools
(iii) Four possible modes of linkage for “through-train” schools are described below:
“one-to-one” mode : one secondary school is linked to one primary school
“one-to-many” mode : one secondary school is linked to several primary schools
“many-to-many” mode : several secondary schools are linked to several primary schools
“many-to-one” mode : several secondary schools are linked to one primary school
(iv) It is considered more appropriate and feasible to adopt the “one-to-one” mode, that is, one secondary school to link up with one primary school to facilitate close
3
collaboration between them. If schools have good reasons to believe that other modes of linkage are more suitable in their own context, they should fully consult their stakeholders, ensure full compliance with the “through-train” guiding principles as detailed in paragraph 1 above as well as close collaboration and co-ordination between the linked primary and secondary schools. Under normal circumstances, S1 places should be allocated according to parental choice on a random basis in order to comply with the principle that a “through-train” secondary school must admit all P6 students of its linked primary school(s) without selection.
Submission of internal assessment results to the EDB
(v) Under the SSPA System, all participating primary schools, including those
“through-train” primary schools with all or no P6 students opting to proceed to their linked secondary schools, are required to submit the P5 Second Term (P5/2), P6 First Term (P6/1) and P6 Second Term (P6/2) internal assessment (IA) results of their students to the SPA Section of the EDB for the purpose of deciding the allocation bands of students in CA.
3. Schools are requested to note that the “through-train” mode does not apply to kindergartens which have full discretion in admitting students and their mode of financing is different from that of aided and government primary and secondary schools. Allowing kindergartens to form “through-train” with primary and secondary schools would advance the pressure of competing for entry into popular primary and secondary schools to the early childhood education stage. Students who cannot afford the school fees charged by the linked kindergartens will be denied access to their linked primary and secondary schools. Therefore, only primary and secondary schools are allowed to form “through- train”. Kindergartens are excluded.
4. Aided and government schools may submit their applications at any time to form “through-train”. The effective date depends on the date of approval.
5. Under the Primary One Admission (POA) System, applications for Primary 1 (P1) DP are normally invited in September each year. Schools which have been approved to form “through-train” should make known to parents their mode of operation when they invite applications for P1 DP. Schools can then start to become a “through-train” school from P1 in September the following year. The direct S1 admission mechanism will be applicable to these students when they complete the primary education and graduate from the linked primary school. If a school which has been approved to form “through-train”
wishes to advance the effective date for the direct S1 admission mechanism to existing students studying in its linked primary school, the agreement of all the parents concerned should be obtained in advance. At the same time, the EDB should be informed of the changes.
6. Applicants should complete the Application Form and submit their
4
collaboration plan explaining the mode and mechanism of collaboration between the linked primary and secondary schools. The plan should include ways to enhance continuity in primary and secondary education through school management, curriculum design, teaching strategy as well as student learning and development for approval by the EDB. The Application Form can be downloaded from the EDB’s Homepage via the following path:
EDB Homepage > Education System and Policy > Applicable to Primary and Secondary School > “Through-train” Mode
7. The completed Application Form and the collaboration plan should be forwarded to the School Administration 1 Section of the EDB on 5/F, East Wing, Central Government Offices, 2 Tim Mei Avenue, Tamar, Hong Kong.
