Kindergarten
Administration Guide
Education Bureau
July 2020 Updated Version
Introduction
The Government has implemented the kindergarten education scheme (referred to as “the Scheme” hereafter) starting from the 2017/18 school year. Subsidies are directly provided to kindergartens joining the Scheme (Scheme-KGs). The policy objectives are to provide good quality and highly affordable kindergarten education, and enhance the accessibility of students to different modes of services that suit their specific needs. Under the new policy, the Government’s recurrent expenditure on kindergarten education increases substantially. As substantial public funds are involved, kindergartens should put in place appropriate measures to enhance their administration, management and accountability to ensure effective use of public funding. As for resources beyond the Scheme, kindergartens should also make proper use to enhance the quality of education services and avoid financial burden on parents.
The Education Bureau (EDB) has informed kindergartens of the implementation details of the Scheme by issuing a series of circulars, organising briefing sessions and uploading relevant information (such as “Frequently Asked Questions” and PowerPoint slides of the briefing sessions) onto the EDB website. To assist kindergartens (KGs) in handling administrative work according to the guidelines, EDB has compiled a “Kindergarten Administration Guide”
(the Guide) by consolidating the relevant information.
The term “KGs” in the Guide covers all kindergartens, kindergarten-cum-child care centres and schools with kindergarten classes. The Guide should be read in conjunction with the Education Ordinance, the Education Regulations, relevant legislations of Hong Kong, the Operation Manual for Pre-primary Institutions, the Kindergarten Education Curriculum Guide, and circulars/circular memoranda issued by EDB. Hyperlinks are provided in relevant parts in the Guide to facilitate access by KGs. The Guide is applicable to Scheme-KGs, and KGs not joining the Scheme are also encouraged to make reference to the Guide to enhance the effectiveness of school operation and the quality of education services.
The Guide has been uploaded onto the EDB website (http://www.edb.gov.hk/free-quality- kg-edu_en). EDB will update the Guide in a timely manner and upload the latest version onto the above EDB website.
Contents
Pages Chapter 1 Management and Quality of Kindergartens
1.1 Roles and responsibilities of school management committees ... 1 - 2
1.2 Compliance with relevant regulations and requirements ... 1 - 4
1.3 Quality Assurance Framework ... 1 - 10 1.3.1 School Self-evaluation (SSE) ... 1 - 11 1.3.2 Quality Review (QR) ... 1 - 12
Links to References ... 1 - 13
Chapter 2 Learning and Teaching
2.1 Rationale and guiding principles ... 2 - 2 2.2 Curriculum planning and formulation of strategies ... 2 - 4 2.3 Timetabling ... 2 - 6 2.4 Arrangement of homework ... 2 - 8 2.5 Supporting children with diverse learning needs ... 2 - 9 2.6 Making good use of resources to cater for the diverse needs of
students ... 2 - 11 2.7 Parents’ roles and home-school communication ... 2 - 13 2.8 Interface between kindergarten and primary education ... 2 - 15 Links to References ... 2 - 17
Chapter 3 Student Matters
3.1 Student admission ... 3 - 2 3.1.1 Admission arrangements for nursery (K1) classes ... 3 - 4 3.1.2 Admission of children referred by EDB ... 3 - 6 3.1.3 Records of student information ... 3 - 6 3.1.4 Student financial assistance schemes ... 3 - 7
3.2 Health and safety ... 3 - 9 3.2.1 Health matters ... 3 - 9 3.2.2 Protecting children from maltreatment ... 3 - 9 3.2.3 Safety matters ... 3 - 14 3.2.4 School bus services ... 3 - 18 Appendix 3.1 Flow diagram of reporting mechanism for student absentees
in kindergarten ... 3 - 19 Links to References ... 3 - 20
Chapter 4 School Finance
4.1 School income ... 4 - 3 4.1.1 Basic principles ... 4 - 3 4.1.1.1 Various subsidies under the Scheme ... 4 - 3 4.1.1.2 Disbursement of subsidies ... 4 - 10 4.1.1.3 Surplus or deficit of subsidies ... 4 - 12 4.1.2 School funds ... 4 - 17 4.1.2.1 School fees ... 4 - 17 4.1.2.2 Application fee and registration fee ... 4 - 18 4.1.2.3 Trading operations ... 4 - 19
4.1.2.4 Fund-raising activities ... 4 - 20 4.1.2.5 Acceptance of advantages and donations ... 4 - 21
4.2 Accounting and financial control ... 4 - 22 4.2.1 Statutory requirements ... 4 - 22 4.2.2 Books of accounts ... 4 - 22 4.2.3 Surplus, deficit, assets, liabilities, and reserves before
joining the Scheme ... 4 - 26 4.2.4 Fund-raising activities ... 4 - 28 4.2.5 Trading operations ... 4 - 28 4.3 Budgeting process ... 4 - 29
4.4 Internal financial control ... 4 - 30 4.4.1 Guiding principles ... 4 - 30 4.4.2 Allocation of accounting duties ... 4 - 30 4.4.3 Use of bank accounts and cheques signing ... 4 - 30 4.4.4 Handling of income ... 4 - 32 4.4.5 Arrangement of payments ... 4 - 33 4.4.6 Safe keeping of school assets and other valuables ... 4 - 34
4.5 Annual audited accounts and audit inspections ... 4 - 35 4.5.1 Requirements of annual audited accounts ... 4 - 35 4.5.2 Points to note for preparing audited accounts ... 4 - 36 4.5.3 Audit inspections ... 4 - 37 4.6 Retention of accounting records ... 4 - 38
4.7 Procurement of goods and services ... 4 - 39 4.7.1 Guiding principles ... 4 - 39 4.7.2 Procurement requirements ... 4 - 39
4.7.3 Single quotation / tendering ... 4 - 43 4.8 Involvement of school sponsoring bodies (SSBs) / operators in KGs’
procurement activities ... 4 - 44 4.8.1 Acquiring goods and services through SSBs / operators ... 4 - 44 4.8.2 Acquiring goods and services from SSBs / operators ... 4 - 44 4.8.3 Acquiring goods and services from SSBs / operators by single
quotation / tendering ... 4 - 44 Appendix 4.1 Expenditure items chargeable to the subsidies under the Scheme
... 4 - 45 Appendix 4.2 Worked examples on calculation of fill-up rate under the Rental
Subsidy Scheme ... 4 - 46 Appendix 4.3 Sample school notice / circular letter on sales of school items
and provision of paid services in KGs ... 4 - 49 Appendix 4.4 Sample fixed assets register ... 4 - 50 Appendix 4.5 Sample loan register ... 4 - 51 Appendix 4.6 Good practices on financial management of KGs ... 4 - 52 Links to References ... 4 - 59
Chapter 5 Personnel Management
5.1 Staffing arrangements, career ladder and remuneration ... 5 - 3 5.1.1 Staffing arrangements ... 5 - 3 5.1.1.1 Teaching staff ... 5 - 3 5.1.1.2 Supporting staff ... 5 - 4 5.1.1.3 Qualifications of teaching staff ... 5 - 5 5.1.1.4 Paid maternity leave for staff and staff relief grant ... 5 - 6 5.1.2 Career ladder ... 5 - 6 5.1.2.1 Career ladder for teachers ... 5 - 6
5.1.2.2 School-based arrangements for staff appointment and
promotion ... 5 - 7 5.1.2.3 Roles of teaching staff ... 5 - 8 5.1.2.3.1 Principal and vice-principal ... 5 - 8 5.1.2.3.2 Senior teacher ... 5 - 9 5.1.2.3.3 Teacher ... 5 - 10 5.1.3 Remuneration ... 5 - 10 5.1.3.1 Recommended salary ranges ... 5 - 10 5.1.3.2 Establishment of school-based arrangements ... 5 - 10
5.2 Appointmentof teaching staff ... 5 - 12 5.2.1 Guiding principles and relevant requirements ... 5 - 12 5.2.2 Appointment of principal and teachers. ... 5 - 13 5.2.3 Employment contracts ... 5 - 13
5.3 Professional development of teachers and principals ... 5 - 15 5.3.1 Continuous professional development policy ... 5 - 15 5.3.2 School-based plans for teachers’ professional development ... 5 - 15 5.3.3 Training on catering for the diverse needs of students ... 5 - 16 5.3.4 Recognition and awards ... 5 - 17
5.4 Staff conduct ... 5 - 18 5.4.1 Conflict of interest ... 5 - 18 5.5 Handling staff complaints... 5 - 20 Appendix 5.1 Examples of calculating the number of teachers ... 5 - 21 Links to References ... 5 - 22
Chapter 6 Home-school-community Partnership
6.1 Home-school co-operation ... 6 - 2 6.2 Parent education ... 6 - 5 6.3 Making good use of community resources ... 6 - 7 6.4 Handling complaints ... 6 - 8 6.5 Handling media’s enquiries ... 6 - 9 Links to references ... 6 - 10
Chapter 7 Administrative Arrangements for Joining and Withdrawing from the Kindergarten Education Scheme (the Scheme)
7.1 Application for joining or staying in the Scheme ... 7 - 2 7.2 Closure, voluntary withdrawal, rejection of continued participation and
revocation of eligibility ... 7 - 3 7.2.1 Basic principles ... 7 - 3 7.2.2 Existing Eligible Students ... 7 - 4 7.2.3 Administrative and financial matters ... 7 - 5 7.3 Signing of the Undertaking and Declaration ... 7 - 7
Kindergarten Administration Guide
Chapter 1 Management and Quality of Kindergartens
1.1 Roles and responsibilities of school management committees ... 1 - 2
1.2 Compliance with relevant regulations and requirements ... 1 - 4
1.3 Quality Assurance Framework ... 1 - 10 1.3.1 School Self-evaluation (SSE) ... 1 - 11 1.3.2 Quality Review (QR) ... 1 - 12
Chapter 1 Management and Quality of Kindergartens 1.1 Roles and responsibilities of school management committees
1. As stipulated in section 32 of the Education Ordinance, every kindergarten (KG) shall be managed by its management committee (SMC), which shall be responsible for ensuring (a) that the school is managed satisfactorily; (b) that the education of the pupils is promoted in a proper manner; and (c) that the school complies with the Education Ordinance (Cap 279), the Education Regulations (Cap 279A), other statutory requirements, administrative requirements or directions as specified, as well as circulars, circular memoranda, relevant letters and guidelines issued by EDB from time to time, maintaining an operating standard acceptable to the Government in both management and professional aspects. In this regard, the SMC should be responsible for implementing education policies, planning and managing financial and human resources, ensuring that kindergarten education services are provided in a proper manner, and devising self- improvement measures.
2. Under the new KG education policy, the Government has substantially increased the recurrent expenditure on KG education and has made immense efforts to improve the quality of kindergarten education through various means. To strengthen accountability of public funding, KGs joining the kindergarten education scheme (the Scheme-KGs) should establish a more participatory school governance framework that facilitates participation of various stakeholders in the decision-making process, thereby enhancing transparency and accountability of school governance as well as effectiveness of school operation. In this regard, KGs that apply to join the Scheme in the 2019/20 school year and/or thereafter shall undertake to review and/or refine the composition and operation of their SMCs, formulate and implement specific measures to comply with the following requirements in the 2022/23 school year or before:
a. There shall be no less than three school managers (including the school supervisor);
b. At least one school manager shall be nominated by the KG operator;
c. At least one school manager shall be a member of other stakeholders (parents of current pupils, serving teachers or alumni) of the KG, OR a community member who serves as an independent manager1;
1 An independent manager shall not be a serving teacher, a serving staff member, a parent of a current pupil or an alumnus of the school. A person who is a member of the school’s SMC/SSB/operator or of the governing body (if any, however described) shall not be nominated as an independent manager (but ex-members who have retired or left service from the SMC/SSB/operator/governing body concerned for three years or more shall not be subject to this limitation). The spouse, grand-parent, parent, brother, sister, child or grand-child of such a member, or an employee of the SMC/SSB/operator/governing body concerned shall not be nominated either.
d. The principal shall attend SMC meetings (while whether the principal should serve as a school manager shall be decided by individual SMCs); and
e. A SMC constitution that stipulates the operating details should be formulated.
There shall be no restriction on the maximum number of school managers of a Scheme- KG. Besides, a school manager of a Scheme-KG is allowed to serve other schools and there shall be no restriction on the number of schools that a school manager could serve.
The SMC should, with regard to the KG’s school-based needs, formulate a SMC constitution that stipulates the operating details of the SMC, for example, the total number of SMC members and the number of SMC members under each category, the manner in which the representatives from each category of SMC members are selected (such as election, nomination, and direct appointment) and their tenure of office, and the mode of operation of the SMC (such as the number and arrangements of meetings, and the procedures for handling matters). Please refer to EDB Circular No. 15/2018 for details.
3. To enhance the transparency of operation, Scheme-KGs are required to provide key operational information in the Profile of Kindergartens and Kindergarten-cum-Child Care Centres and on the EDB website and disclose to the public key information as follows:
a. name of approved supervisor b. name of approved principal
c. total number of teaching staff (including the principal) d. qualifications of the principal and teachers
e. salary ranges of the principal and teachers f. student enrolment
g. school facilities
h. school fees, application fee and registration fee
i. reference prices for optional school items sold and paid services provided, if any
1.2 Compliance with relevant regulations and requirements
1. All KGs are required to comply with the Education Ordinance, the Education Regulations and other relevant legislation. As these legislation or regulations cover a wide range of areas, matters of particular concern to schools, parents or the public are highlighted for schools’ easy reference. Schools should make cross reference to other provisions of the relevant legislation where necessary.
a. Supervisor of school
Under section 39 of the Education Ordinance, the supervisor of a school shall within 1 month after the happening of such event give notice in writing to the Permanent Secretary for Education if:
any person ceases to be a manager of the school;
the supervisor ceases to perform the duties of the supervisor;
the principal ceases to perform the duties of the principal;
any teacher commences to teach or is employed to teach at the school;
any teacher ceases to teach or ceases to be employed to teach at the school;
the supervisor becomes aware of a change in any particulars furnished under this Ordinance with respect to any landlord or tenant of the premises in which the school is operated.
Under section 38A of the Education Ordinance, if the supervisor of any school is or is likely to be:
absent from Hong Kong for a period of not less than 28 days; or
unable by reason of his illness to carry out his duties for a period of not less than 28 days,
the SMC shall recommend for the approval of the Permanent Secretary for Education another manager of the school to act as supervisor during the supervisor’s absence or inability to carry out his duties.
b. Appointment of school staff and registration
The SMC shall be responsible for issuing to all teachers letters of appointment which shall set out the conditions of service, salary scale and conditions of termination of appointment (Education Regulations: R77). In this regard, the SMC should note that:
The terms and conditions of employment shall not violate the provisions of the Employment Ordinance. Any term of an employment contract
which purports to extinguish or reduce any right, benefit or protection conferred upon the employee by the Employment Ordinance shall be void.
The Sex Discrimination Ordinance, Disability Discrimination Ordinance, Family Status Discrimination Ordinance and Race Discrimination Ordinance should be complied with. For example, the SMC, as an employer, has to ensure that there is no discrimination at work on any grounds, including sex, marital status, pregnancy, disability, family status or race.
It is an offence for any person who is not a registered teacher or permitted teacher to teach in a school and the person who employs or permits him/her to teach is also guilty of an offence. (Education Ordinance: S87(3))
No person shall, without the permission in writing of the Permanent Secretary for Education, enter or remain in any school if at any time he/she has had his/her registration cancelled/ has been refused registration. (Education Ordinance:
S72(2))
The appointment of any teacher who is to be employed in the school for a term for not less than 6 months shall be approved by the majority of the managers of the school. The dismissal of any teacher who is employed in the school for a term for not less than 6 months shall be approved by the majority of the managers of the school at a meeting of the SMC. (Education Regulations: R76)
The Permanent Secretary for Education’s approval is required for the appointment of principal. Within 1 month after the registration or provisional registration of a school, the SMC shall recommend for the approval of the Permanent Secretary for Education a teacher of the school to be the principal.
(Education Ordinance: S53, S57)
All staff are required to join the Mandatory Provident Fund Schemes unless they are exempted under the Mandatory Provident Fund Schemes Ordinance.
The SMC, as an employer, is required to, under the Employees’ Compensation Ordinance, obtain insurance against employer’s liability.
c. Learning and teaching
Schools shall send to the Permanent Secretary for Education before 15 August in each year notice of all holidays they are intended to give in the coming school year. Holidays not mentioned in the notice shall only be given with the approval of the Permanent Secretary for Education. (Education Regulations: R79 - R82)
The school holiday list signed by the principal and countersigned by the supervisor shall be posted at all times in a conspicuous place on the school premises. (Education Regulations: R83)
The responsible person shall inform the Permanent Secretary for Education of any change in the hours of school work. (Education Regulations: R92(12))
No instruction, education, entertainment, recreation or activity of any kind which, in the opinion of the Permanent Secretary for Education, is in any way prejudicial to the welfare of the pupils or to their education generally shall be permitted on any school premises or on the occasion of any school or classroom activity.
(Education Regulations: R98(1))
No teacher shall administer corporal punishment to a pupil. (Education Regulations: R58)
d. Student matters
At every school providing full-day KG education, there shall be provided for each pupil undergoing that education at least one meal a day. The menu of the meals to be provided shall be prepared in advance and be available for inspection by EDB officers. (Education Regulations: R46A(1), (3))
A separate attendance register in a form approved by the Permanent Secretary for Education shall be kept for each class. (Education Regulations: R90)
The management authority shall submit information concerning the school or pupils as may be required by the Permanent Secretary for Education. (Education Regulations: R94)
e. Safety matters
There shall be provided on the premises of every school at least one first aid box.
At least 2 teachers in every school shall be trained in administering first aid. In addition, first aid boxes shall be maintained fully equipped at all times.
(Education Regulations: R55(1), (2), (4))
The principal shall immediately report to a medical officer of schools any suspected or known case of infectious disease amongst teachers, pupils or employees of a school, or when he/she suspects or knows that any such person has been in contact with a case of infectious disease. The management authority shall cause the exclusion of such teachers, pupils, or employees from school if so required by the medical officer of schools. (Education Regulations:
R53)
All fire service installation and equipment on the school premises must be kept in good condition at all times. (Education Regulations: R39(1))
The principal shall draw up a practical scheme for the evacuation of the school premises in case of fire. Fire drills carried out by teachers and pupils and the time taken to evacuate the school premises shall be recorded in a school log book.
(Education Regulations: R38) f. Fees and accounts
Fees other than the fees printed on the fees certificate are prohibited unless such collection has been previously approved by the Permanent Secretary for Education. (Education Regulations: R60A, R61)
The inclusive fees for an educational course shall be calculated on an equal monthly basis and collected on or after the first school day of each month of the period during which the educational course is conducted. (Education Regulations:
R62)
The school shall issue formal receipts in respect of every payment made by pupils/parents/guardians. (Education Regulations: R63)
Any change of the inclusive fee requires the Permanent Secretary for Education’s written approval. (Education Regulations: R65)
No manager or teacher of a school shall appeal to pupils for subscriptions or make collection among pupils without the Permanent Secretary for Education’s written permission. (Education Regulations: R66)
The school shall exhibit the fees certificate in a conspicuous place on the school premises. (Education Regulations: R67)
The management authority shall keep proper accounts and retain the accounts and relevant vouchers for a period of not less than 7 years for inspection by the Permanent Secretary for Education. (Education Regulations: R64)
g. School premises
The Permanent Secretary for Education’s approval is required for the following matters:
additional premises, alternative premises and deletion of premises;
structural alterations to the school premises;
alteration to the latrine accommodation or the sanitary arrangements of the school;
alteration to the ventilation or lighting of a classroom; and
any subdivision of a classroom.
(Education Ordinance: S20; Education Regulations: R10)
At the entrance to every classroom, there shall be a board or sign bearing an identification number or letter for such room. (Education Regulations: R86)
In every classroom, there shall be kept exhibited in a prominent place a notice specifying the maximum number of pupils permitted in that room, and no more than such maximum number shall be permitted in that room. (Education Regulations: R87(2))
[Note: As for child care centres also registering as schools in 2005 due to harmonisation of pre-primary services, the requirements regarding permitted accommodation of classrooms were waived during school registration. Subsequently, the maximum number of children permitted on the premises dually registered as KG and child care centre remained the same as the capacity permitted before school registration.]
h. Code of conduct for managers and staff
KGs should be fully committed to the principle of honesty, integrity and fair play in their operation. To uphold the trust and protect the interests of KGs and their students, managers and staff have to handle all affairs of KGs in a fair and impartial manner and maintain a high standard of integrity. For example,
Managers and staff are prohibited from soliciting or accepting any advantage from parents and any persons or companies having official dealings with KGs (e.g. suppliers and contractors).
A conflict of interest, which refers to a situation where the “private interests” of a manager or staff member compete or conflict with the interests of the KG or the official duties of the manager or staff member, should be managed properly (details in Section 5.4.1 of Chapter 5).
Managers and staff should not disclose any classified or proprietary information of KGs without authorisation or misuse any information of KGs (e.g. using the information for personal gain or the benefit of others).
KGs should draw reference to the Sample Code of Conduct for Managers and Staff of Kindergartens drawn up by the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) with a view to helping KGs strengthen governance and integrity management. To cater for different needs of KGs arising from different operating scales and resources capability, the Sample Code of Conduct is available in a full version and an abridged version. They are available on the ICAC Website: Full Version, Abridged Version.
i. Others
KGs are required to comply with the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance. They should ensure that the purpose and manner of collection of personal data, the use of personal data, the security measures for personal data, access to personal data, etc. are in line with the relevant legislation. KGs shall keep and maintain a log book of refusals to comply with data access or correction requests. Relevant
“Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance - Points to Note” are available on EDB’s webpage.
KGs should ensure their school practices, particularly those relating to photocopying, use of computer software, etc., shall be in conformity with the Copyright Ordinance. Please visit EDB webpage of “Copyright in Education”
for details.
KGs shall eliminate all forms of discrimination in their policies, procedures and daily operation.
KGs shall take reasonably practicable steps to ensure that the school is free from any sexually hostile or intimidating environment. These include developing a school policy (in written form) to eliminate sexual harassment, raising the understanding and awareness of both staff and students about sexual harassment and setting up a complaint handling mechanism to resolve sexual harassment complaints. Please visit EDB webpage of “Prevention of Sexual Harassment in Schools” for details.
1.3 Quality Assurance Framework
1. To ensure the quality of KG education, all Scheme-KGs will be subject to Quality Assurance (QA) Framework, comprising ongoing School Self-evaluation (SSE) for school development and accountability purposes. They will also be assessed by EDB officers through Quality Review (QR) to assess if they have met the prescribed standards.
QR serves to complement SSE to facilitate the sustainable development of KGs. Please visit the relevant webpage for details.
2. EDB has refined the Performance Indicators to strengthen the current QA Framework to tie in with the development pace of schools, as well as the implementation of the new policy and the Kindergarten Education Curriculum Guide (2017). All Scheme-KGs are required to conduct their SSE with reference to the refined Performance Indicators (Kindergartens) at the end of each school year starting from the 2017/18 school year.
EDB has also used these Performance Indicators to conduct QR starting from the 2018/19 school year. Both SSE and QR aim to promote the sustainable development of KGs.
EDB will continue to upload QR reports onto its website, and KGs should map out specific strategies for self-improvement by making reference to the QR reports (particularly Part 3 - Recommendations for Self-improvement) or soliciting advice from the respective Senior School Development Officer/Senior Services Officer.
3. EDB has conducted Focus Inspection (FI) more frequently under the new KG education policy. Oral feedback will be given immediately at the end of each FI, and a letter of recommendations for improvement will then be issued to KGs. KGs are advised to make continuous self-improvement for sustainable development by considering and following up on the recommendations received, soliciting advice from the respective Senior School Development Officer/Senior Services Officer where necessary, and participating in relevant training programmes, school-based support programmes, etc.
4. In order to enhance the transparency of the QR mechanism, an external observer will be invited to join some QR visits. The external observer will participate in the QR but will not be involved in the assessment of school performance. Meanwhile, EDB will continue to gather, through QR and FI, KGs’ good practices for sector-wide sharing.
5. Please refer to EDB Circular No. 11/2018 “Enhanced Quality Assurance Framework for Kindergarten Education” for details.
1.3.1 School Self-evaluation (SSE)
1. SSE is the core of the optimisation of education and care services on KGs. To achieve the primary goal of facilitating children’s learning and whole-person development, KGs should conduct, with a whole-school approach, a holistic review of the current situation of school based on the Performance Indicators (Kindergartens), and evaluate the effectiveness of their work with reference to children’s performance. KGs should then, in light of the SSE findings, devise a work plan for the next school year. In this way, KGs should be able to make continuous improvement through the inter-connected self- evaluation cycle, viz. planning, implementation and evaluation.
2. After a school year ends, schools should evaluate the effectiveness of work plans and all aspects of their work over the past year before setting up the work plan for next school year (Planning) according to their situation and children’s learning needs. When relevant strategies and work are implemented in the new school term, school management will assume a monitoring role (Implementation & Monitoring). During the implementation process, schools will collect relevant information for evaluation (Evaluation) at the end of the school term. The following figure shows the flow of the inter-connected self-evaluation cycle, viz. planning, implementation and evaluation.
Assuming the school has drafted the 2018/19 work plan based on its SSE findings, with implementation and monitoring throughout the school year, at the end of the school term, the school can carry out evaluation based on the collected information before preparing the 2018/19 School Report and drafting the 2019/20 work plan. For preparing school reports, please see the School Self-evaluation Manual.
P I
E P
I
E P
I E
18/19 report 19/20 report
17/18 report 18/19 plan 19/20 plan
E: Evaluation P: Planning I: Implementation & Monitoring
3. To enhance transparency and promote home-school collaboration, Scheme-KGs are strongly encouraged to make their School Reports accessible to stakeholders through their school websites.
1.3.2 Quality Review (QR)
1. QR will continue to be improvement-oriented and become more school-specific by taking KG’s areas of concern as the starting point and making reference to the recommendations made in the previous QR. The Performance Indicators (Kindergartens) will be used by the review teams to make professional judgment on overall school performances.
2. EDB will notify KGs of the exact QR dates eight weeks in advance. Each QR visit will last from 2.5 to 3.5 days depending on the school size. Upon receiving the notification, KGs are required to submit their School Report and stakeholder survey results to EDB within four weeks.
3. Scheme-KGs must meet the prescribed standards for QR. KGs that fail to do so may apply for a Follow-up QR and submit to EDB an action plan to address the issues identified for improvement. KGs assessed as having met the prescribed standards in the Follow-up QR will remain eligible for joining the Scheme. For KGs assessed as failing to meet the prescribed standards in the Follow-up QR, EDB will consider revoking their status as a Scheme-KG and ceasing the provision of government subsidies. As regards KGs that fail to meet the prescribed standards in QR but choose not to apply for a Follow- up QR, EDB will also consider revoking their status as a Scheme-KG and ceasing the provision of government subsidies2.
4. Starting from the 2018/19 school year, both Chinese and English versions of all QR reports have been made available on the EDB website to enhance transparency.
2 If a KG’s eligibility under the Scheme is revoked, for students who are already attending its eligible classes and those who have been newly enrolled to its eligible classes of the next school year before the effective date of EDB’s termination of its status as a Scheme-KG, the KG will continue to receive subsidies until the end of operation of all eligible classes or the aforesaid students leave the KG.
Links to References (Chapter 1)
Education Ordinance (Cap 279) and Education Regulations (Cap 279A)
EDB Circular No. 15/2018 “Kindergarten Education Scheme – Strengthening School Governance and Transparency”
Sample Code of Conduct for Managers and Staff of Kindergartens, ICAC (Full Version, Abridged Version)
EDB webpage containing “Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance, Cap 486 – Points to Note”
EDB webpage: Copyright in Education
EDB webpage: Prevention of Sexual Harassment in Schools
EDB webpage: Quality Assurance Framework
EDB webpage: Performance Indicators (Kindergartens)
EDB Circular No. 11/2018 “Enhanced Quality Assurance Framework for Kindergarten Education”
School Self-evaluation Manual, EDB (July 2018)
Kindergarten Administration Guide
Chapter 2 Learning and Teaching
2.1 Rationale and guiding principles ... 2 - 2 2.2 Curriculum planning and formulation of strategies ... 2 - 4 2.3 Timetabling ... 2 - 6 2.4 Arrangement of homework ... 2 - 8 2.5 Supporting children with diverse learning needs ... 2 - 9 2.6 Making good use of resources to cater for the diverse needs of
students ... 2 - 11 2.7 Parents’ roles and home-school communication ... 2 - 13 2.8 Interface between kindergarten and primary education ... 2 - 15
Chapter 2 Learning and Teaching
2.1 Rationale and guiding principles
1. Kindergarten (KG) education lays the foundation for lifelong learning and whole-person development. The core value of KG education lies in “child-centredness”. KGs should formulate their curriculum according to the basic principles of “children’s development”
and “children’s learning”. Children’s interests, needs and abilities should be taken into consideration. KGs should also create a stimulating learning environment that facilitates children’s development of potential. Through life experiences, sensory experiences, exploration and interesting games, children’s holistic development can be fostered.
2. Objectives of KG education: To lay the foundation of lifelong learning by fostering in children an inquisitive mind, an interest in learning and exploration, a balanced development, a healthy self-concept, and the ability and confidence to adapt to the ever- changing world.
3. KGs joining the kindergarten education scheme (Scheme-KGs) are required to offer a comprehensive local curriculum in accordance with the “Kindergarten Education Curriculum Guide” issued by the Curriculum Development Council.
4. With “child-centredness” adopted as the core value, the curriculum should be designed according to the following guiding principles:
a. Catering for the growth and developmental needs of children b. Providing real-life, sensory and interesting learning experiences c. Catering for learner diversity and the different needs of children d. Sustaining the strengths of the existing school-based curriculum
e. Collaboration among school, family and community 5. Curriculum aims:
a. To foster children’s balanced development in the domains of ethics, intellect, physique, social skills and aesthetics
b. To help children develop good living habits and a strong and healthy body
c. To foster in children an interest in learning, an inquisitive mind and eagerness to explore
d. To instil in children positive values and attitudes 6. Developmental objectives for children:
a. Moral development
b. Cognitive and language development c. Physical development
d. Affective and social development e. Aesthetic development
7. Please refer to the Kindergarten Education Curriculum Guide for details.
2.2 Curriculum planning and formulation of strategies
1. KGs should plan an open and flexible school-based curriculum with reference to the recommendations made in the Kindergarten Education Curriculum Guide so as to uphold the core value of “child-centredness” and the guiding principles for curriculum design (please see Section 2.1 above).
2. Curriculum framework:
a. The KG education curriculum framework includes three interrelated components, namely “Values and Attitudes”, “Skills” and “Knowledge”. Together they constitute a coherent curriculum structure.
b. The developmental objectives for children are to be achieved through six learning areas, namely “Physical Fitness and Health”, “Language”, “Early Childhood Mathematics”, “Nature and Living”, “Self and Society” and “Arts and Creativity”.
Real-life learning themes that are closely related to children’s daily life experiences, cognitive abilities and interests can connect the content of the six learning areas to provide children with integrated and comprehensive learning experiences which are conducive to their learning.
3. When organising curriculum content, teachers should select familiar experiences or events related to children’s daily life as the learning themes based on their interests, pace of development, abilities and prior knowledge. An integrated approach that coherently connects different learning areas, e.g. schools, families, friends and relatives, food, transportation, community, four seasons and festivals, etc. should be adopted to facilitate a balanced development of children in the domains of ethics, intellect, physique, social skills and aesthetics.
4. Teachers should understand the features of the ways children learn when designing curriculum and learning activities. The design of highly effective learning activities should take the following approaches: to select learning content from real-life themes; to provide interesting learning experiences; to cater for children’s interests and needs; to respect individual differences; to encourage children to explore with multiple senses; to solicit participation of different stakeholders in curriculum planning; and to create a caring atmosphere for children. Teachers have multiple identities and roles such as curriculum designers, knowledge providers, learning facilitators, behaviour models and caregivers.
Teachers should actively use different kinds of learning and teaching resources as well as community resources to design teaching materials, and develop school-based curriculum by taking into account the school mission, and children’s characteristics and growth needs.
5. On top of the principles for curriculum planning, KGs should take note of other important factors in curriculum implementation. They include the role of teachers, the design of learning environment and timetabling. The teaching objectives set can only be achieved by adopting various appropriate learning and teaching strategies.
6. No matter which learning and teaching strategy is adopted, letting children learn through play helps increase and sustain children’s motivation and interest in learning. Through play, children not only can develop their physical, intellectual, social, creative and thinking abilities, but also know their surroundings and experience the joy of co-operating and sharing with others. After play, teachers should invite children to share their experiences and feelings, help them organise and consolidate the new knowledge and skills acquired, and provide them with timely and positive feedback.
2.3 Timetabling
1. Children accumulate life experiences and acquire knowledge in every minute and second.
KGs should plan daily activity schedule in accordance with children’s age and learning characteristics to cater for their developmental needs. To facilitate children’s balanced development, time allocation should be flexible. Teaching by subjects or mere delivery of academic knowledge should be avoided. Teachers should let children learn through play and strengthen the element of free exploration in play.
2. Arrangements of activities:
a. Categories of activities:
Indoor and outdoor activities
Gross and fine motor activities
“Quiet” and “active” activities
Individual, group and class activities
Activities initiated by children and organised by teachers
b. Planning the content of activities: Taking into consideration various factors such as the school’s mission, school conditions and children’s needs, KGs can plan a flexible activity schedule, including the following:
Offering different types of activities to facilitate a balanced development of children
Providing opportunities for children to explore independently and learn in groups
Enabling children to construct knowledge through sensory perception and personal experiences
Providing diversified play and learning activities to cater for the different needs of children
c. Suggested time allocation:
Schedules of daily activities should be flexible and an appropriate proportion of activities should be arranged to cater for the diversity and developmental needs of children.
Whole-day KGs and KGs providing longer activity time should arrange children to have more free choice activities, physical activities, music activities and art
activities.
Half-day and whole-day KGs should arrange no less than 30 and 50 minutes every day respectively for children to participate in free play.
3. Please refer to the Kindergarten Education Curriculum Guide for details.
2.4 Arrangement of homework
1. KG education should aim at fostering in children an interest in learning and confidence, and help them develop a strong and healthy body.
2. After school, children should have sufficient time to rest and enjoy family life, or to enjoy their leisure time, cultivate a wide range of interests and develop good living habits.
3. Homework is generally defined as tasks accomplished at home. An appropriate amount of homework in line with children’s abilities can consolidate, extend or assess children’s learning performance, but it is not the only way to do so.
4. KGs should not require children in nursery class (K1) to hold a pencil and write. For children in lower and upper KG classes (K2 and K3), they should not be required to do mechanical copying and calculation, or do homework that is excessive, frequent and too difficult, so as not to cause unnecessary pressure and drilling.
5. KGs may arrange for children some simple learning tasks or parent-child exercises that are relaxing, fun and appropriate, such as reading picture books for nurturing children’s interest in reading and helping them develop a reading habit, collecting objects and passing on messages. These simple learning tasks are in line with the abilities of children and parents may offer guidance as appropriate. They can extend children’s interest in learning, help children develop good habits and a sense of responsibility, and strengthen parent-child relationship.
6. Please refer to the List of Dos and Don’ts for Kindergartens for details.
2.5 Supporting children with diverse learning needs 1. Rationale:
a. Children are unique individuals with different personalities, abilities and interests, as well as pace of development. They also vary in languages, cultures and living habits.
b. As schools adopt “child-centredness” as the core value of the curriculum, teachers should care for, accept and understand children’s individual needs and uphold the principles of inclusion so as to allow children to develop their strengths and unleash their potential.
2. Recommendations on strategies:
a. KGs should strive to create an inclusive learning environment for children and offer them pleasant and rewarding learning experiences.
b. KGs should review their school contexts in a timely manner to understand the needs of the whole school and individual children. KGs should also formulate policies on inclusion, and cater for children’s diversity in curriculum planning and implementation. Whole-school approach should be adopted to promote children’s learning and development.
c. KGs should understand and accept children’s diversified abilities and needs in learning, and make adaptations to curriculum and pace of learning and teaching to ensure children’s proper development.
d. KGs should devise effective support strategies according to the school context to allow children with different learning or adaptation needs to be able to enjoy learning with their classmates on the same campus.
3. For details on how to cater for special learning needs and learner diversity, please see Chapter 5 of the Kindergarten Education Curriculum Guide. As regards the principles and directions for facilitating integration of non-Chinese speaking (NCS) children into school settings, and strategies that teachers may use to help NCS children learn Chinese, please refer to Appendix 5 of the Kindergarten Education Curriculum Guide.
4. Interacting with Chinese speaking classmates in daily activities can help NCS students learn Chinese. When considering how a class or group is to be formed, KGs should, as far as possible, arrange to have NCS students mixed with Chinese speaking students, and encourage peer interaction to help NCS students learn Chinese, thus building an immersed Chinese language environment and an inclusive campus. For example, KGs may arrange
NCS students of the same class level into different classes for learning.
2.6 Making good use of resources to cater for the diverse needs of students
1. The overall requirement in teacher-to-pupil (TP) ratio for Scheme-KGs has been raised from 1:15 (including the principal) to 1:11 (principal not included), so that teachers could have more capacity for various professional activities, such as collaborative lesson preparation, development of school-based curriculum, professional collaboration and development, communication with parents, and catering for the diverse needs of students.
In particular, there should be professional collaboration with relevant experts in catering for the diverse needs of students (including those at risk of developmental delay).
Therefore, KGs are requested to optimise the enhanced TP ratio of 1:11 to enable better collaboration among teachers in taking care of the diverse needs of students (including NCS students and those at risk of developmental delay), and to strengthen professional collaboration with inter-disciplinary teams that provide on-site pre-school rehabilitation services to support students with special needs.
2. KGs are required to set up a school-based mechanism to support students with special needs or those at risk of developmental delay. Such a school-based mechanism and relevant practices will be subject to the monitoring of EDB. In addition, to strengthen teachers’
professional capabilities to support these students, KGs should encourage teachers to receive relevant in-service professional training, and use appropriate teaching strategies and resources to enhance support for students with diverse needs.
3. In respect of teachers’ training, starting from the 2017/18 school year, EDB has commissioned tertiary institutions to provide professional training programmes on teaching and learning of NCS students to help teachers teach the Chinese language to NCS students, and professional training programmes on catering for students with developmental needs.
Please refer to the list of recognised courses on EDB’s “Kindergarten Education Scheme”
webpage. Besides, taking into account of the context of individual schools, EDB has been providing professional support and advice to KGs through school visits and different modes of school-based professional support services. All Scheme-KGs, regardless of the number of NCS students admitted, may apply for related teachers’ professional development and school-based professional support services.
4. At the level of school development and needs, EDB has set the following training targets:
a. For catering for students with developmental needs, each Scheme-KG should have at least one teacher completed the basic course as recognised by EDB by the 2020/21 school year.
b. For supporting NCS students, each Scheme-KG having admitted NCS students (regardless of the number) should have at least one teacher completed the basic
course as recognised by EDB by the 2020/21 school year.
Please refer to EDB Circular No. 8/2018 for details.
5. When considering the remuneration for individual teachers, KGs may offer a higher salary to basic rank teachers who have received recognised professional training in supporting NCS students or students with special needs or at risk of developmental delay and are involved in related additional duties. Having a senior teacher who has undergone relevant professional training in supporting NCS students and/or students at risk of developmental delay is also preferable. KGs are advised to take this into account when considering appointees or promotees to senior teacher posts.
6. To enable Scheme-KGs to enhance the support to their NCS students, an additional five- tiered grant is provided for Scheme-KGs admitting eligible NCS students according to the number of NCS students admitted. Please refer to EDB Circular No. 14/2019 for details.
Scheme-KGs should ensure that the grant is only used for enhancing the support to NCS students. The grant may be used for appointing additional staff or procuring services to provide teachers with more manpower support and professional training to develop effective strategies to help NCS students learn Chinese and raise teachers’ cultural sensitivity so that they would be more sensitive in understanding their culture and religion when teaching NCS students. Communication with parents of NCS students may also be enhanced. To ensure proper and effective use of the grant to enhance support to NCS students, KGs in receipt of the grant are required to devise a holistic school-based plan.
In this connection, these Scheme-KGs are required to submit to EDB a school plan on the utilisation of the grant and planned support measures at the beginning of the school year, as well as a school report at the end of the school year summarising the implementation and evaluation of the measures which will serve as reference for planning the support measures for the following school year.
7. To help KGs enhance communication with parents of NCS students, templates of general kindergarten circulars for parents in nine languages are provided by EDB. If necessary, KGs may arrange interpretation and/or translation services by engaging interpreters and/or translators of major ethnic minority languages registered with the Home Affairs Department-funded Centre for Harmony and Enhancement of Ethnic Minority Residents (CHEER), or by seeking assistance from other organisations.
8. With the aid of Communication Cue Cards for Non-Chinese Speaking Families in Kindergartens produced by EDB (audio files also available), KG staff may show appreciation and care when they meet parents of NCS students, with a view to fostering a caring environment.
2.7 Parents’ roles and home-school communication
1. Parents play a very important role in their child’s early life and are their role model.
Parents, being the child’s primary educators at home, can be a major influence on the child’s healthy development and effective learning at school. Parents’ support for and proactive involvement with KG education help consolidate the child’s learning and development during the schooling in KGs.
2. Effective home-school communication helps children adapt to the learning environment, face changes and challenges of the environment, and grow happily and healthily. For example:
a. Adaptation to school life and the interface between KG and primary education:
Children have to adapt to the environment of a new stage of learning when they undergo transition “from family to KG” and “from KG to primary school”. These are new experiences and challenges to children. Talks and workshops for parents regularly organised by KGs can enhance parents’ understanding of the challenges children will face on admission to school, keep parents informed of their children’s progress of adaptation at school, and enable parents to understand the strategies of assisting their children to adapt to a new learning environment and thus co-operate with schools in related measures and arrangements.
b. Catering for learner diversity: In view of children’s diversified abilities and needs in learning, KGs should make adaptations in curriculum and pace of learning and teaching to ensure children’s proper development. KGs should set up effective home-school communication channels and mechanisms to establish regular contact and communication with parents to let them understand and support the teaching arrangements of the school.
3. Recommendations for planning home-school co-operation activities:
a. Establishing communication channels to enhance mutual understanding and gather information about children’s lives both at home and at school.
b. Organising parent education activities on topics like children’s growth, emotion management and moral development to enhance parents’ understanding of the growth and developmental characteristics of children and improve their parenting skills.
c. Recruiting parent volunteers to assist schools in implementing activities to foster a sense of belonging to the schools in them.
d. Keeping parents informed of the implementation of curriculum, and the teaching
strategies and content adopted by teachers to enlist their support for the learning activities at schools.
e. Encouraging and supporting the establishment of communication channels among parents to promote exchanges. Wherever conditions permit, home-school co-operation associations can be set up to encourage parents’ expression of views on school policies.
4 KGs are encouraged to introduce the key points in “Knowing More About Children’s Learning – Parents’ Pamphlet” (9 Languages) to deepen parents’ understanding of this topic.
2.8 Interface between kindergarten and primary education
1. When children are promoted to primary schools, they have to adapt to a new learning environment, familiarise themselves with curriculum requirements that are different from those of KGs, and meet new teachers and friends. KGs, primary schools and parents should collaborate to prepare children for primary schools in various aspects, namely psychology, emotion, living habits and learning.
2. At the KG stage, it is more important for children to lay a solid foundation for lifelong learning and develop learning abilities and attitudes than to pursue knowledge. Requiring children to learn the primary curriculum content will undermine their learning interest and motivation, damage their confidence, leading to their loss of drive to learn. This is in contradiction to the aims of the KG education curriculum.
3. In terms of learning content, KGs should help children lay a solid foundation of basic knowledge, which is conducive to their future learning. Teachers should not teach the primary school curriculum content in advance, for example, asking children to write difficult words with complicated strokes or do complex calculation exercises. Theme- based content, which helps children connect learning with life, provides valuable learning experiences for children before their subject-based learning at the primary level.
4. Upon admission to primary schools, children have to address their different needs, such as wearing clothes, going to the toilet, packing schoolbags and having lunch by themselves.
KGs can develop children’s life skills, improve their self-care abilities, and help them adapt to primary school life. In addition, KGs can also nurture children’s skills in communication and making friends. Children should learn to take the initiative to introduce themselves, greet others, and start a conversation. This helps them reduce their apprehension in an unfamiliar environment and integrate into the social life of primary school readily.
5. KGs may arrange visits to primary schools or invite alumni to share their experiences in learning and life at primary schools so as to calm their nerves and anxiety about being promoted to Primary One.
6. KGs may, through home-school communication, help parents know what roles they should play:
a. Parents should actively participate in activities related to the interface between KG and primary education or the adaptation to primary education organised by KGs or primary schools. These activities enable parents to understand the strategies of assisting their children to adapt to a new learning environment, and co-operate with
the schools in related measures and arrangements.
b. To avoid exerting pressure on children, parents need not enrol their children on
“interview classes”, “learning classes” or “tutorial classes” that merely aim for preparing children for Primary One.
c. In everyday life, parents may progressively develop children’s self-care abilities by letting them take care of themselves and share household chores, and encouraging them to pack their schoolbags, clean the house and keep personal belongings properly.
Links to References (Chapter 2)
Kindergarten Education Curriculum Guide, EDB
List of Dos and Don’ts for Kindergartens, EDB
EDB webpage containing a list of “Recognised Courses on Catering for Students with Developmental Needs and on Supporting NCS Students”
EDB Circular No. 8/2018 “Kindergarten Education Scheme – Enhancing Professional Competency of KG Principals and Teachers”
EDB Circular No. 14/2019 “Kindergarten Education Scheme – Enhanced Support for Non-Chinese Speaking Students”
EDB webpage containing the “Templates of general kindergarten circulars for parents in nine languages”
Centre for Harmony and Enhancement of Ethnic Minority Residents (CHEER) webpage
Communication Cue Cards for Non-Chinese Speaking Families in Kindergartens, EDB
EDB wedpage containing the “Knowing More About Children’s Learning – Parents’
Pamphlet” (9 Languages)
Kindergarten Administration Guide
Chapter 3 Student Matters
3.1 Student admission ... 3 - 2 3.1.1 Admission arrangements for nursery (K1) classes ... 3 - 4 3.1.2 Admission of children referred by EDB ... 3 - 6 3.1.3 Records of student information ... 3 - 6 3.1.4 Student financial assistance schemes ... 3 - 7
3.2 Health and safety ... 3 - 9 3.2.1 Health matters ... 3 - 9 3.2.2 Protecting children from maltreatment ... 3 - 9 3.2.3 Safety matters ... 3 - 14 3.2.4 School bus services ... 3 - 18 Appendix 3.1 Flow diagram of reporting mechanism for student absentees
in kindergarten.... ... 3 - 19
Chapter 3 Student Matters
3.1 Student admission
1. To maintain features of flexibility and diversity of kindergarten (KG) sector, and enable parents to have free choice of schools, KG student admission continues to remain a school- based matter. In this connection, all KGs are required to ensure that the admission mechanism is fair, just and open which provides equal opportunities in admission for all children (regardless of their race, gender and ability), and in compliance with the existing Hong Kong legislation, including legislation on equal opportunities (namely the Sex Discrimination Ordinance, Disability Discrimination Ordinance, Family Status Discrimination Ordinance and Race Discrimination Ordinance). In addition, in handling student admission matters, KGs should comply with the requirements such as the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance and the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance, and draw reference to the Sample Code of Conduct for Managers and Staff of Kindergartens issued by the Independent Commission Against Corruption.
2. In view of young children’s physical and mental development, EDB considers that students should not concurrently enrol to classes of both morning (AM) and afternoon (PM) sessions.
Under the kindergarten education scheme (the Scheme), parents are required to use
“Registration Certificate for Kindergarten Admission” (hereafter referred to as “RC”) /
“Kindergarten Admission Pass” (hereafter referred to as “AP”) for K1 registration. EDB will issue an “RC” / “AP” to each child who can receive education in Hong Kong.
Children who are eligible for receiving subsidy under the Scheme will be issued an “RC”.
If a child is not eligible for receiving subsidy under the Scheme, an “AP” will be issued for registration and admission to a KG joining the Scheme (Scheme-KG) but the parents concerned are required to pay full school fees before deduction of subsidy under the Scheme as shown on the Fees Certificate of the KG admitting the child. In principle, Scheme-KGs can only admit students holding a valid “RC” / “AP”. For parents who have completed the registration procedures by submitting the “RC” / “AP” of their children to the chosen Scheme-KG and also paid the registration fee, if they would like to enrol their children in another KG subsequently but do not intend to give up the registered KG place, they will be unable to submit an “RC” / “AP” to the other KG. The KG concerned cannot admit their children even if the parents are willing to pay full school fee. In short, Scheme-KGs can only admit children with an “RC” / “AP”, regardless of the level.
3. Scheme-KGs should comply with the instructions, guidelines on admission arrangements and annual circular memoranda on student admission (particularly those for K1 classes) issued by EDB. Among others, Scheme-KGs should:
a. formulate a school-based admission mechanism, under which the application and interview procedures, selection criteria, number of applicants to be interviewed, etc., should be determined before admission;
b. not limit the number of application forms to be distributed/collected;
c. inform parents in advance of the arrangements for obtaining and submitting application forms and the details of school-based admission mechanism through effective channels, as well as upload the relevant information together with the link to the EDB’s website on K1 Admission Arrangements in KGs onto the school website.
To facilitate parents of non-Chinese speaking (NCS) children in obtaining relevant information, schools should create an icon or provide a simple message in English on the home page of the school website prominently, to let parents know instantly how to obtain the English version of the information when browsing the home page of the school website. At the same time, KGs should also provide the link to the English version of the EDB’s website on K1 Admission Arrangements in KGs (http://www.edb.gov.hk/k1-admission_e) on the school website prominently;
d. provide both the Chinese and English versions of application forms, information on application arrangements and admission criteria, etc.;
e. establish an effective means of communication and provide assistance to NCS children and their parents as far as practicable; and
f. continue to admit children with different backgrounds and needs if there are vacancies.
The relevant guidelines and frequently asked questions have been uploaded onto the EDB website.
4. KGs may formulate their school-based admission criteria by taking into consideration different perspectives, such as education professionalism, home-school cooperation, student interests and child care. To unleash the potential of the local labour force under the population policy, whole-day (WD)/long whole-day (LWD) KGs are provided with additional resources by the Government. When considering applications for WD/LWD classes, KGs should give due priority to families that need such services. Specifically, these are families with working parents and families in need of WD/LWD services due to their special circumstances (such as families that need to take care of persons with disability at home). Such relevant considerations should be included in the admission criteria announced by the KGs.
5. KGs must provide equal opportunities in admission for all children (regardless of their race, gender and ability), including handling the applications from NCS children properly with due regard to the difference in their culture and customs from local practices. KGs should
ensure that all staff involved in the admission procedures have a clear understanding of the measures catering for NCS children and their parents and implement such measures properly, such as providing the English version of application forms and admission guidelines to parents of NCS children.
6. If interviews are required as a part of the admission procedures, KGs have to respect the pattern of children’s development and KGs should not require children to answer questions or do tasks that are intellectually, physically and emotionally beyond their age. Should KGs choose not to interview all children, they must specify the details of the school-based admission mechanism in advance.
7. When interviewing NCS children, KGs should arrange interpretation and/or translation services for applicants where necessary, e.g. making good use of interpretation and/or translation service provided by the Centre for Harmony and Enhancement of Ethnic Minority Residents (CHEER) funded by the Home Affairs Department. KGs may also allow parents and children to be accompanied by a Chinese speaking relative/friend during the interview to facilitate communication. KGs should state explicitly the above- mentioned interview arrangements on the school website to inform parents of NCS children that the above assistance could be offered. At the same time, KGs should put in place an effective means of communication and provide assistance to NCS children and their parents as far as practicable.
8. All staff involved in the selection of applicants are required to declare conflict of interests (e.g. has kinship with an applicant). All documents must be kept properly for records.
If a staff has declared a conflict of interest, schools should consider assigning another staff for interview.
9. Admission criteria, particulars of applicants (such as their application forms and identity documents) and interview records (such as assessment and selection results) should be properly kept for records. KGs should also provide timely response to parents’ enquiries about admission arrangements and handle related complaints.
3.1.1 Admission arrangements for nursery (K1) classes
1. With regard to the age of admission to K1 classes, ideally, children should attain the age of three before they are sent for school education as children of that age are to a certain extent physically and mentally ready for KG education. However, in view of the general request for dovetailing the admission age for KGs and primary schools, the admission age for KGs as at September was relaxed to two years eight months starting from the 2001/02 school
