Government of the HKSAR Education Bureau 26 June 2020 Ref.: EDB(EC)5/2041/07

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Government of the HKSAR Education Bureau

26 June 2020 Ref.: EDB(EC)5/2041/07

Education Bureau Circular No. 8/2020

New Funding Arrangements for

Enhancing Support for Learning and Teaching Chinese for Non-Chinese Speaking Students

(Note: This circular should be read by

(a) Supervisors/Heads of all government schools, aided schools (including special schools), caput schools and Direct Subsidy Scheme schools offering the local curriculum ─ for necessary action; and

(b) Heads of sections ─ for information.) Summary

The Government is committed to encouraging and supporting the integration of non- Chinese speaking (NCS) students¹ into the community, including facilitating their early adaptation to the local education system and mastery of the Chinese language. As announced in the 2019 Policy Address, the Education Bureau (EDB) will, starting from the 2020/21 school year, further adjust the additional funding models for schools admitting NCS students and step up monitoring and support. This circular aims to set out for schools the implementation details of relevant measures. Schools should refer to and read this circular in conjunction with EDB Circular No. 8/2014 “Enhanced Chinese Learning and Teaching for Non-Chinese Speaking Students” issued on 5 June 2014.

Background

2. Starting from the 2014/15 school year, EDB has enhanced the support for NCS students’ effective learning of Chinese, which includes the implementation of the “Chinese Language Curriculum Second Language Learning Framework” (“Learning Framework”) in primary and secondary schools, and substantially increased the additional funding to schools to facilitate schools’ implementation of the “Learning Framework” and creation of an inclusive learning environment in schools. Starting from the 2014/15 school year, all ordinary schools² admitting 10 or more NCS students are provided with an additional funding ranging from $0.8 million to $1.5 million per year depending on the number of NCS students admitted. These

1 For the planning of educational support measures, students whose spoken language at home is not Chinese are broadly categorised as NCS students.

2 Ordinary schools include public sector primary and secondary schools and Direct Subsidy Scheme (DSS) primary and secondary schools offering the local curriculum.

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schools are required to adopt diversified intensive learning and teaching modes³ as appropriate to enhance the effectiveness of NCS students’ learning of Chinese. Schools admitting a relatively small number of NCS students (i.e. 1 to 9 NCS students) may apply for an additional funding of $50,000 on a need basis to offer after-school Chinese language support programmes to consolidate what their NCS students have learnt in classes. Besides, each special school admitting 6 or more NCS students is provided with an additional funding ranging from $0.65 million to $1.5 million depending on the curriculum offered and the number of NCS students admitted.

Details

3. Starting from the 2020/21 school year, all schools admitting a relatively small number of NCS students (i.e. 1 to 9 NCS students for ordinary schools and 1 to 5 NCS students for special schools) will be provided with a new two-tiered subsidy. Application for the funding is not required. The amount of the funding will be adjusted on a school year basis according to the year-on-year movement of the Composite Consumer Price Index (CCPI) or the annual rate of the Civil Service Pay Adjustment (CSPA). The additional funding models are as follows:

School type Number of NCS students

Full-year provision of the additional funding ($ million)

Adjustment mechanism

Ordinary schools

and special schools 1 - 5 0.15 Year-on-year

movement of the CCPI

Ordinary schools 6 - 9 0.30 Annual rate

of the CSPA 4. As regards ordinary schools admitting 10 or more NCS students and special schools admitting 6 or more NCS students, the amount of the additional funding will be based on that of the preceding school year⁴ and adjusted on a school year basis according to the annual rate

3 Generally speaking, diversified intensive learning and teaching modes include pull-out learning, split- class/group learning, after-school consolidation, etc.

4 The amount of the additional funding in the 2019/20 school year is as follows:

Ordinary schools Special schools

Number of

NCS students Full-year provision of the

additional funding ($ million) Number of

NCS students Full-year provision of the additional funding ($ million)

6 - 9 0.65

10 - 25 0.80  The additional funding model for special schools

admitting 10 or more NCS students and with NCS students taking an ordinary school curriculum is the same as that for ordinary schools.

 The additional funding for special schools admitting 6 or more NCS students but not offering or without any NCS students taking an ordinary school curriculum is $0.65 million.

26 - 50 0.95

51 - 75 1.10

76 - 90 1.25

91 or more 1.50

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of the CSPA for schools to appoint experienced additional teaching staff and relevant personnel.

All information about the adjusted amount of the additional funding (if applicable) will be announced on the EDB’s dedicated webpage (https://www.edb.gov.hk/ncs).

Use of the Additional Funding

5. The additional funding should only be used to enhance the support for NCS students’

learning of Chinese and create an inclusive learning environment in schools, including strengthening the communication with parents of NCS students and home-school cooperation.

With regard to practical circumstances and learning needs of their NCS students, schools should optimise the use of the additional funding. All schools provided with the additional funding should assign a dedicated teacher/team to coordinate matters relating to support for NCS students’ learning of Chinese and the creation of an inclusive learning environment in schools to ensure that teachers and staff in general understand school policies and measures on supporting NCS students, and to raise their cultural awareness. Please refer to Annex 1 for the General Guidelines on the Use of the Additional Funding.

6. Ordinary schools admitting 1 to 9 NCS students and special schools admitting 1 to 5 NCS students should assess their NCS students’ needs in learning Chinese in a timely manner.

This includes adopting the “Chinese Language Assessment Tools for NCS students”

(“Assessment Tools”) and diversified school-based assessment methods to implement the

“Learning Framework” or the “Chinese Language Curriculum Second Language Adapted Learning Framework (for NCS Students with Intellectual Disabilities)” (“Adapted Framework”) as appropriate, with a view to setting appropriate learning targets for all NCS students admitted and planning the support to cater for their learning needs. In this regard, with reference to their school-based circumstances, schools may deploy the additional funding to appoint additional teaching staff/teaching assistants, hire professional services and procure learning and teaching resources, and provide NCS students with additional in-class support (such as implementing pull-out learning and split-class/group learning in some of the Chinese Language lessons as appropriate) and/or after-school Chinese learning support.

7. Ordinary schools admitting 10 or more NCS students are required to, based on the

“Learning Framework”, adopt the “Assessment Tools”, which are in conjunction with the

“Learning Framework”, to assess the learning performance of NCS students each school year.

They should also make reference to the expected learning outcomes at different learning levels as set out in the “Learning Framework” and adopt a “small-step” progressive learning approach to set appropriate learning targets and plan the support for all NCS students admitted. This includes adopting appropriate teaching strategies and learning and teaching materials, and arranging additional manpower to adopt diversified intensive learning and teaching modes (such as pull-out learning, split-class/group learning, increasing Chinese Language lesson time, learning Chinese across the curriculum, after-school consolidation, etc.) as appropriate according to the learning needs of NCS students, with a view to helping NCS students learn Chinese systematically.

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8. As regards special schools admitting 6 or more NCS students, generally speaking, special schools offering an ordinary school curriculum should make reference to the “Learning Framework” while other special schools should make reference to the “Adapted Framework”

in setting appropriate learning targets for NCS students, planning school-based curriculum and developing appropriate teaching materials to support NCS students’ learning of Chinese.

Besides, generally speaking, the “Assessment Tools” are applicable to NCS students taking an ordinary school curriculum in special schools while diversified school-based assessment methods should be adopted for NCS students taking an adapted curriculum. With reference to students’ learning performance and school-based circumstances, schools may also adopt the

“Assessment Tools” flexibly to keep track of the students’ learning progress and learning outcomes, with a view to assessing their learning effectiveness, providing effective feedback and planning appropriate support for the students.

9. In respect of the creation of an inclusive learning environment in schools, all schools admitting NCS students should strengthen the communication with parents of NCS students.

In this regard, schools may deploy part of the additional funding to organise diversified cultural activities, appoint assistants of different races or procure translation services (such as translating school circulars or important matters on their school webpages), etc. as appropriate, with a view to encouraging NCS students to master the Chinese language through home-school cooperation.

10. In view of the fact that both the number of NCS students admitted and their Chinese proficiency may vary year by year, schools may need to adjust the manpower and resources for supporting NCS students’ learning of Chinese and the support strategies adopted. Schools should keep in view the change in the number of NCS students and plan the deployment of the additional funding as early as possible. In planning the deployment of the funding, schools are encouraged to optimise the use of their immersed Chinese language environment and work out holistic plans that dovetail with existing measures and resources in light of their school- based circumstances.

Submission of NCS Students’ Information

11. Schools are required to complete and return the form on “Estimated Number of Eligible NCS Students in the New School Year” (the templates are at Annex 2 and Annex 3) and submit relevant information where necessary by 31 July each year. In addition, schools should submit via WebSAMS accurate information of all students (including information of NCS students verified by schools) as at the reference date specified in the Enrolment Survey (usually in mid-September)⁵.

12. In this regard, schools should collect as early as possible information of the students concerned (including their spoken language at home, ethnicity, etc.) from parents, verify such information and update the relevant information of the NCS students on WebSAMS. Schools should inform parents of the purpose of collecting the information, as well as the principles on

5 Provision of the additional funding for DSS schools will be determined by the number of NCS students admitted as at the end of September each year.

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providing additional support for NCS students’ learning of Chinese and the relevant measures.

The policy concerned generally supports students of different races who learn Chinese as a second language and take the local curriculum in schools. In case a special case is identified when verifying the relevant information (e.g. parents of an ethnic Chinese student report that the student’s spoken language at home is not Chinese), schools should look into the reasons and obtain relevant information where necessary so as to examine whether the case is in line with the intent and principles of the policy concerned. Where necessary, schools are required to provide EDB with information about such special cases.

Disbursement Arrangements of the Additional Funding

13. EDB will calculate the amount of the additional funding each eligible school should be provided with in the school year based on the number of students and findings (including information of NCS students verified by schools) of the Enrolment Survey conducted in September each year as at the reference datespecified therein(usually in mid-September)⁵. In case a school becomes ineligible for the additional funding for it has not admitted any NCS students, or the funding already disbursed to the school exceeds the amount of the additional funding it should be provided with, the school must return all overpayment to EDB within the school year.

14. The additional funding will be disbursed as a lump sum to ordinary schools admitting 1 to 9 NCS students and special schools admitting 1 to 5 NCS students in August each year at the earliest⁶ according to the estimated number of eligible NCS students reported by schools.

The additional funding for ordinary schools admitting 10 or more NCS students or special schools admitting 6 or more NCS students will be disbursed in two instalments⁷. For all schools admitting NCS students, in case of a difference between the estimated number of eligible NCS students reported by schools and the findings of the Enrolment Survey to the extent that the full-year provision of the additional funding is affected, EDB will adjust the amount of the additional funding or make clawback arrangements for the funding already disbursed to schools as necessary in the first quarter of the following year.

Accounting Arrangements

15. The additional funding is for specific purposes only. Schools should compile a separate ledger to handle all income and expenditure of the additional funding, and keep proper records of various expenditure items and related receipts/invoices for inspection when necessary. Aided schools (including special schools), DSS schools and caput schools should observe the requirements stipulated in the relevant EDB circular memoranda and letters calling

6 As some schools need more time to process information of newly admitted NCS students, the additional funding will be disbursed to those eligible schools upon commencement of the new school year in September.

7 Generally speaking, EDB will disburse the first instalment in August at the earliest based on the estimated number of NCS students reported by schools in the form on “Estimated Number of Eligible NCS Students in the New School Year” and relevant information submitted by schools on or before 31 July each year. As some schools need more time to process information of newly admitted NCS students, the first instalment of the funding will be disbursed to those eligible schools upon commencement of the new school year in September. The second instalment of the funding will be disbursed in April of the following year.

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for schools’ submission of audited annual accounts, and submit their audited annual accounts to EDB for scrutiny. As regards government schools, the additional funding will be disbursed in the form of budget allocation. The expenditure should be charged to a designated account and should not exceed the allocation in the financial year. All schools should also observe stipulations in prevailing ordinances, regulations and circulars related to appointment, procurement of services, handling of accounts, etc.

16. Schools should maximise the use of the additional funding disbursed each school year in a timely manner so as to support the NCS students in the school year. Therefore, in principle, schools should not accumulate a substantial surplus of the additional funding.

However, as schools may need to gain experience of supporting NCS students and adjust the support strategies and modes to meet the needs of various NCS students, they may retain part of the additional funding up to an accumulated level not exceeding the total provision of the funding for the school year. Any surplus in excess should be returned to EDB. Based on schools’ audited annual accounts, EDB will claw back any surplus in excess. Schools should not transfer the additional funding/surplus to other ledgers. The arrangements for government schools are generally the same as those for aided schools, DSS schools and caput schools, except that the funding is financial year-based. Government schools may carry forward their surplus to a level up to the total provision of the funding for the financial year to the next financial year. Any surplus in excess will lapse at the end of the financial year⁸.

17. If a deficit is incurred on the abovementioned funding, schools may cover it by deploying the surplus under the Expanded Operating Expenses Block Grant or the General Domain of the Operating Expenses Block Grant (for aided schools)/the surplus under the DSS Subsidy (for DSS schools)/the surplus under the Fee Subsidy (for caput schools). If there still remains an unsettled deficit after the top-up, it has to be met with the schools’ own funds.

Government schools may deploy the surplus under the Expanded Subject and Curriculum Block Grant to top up the funding. For key issues and workflow regarding the disbursement of the additional funding, please refer to Annex 4 or Annex 5.

Evaluation, Accountability and Support

18. All schools provided with the additional funding are required to plan their support measures for NCS students early and review them on an ongoing basis. They should also submit to EDB a school plan and a school report on the deployment of the funding and relevant support measures endorsed by their Incorporated Management Committees/School Management Committees each school year, summarising the implementation and evaluating the effectiveness of relevant measures. This will serve as reference for planning the support

8 For ordinary schools admitting 1 to 9 NCS students and special schools admitting 1 to 5 NCS students which have applied to EDB and received the funding of $50,000 to provide after-school Chinese learning support in or before the 2019/20 school year, surplus of the funding can be carried forward to the 2020/21 school year to offer diversified after-school Chinese learning support. The surplus which can be carried forward to the 2020/21 school year is capped at $50,000. Any surplus in excess should be returned to EDB upon the end of the 2019/20 school year. Upon the end of the 2020/21 school year, all remaining funding should be returned to EDB. Besides, schools are required to set up a separate ledger for the two-tiered subsidy to be provided starting from the 2020/21 school year.

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measures for the following school year. Following the prevailing procedure, the school report of the preceding school year (if applicable) , as well as the school plan for the new school year, signed by the school supervisor should be submitted on or before 30 November each year. In addition, starting from the 2021/22 school year, schools are required to provide a bilingual summary in both Chinese and English, elucidating how they have supported NCS students’

learning of Chinese and created an inclusive learning environment in the schools⁹ in the preceding school year on or before 30 November each year. The summary should be uploaded to their school webpages for parents’ reference. Schools should create an icon or provide a simple message in English in a prominent position on the homepage of their school webpages to facilitate parents in browsing the relevant information. EDB will examine the school plans and school reports submitted by schools, monitor schools’ deployment of the funding, and provide schools with professional advice and support through supervisory school visits from time to time. EDB will also collect the views of schools’ major stakeholders through questionnaire surveys for reviewing the implementation of the support measures.

19. To enhance transparency of schools’ deployment of the additional funding to provide relevant support measures, and to provide parents of NCS students with more comprehensive information on making school choices, starting from the 2018/19 school year, a separate column on “Education Support for NCS Students” has been added to the School Profiles for schools to provide key information on their support for NCS students. All schools provided with the additional funding are required to specify the schools’ additional support measures for enhancing NCS students’ learning of Chinese and the creation of an inclusive learning environment in the schools. EDB encourages schools to keep disseminating relevant information through diversified channels, such as enriching the content of the Chinese and English versions of School Profiles and school webpages, creating a prominent icon on the homepage of their school webpages directing to the English version of the School Profiles, or providing information of contact persons who are able to communicate in English/other languages so as to facilitate parents of NCS students in making enquiries and obtaining relevant information.

20. Under the new funding arrangements, teachers are encouraged to participate in professional development activities/programmes and school-based support services related to supporting NCS students so as to enhance their professional capability for teaching NCS students and their cultural and religious sensitivity in taking care of NCS students. Besides, we will invite schools to share their practical experiences when appropriate to promote professional exchange among schools, with a view to achieving greater effectiveness in deploying the additional funding to support NCS students’ learning of Chinese and create an inclusive learning environment in schools.

Briefing Sessions

21. EDB will organise briefing sessions for schools in July 2020 on the new funding

9 Schools may download the template(s) of the summary from the EDB’s dedicated webpage.

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arrangements. For details on the briefing sessions and enrolment, please refer to the Training Calendar System on the EDB webpage.

Enquiries

22. For details on education support provided for NCS students, please browse the EDB’s dedicated webpage. For enquiries, please contact EDB:

Additional funding to schools

： 3509 8572 / 3509 8573

(for ordinary schools admitting 1 to 9 NCS students and special schools admitting 1 to 5 NCS students)

3509 8560 / 3509 7554

(for ordinary schools admitting 10 or more NCS students and special schools admitting 6 or more NCS students) Chinese Language

curriculum

： 2892 6217 (primary schools) 2892 5893 (secondary schools)

2892 6524 / 2892 6418 (special schools) School-based professional

support services

： 2152 3217

Ms Teresa CHAN for Secretary for Education

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Annex 1 General Guidelines on the Use of the Additional Funding

1. Ambit of the additional funding

 Enhancing the support for non-Chinese speaking (NCS) students’ learning of Chinese

 Creating an inclusive learning environment in schools, including strengthening the communication with parents of NCS students and home-school cooperation

2. Examples of deploying the additional funding within the ambit

 Appointing additional Chinese Language teachers (full-time/part-time) to implement pull-out learning, split-class/group learning during Chinese Language lessons and/or offer after-school Chinese learning support to NCS students, etc.

 Appointing additional teachers (full-time/part-time) to relieve the teaching loads of the serving experienced Chinese Language teachers to enhance the support for NCS students’ learning of Chinese

 Appointing teaching assistants to assist teachers in supporting NCS students’ learning of Chinese and creating an inclusive learning environment in schools

 Appointing assistants of different races to strengthen the communication with NCS students and their parents

 Procuring professional services such as collaborating with non-governmental organisations to organise after-school Chinese learning programmes/activities which promote cultural integration

 Appointing part-time instructors to organise after-school Chinese learning programmes

 Purchasing learning and teaching resources (e.g. Chinese picture books, multimedia and electronic learning software, or online Chinese learning platforms which help NCS students learn Chinese)

 Procuring translation services (e.g. translating school circulars or important matters on school webpages)

 Organising activities which promote an inclusive learning environment in schools

 Organising seminars for parents, promoting home-school cooperation and organising activities on parent education

 Procuring professional services to provide teachers with training on teaching Chinese as a second language and raise their cultural and religious sensitivity

3. Examples of deploying the additional funding not within the ambit

 Appointing staff not directly related to supporting NCS students’ learning of Chinese (e.g. social workers, educational psychologists, speech therapists, guidance personnel, administrative or clerical staff)

 Appointing additional teaching staff or relevant personnel; however, additional support measures for NCS students are not provided accordingly

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 Purchasing devices, equipment or software (e.g. mobile computing devices, chargers, electronic equipment or computer software) for general purposes

 Purchasing equipment or tools for handling clerical work of the school

 Meeting the costs of renovation/works on the school premises

 Purchasing furniture and equipment

 Meeting the expenses merely on food, beverages or celebrations/activities without any specific learning objectives and contents (e.g. graduation dinners and parties)

 Meeting banquet or courtesy-related expenses

 Meeting in full or in part the expenses on NCS students’ visa applications or participation in exchange activities outside Hong Kong

Notes: The above-mentioned examples are by no means exhaustive. Incorporated Management Committees (IMCs)/School Management Committees (SMCs) are required to prudently deploy the additional funding and properly allocate the resources.

IMCs/SMCs should also ensure that the resources are utilised in a cost-effective manner and that each item of expenditure is in line with the principles on proper deployment of the additional funding and within the ambit. All information stated in the school plans and school reports must be comprehensive, complete and true.

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Template (For reference only)

Annex 2 To: Education Commission and Planning Division, Education Bureau (Fax: 2537 4591) (Please submit by fax on or before 31 July each year)

For (a) ordinary schools¹ admitting 1 to 9 non-Chinese speaking students² (b) special schools admitting 1 to 5 non-Chinese speaking students

Estimated Number of Eligible Non-Chinese Speaking (NCS) Students in the New School Year

With _______ NCS students currently studying at Primary One to Five/Secondary One to Five* in our school, and in anticipation of a new intake of _______ NCS students at Primary One/Secondary One/other grade levels (please specify:______)* in the new school year, it is initially estimated that there will be a total of _______ NCS students (excluding NCS students taking a non-local curriculum in the school) in the 20____/____ school year. We confirm upon initial verification that the above-mentioned students are all NCS students, and have updated the relevant information of NCS students (including their spoken language at home and ethnicity) accordingly on WebSAMS.

Our school understands that the Education Bureau (EDB) will calculate the amount of the additional funding schools should be provided with based on the number of students and findings (including information of NCS students verified by schools) of the Enrolment Survey conducted in September each year as at the reference date specified therein (usually in mid- September)³, and that schools should provide information about special cases to EDB where necessary. The funding will be disbursed to eligible schools as a lump sum in August each year at the earliest (as detailed in paragraph 14 of EDB Circular No. 8/2020). In case there is a difference between the estimated number of eligible NCS students reported by our school and the findings of the Enrolment Survey to the extent that the full-year provision of the additional funding is affected, EDB will adjust the amount of the funding or make clawback arrangements for the funding already disbursed to schools as necessary in the first quarter of the following year. Our school hereby undertakes to fully return overpayment (if applicable) to EDB within the school year.

2 For the planning of educational support measures, students whose spoken language at home is not Chinese are broadly categorised as NCS students. As regards special schools, if a student’s spoken language at home cannot be identified due to special circumstances (e.g. the student does not communicate in spoken language), they can make reference to the spoken language used by his/her parent(s) and determine whether the student is an NCS student accordingly. For students whose spoken language at home is unknown or not applicable (e.g.

boarding students), generally speaking, they should not be categorised as NCS students by schools.

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Our school undertakes to comply with the requirements as set out in EDB Circular No.

8/2014 and No. 8/2020. Our school will also optimise the use of the funding to support the learning of Chinese of NCS students in the new school year, create an inclusive learning environment in the school, including strengthening the communication with parents of NCS students, and ensure that NCS students have equal opportunities for learning Chinese as their Chinese-speaking peers. Our school will comply with the related requirements and submit to EDB the school report for the current school year (if applicable) and the school plan for the new school year endorsed by the Incorporated Management Committee/School Management Committee*, together with relevant documents signed by the school supervisor on or before 30 November this year. Besides, upon the end of the new school year, our school will comply with the related requirements and provide a bilingual summary in both Chinese and English, elucidating how we have supported NCS students’ learning of Chinese and created an inclusive learning environment in the school, and upload the summary to our school webpage for parents’

reference.

Signature of Supervisor/Principal* : Name of Supervisor/Principal* :

Name of school :

School registration number : (6-digit SCRN)

School telephone number :

School fax number :

Name of coordinator : (Post: ) Email address of coordinator :

Date :

* Please delete as appropriate

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Template (For reference only)

Annex 3 To: Education Commission and Planning Division, Education Bureau (Fax: 2179 5492) (Please submit by fax on or before 31 July each year)

For (a) ordinary schools¹ admitting 10 or more non-Chinese speaking students² (b) special schools admitting 6 or more non-Chinese speaking students

Estimated Number of Eligible Non-Chinese Speaking (NCS) Students in the New School Year

With _______ NCS students currently studying at Primary One to Five/Secondary One to Five* in our school, and in anticipation of a new intake of _______ NCS students at Primary One/Secondary One/other grade levels (please specify:______)* in the new school year, it is initially estimated that there will be a total of _______ NCS students (excluding NCS students taking a non-local curriculum in the school) in the 20____/____ school year. [Applicable to special schools: Among the above-mentioned NCS students³, _______are taking an adapted curriculum for students with intellectual disabilities while _______ are taking an ordinary school curriculum] We confirm upon initial verification that the above-mentioned students are all NCS students, and have updated the relevant information of NCS students (including their spoken language at home and ethnicity) accordingly on WebSAMS.

Our school understands that the Education Bureau (EDB) will calculate the amount of the additional funding schools should be provided with based on the number of students and findings (including information of NCS students verified by schools) of the Enrolment Survey conducted in September each year as at the reference date specified therein (usually in mid- September)⁴, and that schools should provide information about special cases to EDB where necessary. The funding will be disbursed to eligible schools in two instalments (as detailed in paragraph 14 of EDB Circular No. 8/2020). In case there is a difference between the estimated number of eligible NCS students reported by our school and the findings of the Enrolment Survey to the extent that the full-year provision of the additional funding is affected, EDB will adjust the amount of the funding or make clawback arrangements for the funding already disbursed to schools as necessary in the first quarter of the following year. Our school hereby undertakes to fully return overpayment (if applicable) to EDB within the school year.

1 Ordinary schools include public sector primary and secondary schools, and Direct Subsidy Scheme (DSS) primary and secondary schools offering the local curriculum.

2 For the planning of educational support measures, students whose spoken language at home is not Chinese are broadly categorised as NCS students.

3 As regards special schools, if a student’s spoken language at home cannot be identified due to special circumstances (e.g. the student does not communicate in spoken language), they can make reference to the spoken language used by his/her parent(s) and determine whether the student is an NCS student accordingly.

For students whose spoken language at home is unknown or not applicable (e.g. boarding students), generally speaking, they should not be categorised as NCS students by schools.

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Our school undertakes to comply with the requirements as set out in EDB Circular No.

8/2014 and No. 8/2020. Our school will also optimise the use of the funding to support the learning of Chinese of NCS students in the new school year, create an inclusive learning environment in the school, including strengthening the communication with parents of NCS students, and ensure that NCS students have equal opportunities for learning Chinese as their Chinese-speaking peers. Our school will comply with the related requirements and submit to EDB the school report for the current school year (if applicable) and the school plan for the new school year endorsed by the Incorporated Management Committee/School Management Committee*, together with relevant documents signed by the school supervisor on or before 30 November this year. Besides, upon the end of the new school year, our school will comply with the related requirements and provide a bilingual summary in both Chinese and English, elucidating how we have supported NCS students’ learning of Chinese and created an inclusive learning environment in the school, and upload the summary to our school webpage for parents’

reference.

Signature of Supervisor/Principal* : Name of Supervisor/Principal* :

Name of school :

School registration number : (6-digit SCRN)

School telephone number :

School fax number :

Name of coordinator : (Post: ) Email address of coordinator :

Date :

* Please delete as appropriate

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Annex 4 Key Issues and Workflow regarding the Disbursement of the Additional Funding to

Enhance Support for Learning and Teaching Chinese for Non-Chinese Speaking (NCS) Students

(Applicable to ordinary schools¹ admitting 1 to 9 NCS students and special schools admitting 1 to 5 NCS students)

Period Key issues

By 31 July Submission of information

Schools should submit the completed form on “Estimated Number of Eligible NCS Students in the New School Year” (the template is at Annex 2) and relevant information where necessary.

July to September

Collection, verification and update of students’ information

 Schools should collect as early as possible information of the students concerned (including their spoken language at home, ethnicity, etc.) from parents, inform parents of the purpose of collecting the information, as well as the principles on providing additional support for NCS students’ learning of Chinese and the relevant measures.

 Schools should verify and update the relevant information of the NCS students on WebSAMS. Where necessary, schools are required to provide the Education Bureau (EDB) with information about special cases.

 Schools should submit all students’ information (including information of NCS students verified by schools) as at the reference date specified in the Enrolment Survey (usually in mid-September)² via WebSAMS.

August to December

Disbursement of the additional funding as a lump sum

EDB will disburse the additional funding as a lump sum to eligible schools in August each year at the earliest according to the estimated number of eligible NCS students in the new school year and relevant information submitted by the schools on or before 31 July. As some schools need more time to communicate with parents of newly admitted NCS students to collect and verify these students’ information, the funding will be disbursed to those eligible schools upon commencement of the new school year in September. EDB will calculate the amount of the additional funding each eligible school should be provided with in the school year based on the number of NCS students and findings of the Enrolment Survey conducted in September each year as at the reference

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date specified therein(usually in mid-September)². By 30

November

Submission of school plan and school report

Schools should submit to EDB the school report for the preceding school year (if applicable) and the school plan for the new school year endorsed by their Incorporated Management Committees/School Management Committees, together with relevant documents signed by the school supervisor.

January to March of the following year

Adjustment to the full-year provision of the funding

If the full-year provision of the additional funding is subject to adjustment, or if there is a difference between the estimated number of eligible NCS students reported by schools and the findings of the Enrolment Survey to the extent that the full-year provision of the additional funding is affected, EDB will adjust the amount of the funding or make clawback arrangements for the funding already disbursed to schools as necessary in the first quarter of the following year.

September (for secondary schools)/

May of the following year (for primary schools)

Update of School Profiles and information on school support measures

 Primary and secondary schools are required to specify the schools’

additional support measures for enhancing NCS students’ learning of Chinese and the creation of an inclusive learning environment in the schools in the column “Education Support for NCS Students” in the School Profiles.

 Schools may provide both the Chinese and English versions of their webpages, create a prominent icon on the homepage of their school webpages directing to the English version of the School Profiles, or provide information of contact persons who are able to communicate in English/other languages so as to facilitate parents of NCS students in making enquiries or obtaining relevant information.

By 30

November of the following school year

Upload of summary in Chinese and English to school webpages Starting from the 2021/22 school year, schools should provide a bilingual

summary in both Chinese and English, elucidating how the schools have supported NCS students’ learning of Chinese and created an inclusive learning environment in the schools in the preceding school year. The summary should be uploaded to their school webpages for parents’

reference.

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Annex 5 Key Issues and Workflow regarding the Disbursement of the Additional Funding to

Enhance Support for Learning and Teaching Chinese for Non-Chinese Speaking (NCS) Students

(Applicable to ordinary schools¹ admitting 10 or more NCS students and special schools admitting 6 or more NCS students)

Period Key issues

By 31 July Submission of information

Schools should submit the completed form on “Estimated Number of Eligible NCS Students in the New School Year” (the template is at Annex 3) and relevant information where necessary.

July to September

Collection, verification and update of students’ information

 Schools should collect as early as possible information of the students’ concerned (including their spoken language at home, ethnicity, etc.) from parents, inform parents of the purpose of collecting the information, as well as the principles on providing additional support for NCS students’ learning of Chinese and the relevant measures.

 Schools should verify and update the relevant information of the NCS students on WebSAMS. Where necessary, schools are required to provide the Education Bureau (EDB) with information about special cases.

 Schools should submit all students’ information (including information of NCS students verified by schools) as at the reference date specified in the Enrolment Survey (usually in mid-September)² via WebSAMS.

August to December

Disbursement of the first instalment of the additional funding EDB will disburse the first instalment of the additional funding in August each year at the earliest according to the estimated number of eligible NCS students in the new school year and relevant information submitted by the schools on or before 31 July. As some schools need more time to communicate with parents of newly admitted NCS students to collect and verify these students’ information, the first instalment of the funding will be disbursed to those eligible schools upon commencement of the new school year in September. EDB will calculate the amount of the additional funding of each eligible school should be provided with in the school year based on the number of NCS students and findings of the Enrolment Survey conducted in September each year as at the reference date specified therein (usually in mid-

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September)². By 30

November

Submission of school plan and school report

Schools should submit to EDB the school report for the preceding school year (if applicable) and the school plan for the new school year endorsed by their Incorporated Management Committees/School Management Committees, together with relevant documents signed by the school supervisor.

January to March of the following year

Adjustment to the first instalment of the funding

If the full-year provision of the additional funding is subject to adjustment, or if there is a difference between the estimated number of eligible NCS students reported by schools and the findings of the Enrolment Survey to the extent that the full-year provision of the additional funding is affected, EDB will adjust the amount of the funding or make clawback arrangements for the funding already disbursed to schools as necessary in the first quarter of the following year.

April of the following year

Disbursement of the second instalment of the additional funding EDB will disburse the additional funding based on the adjusted rate (if applicable).

September (for secondary schools)/

May of the following year (for primary schools)

Update of School Profiles and information on school support measures

 Primary and secondary schools are required to specify the schools’

additional support measures for enhancing NCS students’ learning of Chinese and the creation of an inclusive learning environment in the schools in the column “Education Support for NCS Students”

in the School Profiles.

 Schools may provide both the Chinese and English versions of their webpages, create a prominent icon on the homepage of their school webpages directing to the English version of the School Profiles, or provide information of contact persons who are able to communicate in English/other languages so as to facilitate parents of NCS students in making enquiries or obtaining relevant information.

By 30

November of the following school year

Upload of summary in Chinese and English to school webpages Starting from the 2021/22 school year, schools should provide a bilingual summary in both Chinese and English, elucidating how the schools have supported NCS students’ learning of Chinese and created an inclusive learning environment in the schools in the preceding school year. The summary should be uploaded to their school webpages for parents’

reference.