Merging with Other Schools
A school operating less than two S1 classes may consider merging with another school under the same or different School Sponsoring Body (SSB) in order to provide a broad and balanced senior secondary curriculum with reasonable choices of subject combinations to cater for students’ learning needs and interests. SSB(s) may propose the schedule and mode for merging. Applications are subject to the EDB’s approval.
1. Key Points for Assessment
(a) In order to provide students with a broad and balanced senior secondary curriculum with a reasonable choice of subject combinations after merging, in principle the schools to be merged should have no less than two approved classes in total at each level before merging.
Under special circumstances, we would consider allowing schools with less than two approved classes in total at each level to top up the resources for operating two senior secondary classes by injection of additional resources by their SSBs. If there are actual needs for school places, we would consider approving additional classes in the merged school as the case merits.
(b) The proposal submitted by the schools should clearly elaborate the merger plan, including but not limited to the following points:
i. The SSB and the framework of governance of the merged school: how stakeholders of the schools will participate in school governance and the related administrative arrangements.
ii. The final school site for the merged school.
iii. The senior secondary curriculum strategy for the merged school: the schools should state clearly how the overall arrangement of curriculum and elective subjects will meet the following basic requirement on the provision of broad and balanced elective subjects, and ensure that students have a diverse and reasonable choice of subject combinations.
- The elective subjects should cover different Key Learning Areas as far as possible, including subjects that are less popular but equally important for students;
- Different combinations of subjects should be offered so that students can have
- Learning time and contents of subjects offered should be in line with the requirements and suggestions in the respective curriculum and assessment guide of each subject; and
- In addition to the core and elective subjects as well as Other Learning Experiences, the schools should also provide students with access to Applied Learning courses to cater for their students' learning needs.
iv. The plans on teacher deployment, timetable and resource allocation for the merger, showing that teachers have the relevant expertise in the senior secondary subjects to be offered and there is a critical mass of teachers to facilitate the establishment of learning communities and teachers’ professional development.
v. The specific arrangements during the transitional period, including details of the implementation timetable, utilisation of the school premises and the deployment arrangement of teachers of the merged schools.
vi. As the problem of student discipline may arise from students’ attending classes at various locations during the transitional period, the schools should state clearly the arrangements for addressing the situation.
(c) Schools to be merged have to consult their major stakeholders (including the SSBs, Incorporated Management Committee / School Management Committee (IMC/SMC), teachers and parents) in advance and obtain their consent to the proposals.
2. Points to Note
(a) If the application is approved:
i. The merged school will operate on “class subvention mode” with effect from the date of merger.
ii. The school that continues to operate S1 classes after the merger will be allowed to retain, for six years, the incumbent teachers on the approved teaching staff
establishment (Note 1) of the two schools in the school year preceding the merger so that it can adjust the staff strength through natural wastage and other means. Besides, during the six-year toleration period of surplus teachers, the school that continues to operate S1 classes after the merger will also be provided with an additional cash provision in the amount of $0.25 million per annum (the extra Senior Secondary Curriculum Support Grant (SSCSG)).
iii. If the school that continues to operate S1 classes after the merger has surplus teachers (Note 2) during the 6-year transitional period, it should rectify the situation whenever an opportunity arises. While the natural turnover takes its course, the school will have to offset the following staff-related resources (where appropriate) in the following priority:
(1) the fractional staff entitlement (Note 3);
(2) the SSCSG (Note 4);
(3) the provision of surplus teachers (Note 5).
iv. The details on the deployment of teachers and the use of the extra SSCSG should be included in the School Report which should be endorsed by their IMCs or SMCs and uploaded onto the school’s homepage before the end of September every year. For aided and caput schools, the extra SSCSG provision will be disbursed on a yearly basis in September during the 6-year toleration period. Similar to the class-based SSCSG, schools are required to keep a separate ledger account to record all the income and expenditure chargeable to the extra SSCSG. The balance could be carried forward to the end of the school year following the 6-year toleration period and schools are free to deploy the grant during the whole period. Aided schools may deploy the Operating Expenses Block Grant General Domain surplus or the Expanded Operating Expenses Block Grant to top up deficit of extra SSCSG if required while caput schools have to meet any deficit under the extra SSCSG by schools’ own fund. Any surplus of extra SSCSG at the end of the school year following the 6-year toleration period will be clawed back.
v. During the six-year transitional period, if the merged school fails to recruit the minimum number of students to operate two S1 classes in a particular school year, it can continue to recruit students for that cohort from S1 through S3, in order to enroll enough students to operate two classes. Within these three years, as long as the number of students reaches 26, the school can be approved to operate two junior secondary classes. For this cohort of students, even if the school cannot recruit as
many students as required for operating two S4 classes, it will still be provided with subvention equivalent to operating two S4 classes for the provision of a broad and balanced senior secondary curriculum. However, if the school cannot operate two S1 classes again thereafter, it should choose either to apply for another development option put forward by the EDB, or to operate S1 classes on the “per capita subvention mode”
starting from the next school year until the same cohort of students complete S3.
vi. If an SSB chooses to merge two schools starting from the S1 level, the school that does not operate S1 classes (i.e. the school has classes at other levels not involved in the merger) can still operate on the class subvention mode. Regarding the specific phasing-out proposal, including whether students at S2 and S3 would complete senior secondary education in the original school, the SSB in conjunction with the school, having regard to the best interest of student learning, should consider a host of factors such as the actual and projected number of classes and students, whether the school has sufficient resources to provide a broad and balanced curriculum for students at S4 to S6, etc. As for the resources, apart from injection of resources by the SSB, the EDB would consider granting special approval for the school to make use of its own resources, such as the Operating Expenses Block Grant (OEBG)/Expanded Operating Expenses Block Grant (EOEBG) to top up the resources required. The school can also explore ways of collaboration with the merged school / other schools / tertiary institutions / professional or vocational groups.
(b) If the application is not approved:
The school may still operate S1 classes on the "per capita subvention mode" starting from the school year subsequent to the year when it fails to meet the two S1 classes requirement.
However, S1 students admitted in the first school year of operating less than two S1 classes and thereafter will participate in Central Placement on completion of S3 and be transferred to other subvented schools to pursue the senior secondary curriculum.
Note 1
Approved teaching staff establishment includes teaching staff entitlement derived from the number of approved classes and the additional teachers provided under specific improvement programmes as stated in the Class Organisation and Staff Establishment approval letter for the relevant school year.
Supply teachers appointed for temporary replacement (i.e. substituting for teacher on leave) are not counted.
Note 2
Regarding the salary arrangement of surplus teachers and over-ranked teachers, schools have to follow the existing practice. Surplus teachers at basic ranks are allowed to proceed along their pay scales, while surplus teachers at promotion ranks are subject to the prevailing salary arrangements of over-ranked teachers. If there are vacancies on the establishment, surplus teachers are to be absorbed first. Schools are not allowed to offer any new appointment before rectifying the surplus situation. The toleration arrangement is not applicable to Government schools.
Note 3
The calculation of the fractional staff entitlement is in the form of a Graduate Master/Mistress (GM).
Schools can retain the fractional GM post or opt to encash the fractional post. During the 6-year toleration period, the fractional post will be offset by surplus teaching post(s).
Note 4
The SSCSG is a cash provision equivalent to the mid-point salary of 0.1 Graduate Master/ Mistress per senior secondary class. After offsetting the fractional staff entitlement, if there are still surplus teachers, the grant will be offset by the surplus teachers.
Note 5
After offsetting the fractional staff entitlement and SSCSG, if there is/are still surplus teacher(s) being covered by the 6-year toleration arrangement, the corresponding number of supply teachers required for temporary replacement (substituting for teachers on leave for three or more consecutive days) will be offset. Similar principle will apply to Teacher Relief Grant for IMC schools and equivalent grant for non-IMC schools in that the relevant provision for employing supply teachers will be offset accordingly. Subsidies may be provided to employ supply teachers if the number of teachers on leave for three or more consecutive days at the same time exceeds the number of surplus teachers.
