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Special Educational Needs

Types of provision

ESF offers three broad options for students with special educational needs, based upon identification of need using the ESF Levels of Adjustment 1 to 6 (click here to view the Levels of Adjustment framework). Firstly, within mainstream classes in kindergartens, primary schools and secondary schools (Levels 1 & 2), secondly within learning support centres in some primary and secondary schools (Levels 3 & 4) and thirdly within the Jockey Club Sarah Roe School (Levels 5 & 6). Further details of each of these options are outlined below.

Mainstream class with possible support

Many students whose special educational needs require minimal teaching and learning adjustments are catered for within mainstream classes in all kindergartens and schools. These students are able to access the normal curriculum in these settings with minimal adjustment or support. They may have difficulties in maintaining attention, delayed language and/or literacy development or difficulties in self-regulation. In these settings students may be supported for limited amounts of time by specialist teachers or by educational assistants. Entry to this type of special education provision is through the normal school admissions process. If your child falls into this category you should approach the ESF kindergarten or school in your district and discuss your child's enrolment with staff.

Learning support centres

Students whose special educational needs require more extensive teaching and learning adjustments are catered for within learning support classes within six ESF primary schools (Beacon Hill, Kowloon Junior, Bradbury, The Peak, Quarry Bay and Clearwater Bay schools) and three ESF secondary schools (KGV, South Island and West Island). There are currently 133 LSC places in total, 56 of which are secondary places. There are no learning support classes attached to ESF kindergartens and this option does not exist for young children.

The learning support classes provide the option of small group teaching with a teacher student ratio of 1:7 as well as participation within mainstream classes where appropriate. Students in these settings may have more significant intellectual disabilities, autism spectrum disorders and/or physical disabilities. They require significant adjustments to the normal school curriculum in order to access it. ESF does not provide therapy services such as speech pathology within the learning support classes, although some parents do engage private therapists to work in the school setting at the parents' expense. Entry to this type of special education provision is through a central process called the Admissions and Review Panel, not through the local school. If this type of provision seems to suit your child's needs then you should complete the expression of interest form.

Jockey Club Sarah Roe School

Students whose special educational needs require the most extensive teaching and learning adjustments are catered for within the Jockey Club Sarah Roe School. The school is a modern purpose built special school situated adjacent to the campuses of KGV and Kowloon Junior in Homantin. The school is has 60 places for students aged 5 - 18. Students accessing this provision have significant intellectual disabilities, autism, physical disabilities and often health and personal care needs. The school has an enrolment of sixty and a teacher student ratio of 1:7. The school also has a range of therapy services including speech therapy, physiotherapy and occupational therapy which it provides to students enrolled within the school. The school PTA operates a bus service which covers much of Hong Kong. Like the learning support classes entry is through the Admissions and Review Panel (ARP). If this type of provision seems to suit your child's needs then you should complete the expression of interest form.

The Admissions and Review Panel

The ARP receives, evaluates and makes placement recommendations regarding applications for entry to learning support classes and the Jockey Club Sarah Roe School. The panel is made up of the ESF SEN Adviser, SEN specialists from the learning support centres and the Jockey Club Sarah Roe School.

Waiting lists

ESF can only provide for a limited number of places in our learning support centres and in Jockey Club Sarah Roe School. Given the limited provision for non-Chinese speaking children with special needs in Hong Kong, there is always a very long list of applicants wanting places in one of these provisions. We therefore operate a tight waiting list procedure, with limitations on the number of applicants for each year group. We do not accept applications for any child under the age of 4.

At any given time our special needs provision places are full, and we operate a waiting list to ensure parity of access to vacancies, when they occur. Acceptance onto the waiting list is through a rigorous process of assessment using the ESF Levels of Adjustment.

Prioritising applications

Because of the numbers of applicants requiring places in an ESF special provision, we prioritize applications for processing. We use the following main criteria to prioritize applications:

  • the degree to which the child has a special educational need congruent with our provision within the learning support classes or Jockey Club Sarah Roe School (determined through our application of the ESF matrix assessment process);
  • the degree to which the child requires an education in English;
  • whether the child has a sibling in an ESF school;
  • date of receipt of application and date of ARP agreement to application;
  • a parent who is a teacher in ESF.

These are common criteria used across ESF for prioritizing applications for admission.

Expression of interest

The first step in the application procedure is for you to complete and return the Expression of Interest form (click here to access the form). Your contact details will be recorded and at the point a place on the waiting list becomes available we will contact you and ask you to submit a full application to the ARP. Parents who have submitted an Expression of Interest form will receive regular progress bulletins via email.

Application requirements

When we invite you to submit a full application, in order for it to be properly considered by the ARP, ESF requires the following essential assessment documentation and evidence:

  1. A current Educational Psychologist's report (current within 12 months)
  2. A current speech therapist report, where the child is undergoing speech therapy
  3. A current occupational therapist report, where the child is undergoing occupational therapy
  4. A current physiotherapy report, where the child is undergoing physiotherapy.
  5. Current school reports
  6. A current IEP, where the child's school has set this up

Procedure following application

Upon acceptance of an application our SEN Administrator, Cindy Gazeau, will arrange for the ARP to carry out an observation of your child in his/her current setting, using the ESF Levels of Adjustment Matrix, as described in the ESF SEN Policy. The ARP will then consider the outcomes of the visit and scrutiny of assessment reports, and make recommendations as to whether your application will be placed on the waiting list for a Learning Support Centre place or Jockey Club Sarah Roe School, according to level of priority.

When your successful application has reached the top of the priority waiting list, and a vacancy occurs in the appropriate year group for your child, our SEN Administrator will set up a second observation in the appropriate learning support centre or in Jockey Club Sarah Roe School. Only when this second observation has taken place will the ARP confirm the offer of a place, and inform you of the date for admission.

We need to inform you that there could be a period of between 12 and 36 months of waiting on the list until an appropriate vacancy occurs for your child. All parents who are accepted onto the waiting list from April 2009 onwards will be kept informed on a regular basis of the status of their application.

Please address any SEN admission enquiries to: Cindy Gazeau (gazeauc@esfcentre.edu.hk)

A copy of the complete ESF SEN policy can be downloaded in Word document form here.

For further information about the ESF Special Need provision please click here to go to the ESF SEN Parents Community on the CLC.