student ratios are also important,
and the best-funded special needs
places offer more teachers per child.
The approaches and levels of support
offered for children with additional
needs varies within Hong Kong’s
schools – please see the chart above for
an overview.
While all parents should aim to
select a school with provision that
matches their child’s needs, Hong
Kong does present some challenges,
especially if your child would find it
difficult to access a Chinese-language
curriculum. As Trisha says: “It would
be wonderful if we could choose from
any one of the schools that provides
SEN places. Sadly, many are full and
we tend to be stuck with whichever
institution offers us a spot.”
Applying for a primary school
place can be a time of anxiety and
uncertainty for parents as they
grapple with their child’s learning
difficulties and are unclear about
the consequences of the educational
path they choose for their child.
Connecting with other parents of
children with SEN can provide
perspective, understanding and much-
needed support.
Monitoring progress
For those lucky enough to secure a
school place, the journey doesn’t end
there, however. Parents of a child with
learning difficulties will need to keep
a close eye on the child’s experience
and progress at school, asking: are
expectations for your child being set
high enough? Might the school be
focused too much on ‘limitations’
rather than ‘expectations’? Sometimes
inclusion may be offered but not
extension. An individualised education
programme (IEP), which is offered for
all children with identified needs (and
may be called a ‘student support plan’
in some schools for interim provision),
becomes crucial in monitoring your
child’s progress. It sets out both short-
term and long-term learning targets
for your child.
Creating and working with an IEP
is a great opportunity for parents to
be involved and encourages frequent
dialogue given the need to revisit the
plan throughout the school year and
implement strategies at home – since
learning doesn’t stop in the classroom.
Therapists working with your child
(for instance, in speech or occupational
therapy) may be invited to contribute
to the IEP and, in some instances,
an individual behavioural plan (IBP)
may be drawn up. When individual
needs are identified only once a child
is enrolled in school, communication
between teacher and parent is also
very important; flexibility in learning
approaches may be needed and
ongoing dialogue with the school is
critical to ensure progress is being
made.
Parents of children with special
needs speak unanimously of the
importance of working closely with
the school to ensure teaching staff are
adopting the right strategy to help
your child learn. There are certainly
no one-size-fits-all solutions when it
comes to special educational needs
and a school that embraces this should
be a good partner.
Grace Bolger, whose daughter has
Down syndrome, talks enthusiastically
about how well her daughter has
Mainstream
Special schools
Inclusion
Curriculum
Small classroom
Mild
Moderate
High
Flexible with
classroom time
Small, pull out
classes
Modified
curriculum
• CDNIS
• Carmel
• CIS
• Delia
• GSIS
• Harrow
• HKIS
• ICHK
• IMS
• ISF
• Kellett
• Norwegian
• Sears
• ICHK
• ISF
• ESF
• Grace
• Harbour
• Nord Anglia
• HKA
• Anfield
• KIS
• Family Partners
• JCSRS
• Aoi Pui
Qualified SEN
Classroom teacher
One-to-one
specialists
• Bridge
• TCI
• CIS
• Elsa
• GSIS
• Harrow
• HKIS
• Kellett
• CDNIS
• ESF
• Harbour
• Nord Anglia
• HKA
• KIS
*
International schools with SEN support
Primary
Secondary
Note:
Chart provided by Trisha Tran. * Middle school only. Full names of schools: CDNIS: Canadian International School; Carmel: Carmel Elementary School; CIS: Chinese
International School; Delia: Delia School of Canada; Elsa: Elsa High School; ESF: English Schools Foundation; GSIS: German Swiss International School; Grace: Grace Christian
Academy; HKA: Hong Kong Academy; HKIS: Hong Kong International School; ISF: Independent Schools Foundation. ICHK: International College Hong Kong. IMS: International
Montessori School; JCSRS: Jockey Club Sarah Roe School; KIS: Korean International School; Sears: Sear Rogers International School; TCI: The Children’s Institute.
May 2016
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