Supporting Hong Kong students with special educational needs (SEN) – an estimated 57,000 children get help across local and international schools with the latter following voluntary guidelines
- ESF’s best-known schools for children with special educational needs are the Jockey Club Sarah Roe School (JCSRS) and the Aoi Pui School in Ho Man Tin
- Other classes include the Lead Programme at Dalton School, St Bosco’s Centre at Anfield, Springboard at the Korean International, and The Children’s Institute (TCI) at The Harbour School
Provision for children’s special educational needs (SEN) in Hong Kong has steadily improved over the years. Given the city has an estimated 57,000 students with special educational needs, this isn’t before time. In the financial year of 2018-2019, the Hong Kong government budgeted around HK$3.2 billion for special education, according to Legco figures.
While the local system includes many specialised schools that provide a solid education and support for Cantonese-speaking SEN students – with mainstream local schools required to accommodate additional student needs when receiving subsidies from the government – international schools follow more voluntary guidelines. It is up to each school to decide to what extent it supports SEN children, according to Julie Giles, assistant director of programme development, and learning speech and language therapist at the Child Development Centre (CDC) in Hong Kong.
“The local system has many dedicated special needs schools,” Giles explains. These schools are properly staffed and resourced, with even some non-Cantonese speaking families opting for this route if they feel it is better for their child. “For local mainstream schools, they may provide, for example, speech therapy for children with communication challenges, support for literacy and numeracy challenges, or social skills classes, depending on the child’s need,” she added.
The local system includes many specialised schools that provide a solid education and support for Cantonese-speaking SEN students – with mainstream local schools required to accommodate additional student needs when receiving subsidies from the government
Giles says that it is also important to remember that, ideally, support and intervention for SEN children should start as early as possible. “The majority of children with SEN are identified before they start primary school. In Hong Kong, Maternal and Child Health Centres (MCHCs) provide developmental screenings and identify delays.” These children are then referred through the Social Welfare Department (SWD) to receive Early Intervention Services at Child Care Centres (SCCC) – which cater for children who require a higher level of support – or Early Intervention Training Centres (EETC).
“The big problem is the waiting lists,” Giles highlights. “Following their assessment by a paediatrician, families can wait well over a year to be placed in a subsidised service.”
At the same time, Belinda Greer, CEO of the English Schools Foundation (ESF), emphasises that the system, curriculum and processes need to be looked at to ensure they are serving the students. “It’s not about fixing a child, it’s about how we adjust and adapt the curriculum and the approaches to learning to best meet the needs of every child,” Greer says. Having a positive partnership with parents is absolutely crucial to ensure success for every student, she adds: “We put incredible effort into developing positive relationships with parents. That would start from when the student joins us, either at kindergarten or Year 1.”
Developing a strong relationship with those parents whose child or children would benefit from extra attention is only the start for Greer. Considering the terminology used when talking about such students is another crucial consideration. “Even using the term SEN is quite outdated,” she says. “There is a real risk it labels children.
“Maybe Hong Kong really needs to look at the terminology we use around children and their learning, and if we are to be truly inclusive – and I believe we should be inclusive in all of our schools – we need to look at how we resource schools and how we support the work in class to support the child.”
ESF is a network of 22 English-medium schools that provide kindergarten, primary and secondary education to over 18,000 students in Hong Kong. “Our schools and teachers do their best adjusting a programme based on the needs of the individual student,” explains Greer.
ESF’s best-known school for children with educational needs is its Jockey Club Sarah Roe School (JCSRS), which enrols around 70 students with complex needs, of ages ranging between five and 19. Besides JCSRS, another famous institution is the Aoi Pui School in Ho Man Tin, which offers a high degree of support to children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Similar well-known facilities at international schools include Learning Support Classes (LSC) within each ESF school, the Lead Programme at Dalton School, St Bosco’s Centre at Anfield School, Springboard at the Korean International School, and The Children’s Institute (TCI) at The Harbour School, among others.
“These programmes are for children who may need a separate curriculum or adaptations to the curriculum. They are very popular and it is often difficult to get a place as they allow children to be within a mainstream environment but still receive the support they need,” CDC’s Giles elaborates. “Children will generally have access to specialists such as Speech and Occupational Therapists and trained SEN teachers. These programmes are also expensive as, in general, parents have to pay additional fees, above the usual school fees, for the extra support. The other reason that these programmes are popular is that they support inclusion which is so important and a priority for parents.”
Alongside these schools, the CDC and Watchdog are the only two EETCs that provide services in English. As such, there could be lengthy waits for families – alternatively, for those who can afford it, there are private therapies that come with hefty fees and are often not included in medical insurance packages.
Provision within the mainstream school system seeks to support children with needs only in certain areas, such as dyslexia or those who need help with numeracy
Provision within the mainstream school system seeks to support children with needs only in certain areas, such as dyslexia or those who need help with numeracy. “In the international system, most schools have a Senco (special educational needs coordinator),” Giles adds. “These children can be supported in various ways, [such as] additional individual or groups teaching or therapy, an adapted curriculum or support for the classroom teacher.” These schools may allow or require shadow teachers for children, which would be parent-funded.
Part of the ESF curriculum, the schools offer the Work and Lifeskills Pathway to prepare soon-to-be-graduates to adjust to society after they finish their schooling. Students at JCSRC and some mainstream schools can engage in this pathway, with work placements and job coaches available for students in Year 12 and 13 through the ESF Career Development Services.
Here, vocational training opportunities are laid out, to outfit students with experiences to help them further access the work environment, with real-life job situations across a range of industries whether in business, retail, hospitality or administration.
After Year 13, ESF graduates can attend local vocational training institutions including the Vocational Training Council (VTC) and Shine Skills Centre.
“Worldwide, there are great strides being made to promote inclusion and acceptance,” Giles adds. “We are all different and we all learn in our own way and at our own pace. It is important that Hong Kong keeps up with this progress.”
