Education Bureau Updates Handbook to Discourage Repeating Grades for SEN Students
Bastillepost · 4 SOURCES1 day ago2 MIN
Summary
The Education Bureau has updated the School Administration Handbook with new guidelines explicitly prohibiting schools from arranging students with special educational needs (SEN) to repeat grades. The updated handbook particularly targets students with intellectual developmental disorders or severe mental illness, stating that grade retention would only exacerbate their social-emotional adaptation difficulties and increase mental health risks. Schools are now required to consult with parents through cross-professional teams and provide appropriate support measures as alternatives to grade retention.
Key Points
- The Education Bureau recently updated the School Administration Handbook, requiring schools to avoid grade retention for students, particularly those with special educational needs
- The handbook explicitly states schools should not arrange SEN students, especially those with intellectual developmental disorders or severe mental illness, to repeat grades
- Grade retention is shown to exacerbate social-emotional adaptation difficulties and increase mental health risks for SEN students
- Schools must make grade retention decisions for SEN students through cross-professional teams in consultation with parents to ensure decisions serve the student's best interests
- Schools may reference other professional opinions, such as psychiatrists, when necessary
Why It Matters
The updated handbook represents a significant policy shift in Hong Kong's approach to inclusive education, moving away from using grade retention as a solution for academic difficulties. This change aligns with international best practices in special education and places greater responsibility on schools to develop individualized support systems rather than relying on repeating grades as a catch-all solution .
The updated handbook represents a significant policy shift in Hong Kong's approach to inclusive education, moving away from using grade retention as a solution for academic difficulties. This change aligns with international best practices in special education and places greater responsibility on schools to develop individualized support systems rather than relying on repeating grades as a catch-all solution .