EDB announces notification arrangements on Secondary One discretionary places and distribution of school choice documents for Central Allocation
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Notification arrangements for successful DP applicants
Under the notification arrangements for successful DP applicants, if students are included by participating secondary schools in their Successful Lists for Discretionary Places, their parents will receive notifications from the secondary schools concerned on March 31. Parents who have registered as SSPA e-Platform users with "iAM Smart" or "iAM Smart+" may also view notifications for successful DP applicants via the e-Platform on the same day. Parents do not need to reply to the secondary schools whether they would accept the DP offers.
Parents of successful DP applicants who have also successfully applied for a school place in a non-participating Direct Subsidy Scheme secondary school (NDSS secondary school) should decide whether to retain the offer from the NDSS secondary school concerned. If the parents decide to retain the offer, they should disregard the notifications from the secondary schools which have selected their children at the DP stage. Their children will be allocated to the NDSS secondary school concerned according to the established mechanism. If the parents decide to decline the offer, they should notify the NDSS secondary school concerned and retrieve the originals of the signed Parent's Undertaking and the Primary 6 Student Record Form on or before April 12 in order to retain the school place successfully applied for at the DP stage.
Distribution of school choice documents for CA
The spokesman said that starting from this cycle, parents who have registered as SSPA e-Platform users and bound their account to "iAM Smart+" may browse choice-making information and documents, submit CA application and view allocation results via the SSPA e-Platform. To cater for the needs of different parents, traditional paper application forms will continue to be accepted, and primary schools participating in the SSPA System have been informed to collect copies of the following documents on April 12:
- Secondary One Choice of Schools Form (Choice Form);
- Notes for Parents on Central Allocation (Notes for Parents);
- Secondary School List (SSL); and
- Handbook for Unrestricted School Choices (Handbook).
Parents of Primary Six students participating in the SSPA will each receive the Choice Form, the Notes for Parents and the SSL (with the latest version available online) for the school net of the student from his or her primary school. Parents may ask for the Handbook from primary schools for reference or obtain the latest version of the Handbook through the EDB's homepage (www.edb.gov.hk) and the fax service of the EDB's automatic telephone enquiry system on 2891 0088.
Filling in CA Choice Form
"Both the electronic and paper Choice Forms are divided into two parts (Part A and Part B). Parents should refer to the Handbook when filling in Part A 'Unrestricted School Choices' of the Choice Form and choose not more than three secondary schools from any school net, including the student's school net. As for Part B 'Restricted School Choices', parents should refer to their child's SSL to choose secondary schools according to their preference, and fill up the 30 choices as far as possible. Parents must not enter any school choices which are not in the SSL of the school net of the child in Part B since invalid school choices will not be processed," the spokesman said.
The spokesman reminded parents that prior to making school choices for their children, they should read carefully the Notes for Parents to understand in detail the SSPA System. Parents should also consider the schools in all respects, such as their educational philosophy, tradition, religion, class structure, development and operation, as well as their children's abilities, aptitudes and interests, so as to make a suitable school choice. Parents may refer to the Secondary School Profiles 2022/2023 (www.chsc.hk/secondary) or school websites for the relevant information.
"Parents must return the completed electronic or paper Choice Form to their children's primary school for submission to the EDB on or before May 5. If parents have submitted Choice Form via the SSPA e-Platform to the attending primary school, please do not submit a duplicate application in paper Choice Form, and vice versa. Should individual parents have genuine difficulties in returning the duly completed Choice Form to their children's primary school in person or through an authorised representative, he or she should contact the primary school in advance for appropriate arrangement," the spokesman said.
Announcement of allocation results for SSPA
The spokesman added, "The results for SSPA 2023 for both the DP and CA stages will be announced on July 11. Parents who have registered as SSPA e-Platform users with 'iAM Smart' or 'iAM Smart+' may view the allocation results via the SSPA e-Platform on the same day. Parents wishing to receive the result of their children via SMS message on that day should provide a mobile phone number on the electronic or paper Choice Form to indicate their consent to receive the result via that phone number. Parents may refer to the Notes for Parents for more information."
The EDB encourages parents to register with "iAM Smart+" (www.iamsmart.gov.hk/reg.html) as early as possible for more convenient and faster services throughout the entire Secondary One application process. Please refer to the series of related videos and the Parent's Guide on the bureau's homepage (www.edb.gov.hk/en/edu-system/primary-secondary/spa-systems/secondary-spa/SSPA_ePlatform_Parents_Guide.html) for details on creating and logging in an SSPA e-Platform account, viewing notifications for successful DP applicants, and submitting CA applications via the e-Platform.
Parents who have questions in completing the Choice Form are advised to consult their children's primary schools. Relevant information about the SSPA System and some frequently asked questions will be uploaded to the EDB's homepage on April 12 for parents' reference. Further enquiries may also be directed to the School Places Allocation Section (SSPA) of the EDB (Tel: 2832 7740 and 2832 7700).
Ends/Thursday, March 30, 2023
Issued at HKT 15:00
Issued at HKT 15:00
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