Frequently Asked Questions on Placement Assistance

Parents can seek a school place for their children by the following ways:

1. Direct application to schools: Parents may contact schools directly to apply for a place for their children. Schools will take into account their school-based circumstances, such as the availability of school places, when considering the applications.  For information of individual schools, please visit “School Profiles” at the website of Committee on Home-School Co-operation.  For information of private schools (including international schools), please visit the following websites:
   
   • Private schools (including international schools)
   • International Schools in Hong Kong
2. Parents may also approach the nearby Regional Education Office of the Education Bureau directly to seek school placement assistance.   Our staff will assist them in obtaining a school place. For details, please refer to Question 1 under “Others” below or contact the nearby Regional Education Office.

1. When choosing a new school for their children, parents should first consider carefully the interests and learning abilities of their children, and choose a suitable school in accordance with their aptitudes and needs. If they are not interested in the curriculum of traditional grammar schools, parents may consider the schools with relatively more diversified curriculum and contact those schools directly to apply for a place for them.
2. For information of individual schools, please visit “School Profiles” at the website of Committee on Home-School Co-operation.
3. Parents may contact the nearby Regional Education Office to seek placement assistance.  Our staff will assist their children as far as possible in getting a new school place to continue their studies.

Generally speaking, P1/S1 places are allocated by the Education Bureau (EDB) to eligible students through the Primary One Admission System/ Secondary School Places Allocation System.  If parents of newly arrived children wish to enrol their children in P1/S1 at the beginning of a school year (school term normally starts in early September), they should apply for a school place at the School Places Allocation Section of EDB on or before 31 August, bringing along the entry identity documents of their children.  For children arriving in Hong Kong after the commencement of the school term (i.e. after 1 September), parents may approach the nearby Regional Education Office to seek placement assistance. Our staff will assist them in obtaining a school place. For details, please refer to Question 1 under “Others” below or contact the nearby Regional Education Office.

1. Placement assistance services offered by Education Bureau (EDB):
   
   1. Business reply/online Form: Parents should complete and return the business reply/online form to the Placement and Support (PS) Section of EDB. The PS Section will contact the parents upon receipt of the business reply/online form to provide school placement assistance for their children.  The business replies are available at the Airport, Lo Wu Control Point, Regional Education Offices of EDB and 20 Home Affairs Enquiry Centres of the Home Affairs Department; or
   2. Approaching Regional Education Office: Parents may approach the nearby Regional Education Office to seek placement assistance. Our staff will assist them in obtaining a school place. For details, please refer to Question 1 under “Others” below or contact the nearby Regional Education Office; or
2. Direct application to schools: Parents may contact schools directly to apply for a place for their children. Schools will take into account their school-based circumstances, such as the availability of school places, when considering the applications.  For information of individual schools, please visit “School Profiles” at the website of Committee on Home-School Co-operation.  For information of private schools (including international schools), please visit the following websites:

• Private schools (including international schools)
• International Schools in Hong Kong

Last, children aged 6-15 who are eligible to attend public sector schools could all be provided with a school place by EDB.

1. Placement assistance services offered by Education Bureau (EDB):
   
   1. Business reply/online Form: Parents should complete and return the business reply/online form to the Placement and Support (PS) Section of EDB. The PS Section will contact the parents upon receipt of the business reply/online form to provide school placement assistance for their children.  The business replies are available at the Airport, Lo Wu Control Point, Regional Education Offices of EDB and 20 Home Affairs Enquiry Centres of the Home Affairs Department; or
   2. Approaching Regional Education Office: Parents may approach the nearby Regional Education Office to seek placement assistance. Our staff will assist them in obtaining a school place. For details, please refer to Question 1 under “Others” below or contact the nearby Regional Education Office; or
2. Direct application to schools: Parents may contact schools directly to apply for a place for their children. Schools will take into account their school-based circumstances, such as the availability of school places, when considering the applications.  For information of individual schools, please visit “School Profiles” at the website of Committee on Home-School Co-operation.  For information of private schools (including international schools), please visit the following websites:

• Private schools (including international schools)
• International Schools in Hong Kong

In addition, parents may obtain the booklet “Your Guide to Services in Hong Kong” at the airport upon arrival or from the Home Affairs Enquiry Centres, Labour Department and other community organisations. Chapter 16 of the booklet gives a brief introduction to the education service in Hong Kong, with the enquiry telephone numbers and addresses of the Regional Education Offices and PS Section of EDB as well as other related departments.  This booklet is written in seven languages, namely English, Bahasa Indonesia, Hindi, Nepali, Tagalog, Thai and Urdu.

Last, children aged 6-15 who are eligible to attend public sector schools could all be provided with a school place by EDB.

1. Parents may contact the kindergarten directly to apply for a place for their children.
2. Parents may telephone or visit the nearby Regional Education Office to obtain the information of kindergartens. Parents may also visit "Kindergarten Profiles" at the website of Committee on Home-School Co-operation.

1. When choosing a new school for their children, parents should first consider carefully the interests and learning abilities of their children, and choose a suitable school in accordance with their aptitudes and needs. If they are not interested in the curriculum of traditional grammar schools, parents may consider the schools with relatively more diversified curriculum and contact those schools directly to apply for a place for them.
2. For information of individual schools, please visit “School Profiles” at the website of Committee on Home-School Co-operation.
3. Parents may contact the nearby Regional Education Office to seek placement assistance.  Our staff will assist their children as far as possible in getting a new school place to continue their studies.

For student dropouts aged over 15, EDB will try to place them back to the schools last attended or other schools, depending on such circumstances as parental choices, suitability and availability of school places. With parents' consent, our Bureau may refer these students to short term programmes/ social development programmes run by NGOs to prepare them for resumption of normal schooling.   For information regarding returning to schools, please contact Non-attendance Cases Team at 3698 4382. Furthermore, the Bureau also encourages students and young people to consider their further studies or return to school based on their own abilities and interests.

To encourage life-long learning, EDB updates the information on "Diversified Education Opportunities" regularly for the reference of the public.

Generally speaking, P1/S1 places are allocated by the Education Bureau (EDB) to eligible students through the Primary One Admission System/ Secondary School Places Allocation System.  If parents of newly arrived children wish to enrol their children in P1/S1 at the beginning of a school year (school term normally starts in early September), they should apply for a school place at the School Places Allocation Section of EDB on or before 31 August, bringing along the entry identity documents of their children.  For children arriving in Hong Kong after the commencement of the school term (i.e. after 1 September), parents may approach the nearby Regional Education Office to seek placement assistance. Our staff will assist them in obtaining a school place. For details, please refer to Question 1 under “Others” below or contact the nearby Regional Education Office.

The education system and curriculum of different places are not completely the same. Therefore, as a normal practice, the schools will interview the applicants to assess their suitable class levels before making the placement arrangement.

Newly arrived children from the Mainland can seek a school place by any of the following ways:

1. Placement assistance services offered by Education Bureau (EDB):
   
   1. Business reply/online Form: Parents should complete and return the business reply/online form to the Placement and Support (PS) Section of EDB. The PS Section will contact the parents upon receipt of the business reply/online form to provide school placement assistance for their children.  The business replies are available at the Airport, Lo Wu Control Point, Regional Education Offices of EDB and 20 Home Affairs Enquiry Centres of the Home Affairs Department; or
   2. Approaching Regional Education Office: Parents may approach the nearby Regional Education Office to seek placement assistance. Our staff will assist them in obtaining a school place. For details, please refer to Question 1 under “Others” below or contact the nearby Regional Education Office; or
2. Direct application to schools: Parents may contact schools directly to apply for a place for their children. Schools will take into account their school-based circumstances, such as the availability of school places, when considering the applications.  For information of individual schools, please visit “School Profiles” at the website of Committee on Home-School Co-operation.  For information of private schools (including international schools), please visit the following websites:

• Private schools (including international schools)
• International Schools in Hong Kong

Last, children aged 6-15 who are eligible to attend public sector schools could all be provided with a school place by EDB.

1. Placement assistance services offered by Education Bureau (EDB):
   
   1. Business reply/online Form: Parents should complete and return the business reply/online form to the Placement and Support (PS) Section of EDB. The PS Section will contact the parents upon receipt of the business reply/online form to provide school placement assistance for their children.  The business replies are available at the Airport, Lo Wu Control Point, Regional Education Offices of EDB and 20 Home Affairs Enquiry Centres of the Home Affairs Department; or
   2. Approaching Regional Education Office: Parents may approach the nearby Regional Education Office to seek placement assistance. Our staff will assist them in obtaining a school place. For details, please refer to Question 1 under “Others” below or contact the nearby Regional Education Office; or
2. Direct application to schools: Parents may contact schools directly to apply for a place for their children. Schools will take into account their school-based circumstances, such as the availability of school places, when considering the applications.  For information of individual schools, please visit “School Profiles” at the website of Committee on Home-School Co-operation.  For information of private schools (including international schools), please visit the following websites:

• Private schools (including international schools)
• International Schools in Hong Kong

In addition, parents may obtain the booklet “Your Guide to Services in Hong Kong” at the airport upon arrival or from the Home Affairs Enquiry Centres, Labour Department and other community organisations. Chapter 16 of the booklet gives a brief introduction to the education service in Hong Kong, with the enquiry telephone numbers and addresses of the Regional Education Offices and PS Section of EDB as well as other related departments.  This booklet is written in seven languages, namely English, Bahasa Indonesia, Hindi, Nepali, Tagalog, Thai and Urdu.

Last, children aged 6-15 who are eligible to attend public sector schools could all be provided with a school place by EDB.

Non-local children may enter or reside in Hong Kong for the purpose of education only with approval of the Director of Immigration.  Thus, non-local children may enter or reside in Hong Kong for the purpose of education only with the approval of the Director of Immigration.  For further information about immigration matters, please visit the Immigration Department’s website: https://www.immd.gov.hk/. Upon clearance from the Director of Immigration about the conditions of stay and study in Hong Kong, the children are eligible to study in Hong Kong. As the education systems and curricula of other countries are not the same as the local ones, schools will interview the applicants and assess the level suitable for the applicants before admitting them.

The New Academic Structure (NAS) has been implemented since September 2009. Under the NAS, all students will have the opportunity to study up to Secondary 6. Students with different abilities, interests and aptitudes can give full play to their talents through the broad and balanced senior secondary curriculum. Apart from taking the four core subjects (Chinese Language, English Language, Mathematics and Liberal Studies/Citizenship and Social Development¹), students can choose 2 to 3 elective subjects. These elective subjects can be chosen from NSS elective subjects of different Key Learning Areas, Applied Learning courses and/or other language courses. The curriculum breaks the barrier of traditional arts and science streaming. The subjects are diversified. They suit different students' interest, aptitudes and abilities. Through the participation in Other Learning Experiences, students can acquire learning experiences of moral and civic education, community services, physical and aesthetic education and career-related experiences, etc. The knowledge and learning experiences in NSS curriculum are broader and richer than previous curricula. Students' pathways for further education and employment are thus more diversified. The new curriculum can also foster a broader scope of views and life-long learning abilities for students. After completing six years secondary curriculum, students may attend the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination for admission to university. For details of the qualification of the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education, please contact Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority.

Footnote:
¹ Citizenship and Social Development in lieu of Liberal Studies will be implemented in S4 starting from the 2021/22 school year. In the 2021/22 school year, Liberal Studies will be implemented at S5-S6 only whereas in the 2022/23 school year, Liberal Studies will be implemented at S6 only.

For enquiries concerning the education services for gifted students, please contact the Gifted Education Section at Tel: 3698 3472.

In Hong Kong, English language is taught as a major subject in both primary and secondary schools. Most government and aided primary schools adopt mother tongue as the medium of instruction (MOI) in the teaching of subjects other than the subject of English Language. Whereas in secondary schools, under the fine-tuned MOI arrangements implemented from Secondary 1 since the 2010/11 school year, schools are allowed the flexibility to adopt school-based MOI arrangements with regard to their individual school circumstances. Secondary schools’ MOI arrangements have become diversified with appropriate teaching strategies devised to address student's learning needs. Some international schools and Direct Subsidy Scheme (DSS) schools adopt English as the medium of instruction for most subjects.

Most of the schools in Hong Kong adopt Chinese as the medium of instruction for most subjects. Therefore, admission of non-Chinese speaking children will be made on a case-by-case basis. All mainstream schools will admit non-Chinese speaking children. For enquiries, please contact the Regional Education Offices.

Many local primary and secondary schools have Putonghua lessons, and a small number of them even adopt Putonghua as the medium of instruction.

For placement to primary schools, our staff at the Regional Education Offices will make placement arrangement based on the district of residence of the applicants and vacancies of schools. For placement to secondary schools, certain flexibility can be exercised and "cross-district" arrangement will be considered. Our staff at the Regional Education Offices will make placement arrangement in accordance with the residential district of the applicants and the availability of school places as far as possible.

Parents should bring along their children’s identity documents, proof of attained academic qualifications and proof of residential address¹ (both originals and photocopies) to register with the nearby Regional Education Office of the Education Bureau.  For cases concerning newly arrived children, parents should also bring along their children for registration.

Footnote:
¹ Proof of residential address that the Regional Education Offices accept includes, but not limited to, stamped tenancy agreement, demand note for rates, public housing tenancy agreement or water/ electricity / town gas / residential telephone bills.  The proof of residential address should bear the name of the parent / guardian, the issuing date and the name of issuing organisation.  If parents / guardians cannot provide the above acceptable proof of residential address, the Education Bureau may request parents / guardians to make sworn declaration at the respective Regional Education Offices or provide supplementary documents as further proof of the child’s residential address.

For enquiries concerning the education services for gifted students, please contact the Gifted Education Section at Tel: 3698 3472.

Parents and the public can access the information of the schools at our Regional Education Offices, The school information has also been uploaded to “School Profiles” at the website of Committee on Home-School Co-operation.

The Kindergarten Education Scheme has been implemented since the 2017/18 school year by the Education Bureau to provide good quality and highly affordable kindergarten education, and enhance the accessibility of students to different modes of services that suit their specific needs.  Families with financial needs can apply for fee remission under the Kindergarten and Child Care Centre Fee Remission Scheme (KCFRS) and the Grant for School-related Expenses administered by the Student Finance Office (SFO) under the Working Family and Student Financial Assistance Agency (WFSFAA) to defray expenses related to KG education. Starting from the 2022/23 school year, the Education Bureau has enhanced KCFRS so that parents receiving full level of fee remission do not need to pay any difference in school fees.  Eligible student-applicants must be Hong Kong residents who are studying in non-profit-making kindergartens, offering local curriculum under the Kindergarten Education Scheme. They should also have reached the age of two years and eight months at the time when they are enrolled in the kindergarten. Parents who wish to apply for KCFRS for their children can obtain application forms from the kindergartens in which their children are studying or the Home Affairs Enquiry Centres of the Home Affairs Department, and return their completed application forms together with relevant supporting documents to SFO.  They may also visit SFO’s website to complete and submit the E-Form online.  Besides, applicants must submit a completed School Certificate (SC) to the kindergartens concerned for handling and onward submission to SFO. Families currently in receipt of the Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) should apply direct to the Social Welfare Department for school-related assistance for their children. For details, please call 24-hour hotline of SFO at Tel: 2802 2345.  

Needy families can apply for assistances under the School Textbook Assistance Scheme and the Student Travel Subsidy Scheme. Eligible student-applicants must be Hong Kong residents. Parents who wish to apply for the assistances for their children may obtain application forms from the schools in which their children are studying or the Home Affairs Enquiry Centres of the Home Affairs Department. They may also visit SFO’s website to complete and submit the E-Form online. For details, please call 24-hour hotline of SFO at Tel: 2802 2345.