Releasing External School Review results manifests spirit of professional accountability

     Launched in the 2003/04 school year, the School Development and Accountability (SDA) framework aims to promote school self-evaluation (SSE) for continuous improvement through the Planning-Implementation-Evaluation cycle. The Education Bureau (EDB) has been conducting External School Reviews (ESR) to validate school performance in the SSE with suggestions for improvement.

Enhanced SDA framework

     To tie in with the announcement of “The Chief Executive’s 2022 Policy Address” to strengthen the school-based management, the EDB launched the enhanced SDA framework in November 2022.  One of the enhancement measures is uploading the concluding chapter of the ESR reports to the EDB website (www.edb.gov.hk/en/sch-admin/sch-quality-assurance/reports/esr-report/index.html) for public access starting from the 2023/24 school year to further increase transparency and strengthen school accountability.

     The EDB has been uploading the concluding chapter of the 2023/24 ESR reports since May this year, and the last batch has been uploaded today, covering over 60 reports in total.  In summary, the schools inspected have performed well in different areas, including proactively promoting values education and STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) education; providing students with rich learning experiences; and arranging various activities to foster students’ physical and mental well-being.

Promoting values education with holistic approach

     Most schools inspected in the 2023/24 school year adopted a “multi-pronged and coordinated” approach to promote values education, including national education, within and beyond the classroom. Schools thoughtfully selected suitable topics in different subjects to incorporate values education elements; and cultivate in students proper values and attitudes like gratitude, respect for others and empathy through life-wide learning activities, such as providing services for elderly homes in the district, and making gifts and designing visit programmes for the elderly, thereby creating a harmonious atmosphere across generations.

     In addition, schools proactively arranged diversified national education activities with reference to the National Education – Event Planning Calendar; displayed information on the history, geography and culture of our country on campus to create a conductive atmosphere; and organised Mainland exchange and study tours to enrich students’ learning experiences.  Students were found to enjoy the participation and learning with enthusiasm.

Enriching students’ STEAM learning experiences

     Regarding STEAM education, schools provided STEAM learning experiences “for all”, “for fun” and “for diversity” within and beyond the classroom.  The efforts deserve recognition.  The design of STEAM learning activities was also found diversified, enabling students to develop their generic skills, such as problem-solving and collaboration skills, in real-life situations through “hands-on and minds-on” activities.  Some schools have suitably incorporated values education into learning activities. For example, through experiential programmes, students came to understand real-life problems and consequently designed doorbells for people with hearing impairment and age-friendly toilets, connecting their learning with proper values and attitudes such as empathy and care for others.

     Schools also enhanced innovation and technology (I&T) elements in related subjects and provided various life-wide learning activities, enriching students’ understanding of artificial intelligence and our country’s development of aerospace science, and effectively arousing students’ learning interest in I&T.

Fostering students’ physical and mental well-being

     Many schools provided various activities to promote students’ physical and mental well-being.  Examples included mindfulness programmes and experiential progammes on art creation for teaching students about relaxation and self-care; and increasing timeslots for physical activities beyond Physical Education lessons, opening up sports facilities after class, or introducing newly-emerged sports with external resources to boost students’ interest and regular participation in physical activities.

     Some schools reduced the number of tests and examinations, and adopted different modes of formative assessment to evaluate students’ learning progress.   For example, leveraging information technology, schools selected appropriate e-learning platforms for online assessment and assignments, facilitating students’ self-learning or revision based on their learning progress. These arrangements not only enhanced learning effectiveness but also eased test and examination stress.

Refining SSE for continuous enhancement of work effectiveness

     In conducting the SSE, schools should focus on the work effectiveness in improving student learning outcomes, and formulate suitable development directions taking into consideration the school context and students’ needs. As shown in the ESR, there is still room for schools to improve their integrative use of the SSE data and information.  Furthermore, schools should strengthen curriculum leadership and management, and refine the overall curriculum planning to further provide a broad and balanced knowledge foundation for students.

     Taking into account different school contexts and students’ abilities and needs, the EDB has been conducting the ESRs in a school-specific and focused manner. Recommendations in the ESR reports aim to help schools make continuous improvement. It is not appropriate to make a comparison based on the reports. We hope that schools will continue to enhance their SSE and work effectiveness, building on their present good foundation and with reference to the ESR recommendations.

Manifesting spirit of accountability and collaboratively promoting quality education

     Upon the EDB’s release of the concluding chapter of the ESR reports this school year, we are pleased to learn that many schools have uploaded their full ESR report to their school website for public viewing, manifesting their spirit of accountability.

     Schools’ continuous development and improvement lie in the concerted efforts and professionalism of the school management and their teaching team.  In the course of development, schools should face their shortcomings for the sake of improvement. They are not alone when implementing school-based management. Working alongside schools, the EDB has been providing them with support such as regularly consolidating and releasing school inspection reports for schools’ reference; sharing effective school practices; and providing school-based professional support services.

     We look forward to continuous support from various sectors of the community for school development, and working collaboratively to enhance learning and teaching qualities and effectiveness to provide students with quality education.

22 August 2024