School Self-evaluation (SSE) Mechanism

SSE is an integral part of Quality Assurance and a core element of raising the quality of education. All KGs joining the Kindergarten Education Scheme (Scheme-KGs) are required to conduct ongoing SSE for school development and accountability. Over the years, KGs have accumulated experiences in establishing SSE mechanism and demonstrating professionalism and teamwork. To enhance the effectiveness of SSE, KGs should implement the inter-connected self-evaluation processes, viz. planning, implementation and evaluation. Schools should also continue to strengthen the curriculum planning, monitoring and evaluation, including improving the reflective practice of teachers, all with the aim of sustaining the school development.

Following the existing practices, all Scheme-KGs are required to use the School Report template to record the self-evaluation findings and formulate the school development plan for the next school year. The updated School Report (SR) template aims at helping schools grasp their development progress, identify the areas for improvement, explore the conducive factors for development, and implement the SSE rationale in planning future work for the continuous advancement of the schools. To enhance transparency and accountability, Scheme-KGs are strongly advised to upload their school reports onto their school websites to keep their stakeholders including parents informed of the school development.

For KGs not joining the Scheme, they are also encouraged to conduct their SSE with reference to the refined Performance Indicators (Kindergartens) for schools’ continuous improvement.

Reference Materials

School Self-evaluation Manual (Updated version, August 2024) PDF

School Report Template MS Word

Performance Indicators (Kindergartens)

School Self-evaluation Workshop 2024 (6 Jan 2024) (Chinese version only)

Stakeholder Survey

Purpose

Procedure and workflow

Frequently Asked Questions and Answers concerning School Self-evaluation (SSE) Mechanism

What are the major differences between the revised School Self-evaluation Manual (2024 edition) and the old one?

The SSE mechanism set out in the revised SSE Manual is identical to the existing one. The revisions are mainly to supplement the explanations of the updated SR Template.

What are the major differences between the School Report template (2024 edition) and the old one?

The SR template is similar to the previous one. It starts with a review of the current status of the school and commentaries about the work plan, concluding with the formulation of a plan for the next year. To enhance the school’s review and evaluation of its work effectiveness, the following items have been adjusted:

“1.3(4) Teachers’ Professional Development”: Schools are encouraged to analyse teachers’ professional development needs before list out the training activities for the school year.
“2.1 Reviewing the Effectiveness of the Work Plan for the Current School Year”: The revised form aims at helping schools evaluate the effectiveness of their goals from the previous work plan. “Comment on the extent to which the major concern has been achieved” is used to assess the overall effectiveness of major concerns, providing a reference for the school’s follow-up or further development.
“2.3 Our Support for Children”: Columns have been adjusted in line with Domain III “School Culture and Support for Children” of the Performance Indicators (Kindergartens), to assist schools in focusing on evaluating the work and measures of the school year.

Why should schools report teachers’ professional development needs?

It aims to help schools evaluate the effectiveness of training programmes and plan follow-up measures. By accurately reviewing and understanding the professional development needs of their teaching team, schools can formulate continuous professional development plans in a more systematic and focused way, further enhancing the quality of education.

What does “Our Support to Children” in the report refer to?

It refers to the support provided to children by schools. This includes direct care and support for children, as well as work that indirectly benefits them through supporting teachers and parents. Good partnerships with different stakeholders and the community also contribute to supporting children’s diverse needs and enhancing their learning and development.

It covered all children in the school. When reviewing the effectiveness, schools should focus on various groups, such as children with special needs, children from diverse backgrounds, newly admitted children, and those transiting to Primary One. Schools may list the support measures they have implemented, such as teacher training and parent education, and evaluate the effectiveness. Schools may have carried out many tasks in this area, it is suggested to comment on the changes or focused efforts made in supporting children over the past year, facilitate them in exploring future development directions.

Should KGs solely make use of the Stakeholder Survey (2017 edition) provided by EDB for conducting SSE?

KGs are required to complete a stakeholder survey annually for collecting stakeholders’ views on schools in order to facilitate the conduction of SSE. The target participants of the Stakeholder Survey provided by EDB are teachers, parents and supporting staff. The questions in the Survey are expected to help KGs grasp school context and understand areas deserving recognition as well as those for improvement in schools. EDB strongly advises KGs to adopt the Stakeholder Survey (2017 edition) for the review of the performance of school work. Apart from making use of the Stakeholder Survey (2017 edition) provided by EDB, KGs are also free to add new questions according to school-based needs for collecting and analysing stakeholders’ views.