e-Bulletin for Parents - 8 December 2023

Secondary School Places Allocation (SSPA) System 2022/2024
Notes on Application for Secondary 1 Discretionary Places

For parents of Primary 6 (P6) students participating in the current SSPA cycle who wish to apply for Secondary 1 (S1) discretionary places (DPs) in government, aided, caput secondary schools as well as Direct Subsidy Scheme (DSS) secondary schools participating in the SSPA System for their children, they have to submit the electronic application forms to secondary schools via the SSPA e-platform (eSSPA) (esspa.edb.gov.hk) or use the paper Application Form for Secondary One Discretionary Place (Application Form) distributed by the Education Bureau (EDB) in early December via primary schools for application.

When submitting the applications, parents should note-

1. DP application is not subject to restriction on districts. However, each student may apply to not more than two participating secondary schools. Otherwise, the DP applications of their children will be rendered void. The list of schools and the number of DPs for application are listed in the Handbook for Application for Secondary One Discretionary Places (Handbook). Parents may visit eSSPA or the EDB’s website (www.edb.gov.hk/en/edu-system/primary-secondary/spa-systems/secondary-spa/general-info/index.html) to browse the Handbook. They can also ask for the Handbook from their children’s attending primary schools for reference or call the EDB’s 24-hour Automatic Telephone Enquiry System on 2891 0088 to obtain relevant information by fax.

2. The DP application period will be the same for all participating secondary schools, starting from January 2 to 16, 2024.

3. Parents should consider the schools in all respects, e.g. its educational philosophy, tradition, religion, class structure, development and operation, and their children’s characteristics, personalities, abilities and interests so as to make a suitable school choice. Parents may refer to the relevant information in the Secondary School Profiles (www.chsc.hk/secondary) (published every December, with the latest version made available at the electronic version) or school websites for reference. At the same time, parents should also note the admission criteria and weightings announced by the schools, as well as the documents as required by the schools, e.g. report cards, certificates and records of participation in extra-curricular activities and community service. Students do not need to provide the scores or positions in individual subjects to the secondary schools. Schools may arrange interviews and will inform applicants of the related arrangements.

4. Parents who have registered as eSSPA users and bound their account to "iAM Smart+" may browse choice-making information starting from December 5, 2023, as well as submit DP applications and check application results via eSSPA at a later stage. The EDB encourages parents to register with "iAM Smart+" (www.iamsmart.gov.hk/en/reg.html) as early as possible and activate their eSSPA account using "iAM Smart+" for more convenient and faster electronic services.

5. For parents who submit DP applications via eSSPA should select the preferred secondary schools according to the order of school preference, fill in the contact information required by the schools, and upload a copy of the student’s identity document(s) and/or documents required by the secondary schools for completion of application. For details, please refer to the Parent's Guides on the EDB website (www.edb.gov.hk/en/edu-system/primary-secondary/spa-systems/secondary-spa/general-info/SSPA_ePlatform_Parents_Guide.html). For parents who prefer to submit paper Application Form to schools should fill in the name of the secondary schools applied to on the Application Form, and tear off the part containing the order of school preference for retention before submitting the duly completed paper Application Form and other necessary documents directly to the secondary schools concerned in person. After submission, parents should receive from the secondary schools the Parent’s Copy bearing the school chop, name and code for retention and record. Parents should note that no matter whether the applications are submitted via the eSSPA or in paper form, the applications, once submitted, cannot be retrieved or cancelled, and no change can be made to the order of school preference.

6. Parents should not submit applications to more than two secondary schools participating in the SSPA no matter whether the applications are submitted via the eSSPA or in paper form. Otherwise, the DP applications of their children will be rendered void. In addition, parents should not submit duplicate applications via the eSSPA and in paper form for the same child.

7. Apart from applying to not more than two participating secondary schools, parents can apply to Jockey Club Ti-I College at the same time. The deadline for application is January 18, 2024.

8. Participating secondary schools (including Jockey Club Ti-I College) will notify parents of all successful applicants of their children’s inclusion in the Successful Lists for Discretionary Places on March 27, 2024. Parents who have registered as eSSPA users may also view notifications for successful DP applicants via eSSPA starting from 10 a.m. on the same day. These notification arrangements are not applicable to reserve and unsuccessful applicants, nor are the notifications the allocation results. Parents do not need to reply to the schools whether they would accept the offers.

9. Apart from making DP applications to participating secondary schools, students may also apply to Direct Subsidy Scheme secondary schools not participating in SSPA (NDSS secondary schools), and there is no limit to the number of NDSS secondary schools they can apply to. As there is no limit to the number of NDSS secondary schools that a student may apply to, a student may be accepted by several NDSS secondary schools. However, when a parent surrenders the signed Parent’s Undertaking and the original of the Primary 6 Student Record Form to one of the schools making the child an offer, then that will serve as confirmation of acceptance of the S1 place offered by the NDSS secondary school concerned and an agreement to give up any other subsidised S1 places.

10. If students notified by participating secondary schools as successful DP applicants have also been admitted by an NDSS secondary school, parents should decide whether to retain the school place of the NDSS secondary school on or before April 10, 2024. If parents decide to retain the school place offered by the NDSS secondary school, they should disregard the notifications from participating secondary schools. If they decide to decline the offer from the NDSS secondary school, they should notify the NDSS secondary school concerned and retrieve the signed Parent's Undertaking and the original of the Primary 6 Student Record Form on or before April 10, 2024 in order to retain the DP which they have successfully obtained.

11. For applications to Jockey Club Ti-I College and NDSS secondary schools, parents should fill in the application form provided by the schools. The eSSPA and paper Application Form for DP are not applicable to applications for S1 places of Jockey Club Ti-I College and NDSS secondary schools.

12. Parents should return the duly completed Secondary One Choice of Schools Form (Choice Form) to the EDB in early May 2024 through their children’s primary schools. This is to ensure that students will still be allocated S1 places through Central Allocation (CA) if their DP applications have not been successful. For students who are notified as successful applicants by participating secondary schools, their parents only have to sign on the Choice Form, fill in contact information, skip the parts on school choices in eSSPA or cross out the parts on school choices on the paper form to indicate that they do not need to make school choices and return the electronic or paper form to the primary schools their children attend.

13. The results of DP and CA will be released at the same time on July 9, 2024. Parents need not make enquiries to the schools they apply to before the announcement of results.

For further enquiries concerning the SSPA System, please contact the School Places Allocation Section of the EDB on 2832 7740 or 2832 7700.