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Appendix 1 |
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Administrative Guide |
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(Please read in conjunction with:
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First Aid |
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1. |
In
every practical school/skills opportunity school, there shall be a first-aid
box, the contents of which shall be periodically checked and replaced
when necessary. The first-aid box should contain treatment materials
including antiseptics, disposable plastic/vinyl gloves, forceps, sterilized
dressings and bandages. In schools where there are science laboratories
and workshops, first-aid boxes should contain materials for giving immediate
treatment to burns, scalds, acid/alkali burns, shock and other injuries.
Pupils should not be allowed to perform dangerous practical experiments
and all reasonable precautions should be taken to guard against accidents.
Dangerous poisons should be kept in a locked cupboard. |
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2. |
At least
two members of the staff of every practical school/skills opportunity
school should be trained in giving first-aid treatment. |
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Fire Precautions |
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3. |
All
practical schools/skills opportunity schools, as required by the Director
of Fire Services, shall be equipped with fire extinguishers kept in
easily accessible places and janitor staff shall be trained in the use
of the extinguishers which should be properly maintained and recharged
annually. Laboratories shall in addition be supplied with buckets of
sand and water. If there is no laboratory in the school, experiments
involving the use of candles and spirit lamps should only be demonstrated
by teachers in classrooms provided with fire extinguishers, fire blankets
and first-aid boxes. The candles or spirit lamps so used should be placed
in a metal tray away from any combustibles. |
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4. |
Fire
drills, when all pupils and staff must leave the school building and
the roll be called, shall be held once a month, or otherwise as advised
by the Director of Fire Services and shall be noted in the school log
book or in the appropriate school record book. |
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5. |
The responsibility
for sounding a fire alarm in a school should not be delegated to one
individual. It should be the duty of any person discovering or suspecting
an outbreak of fire to give the alarm. |
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6. |
Where
a practical school/skills opportunity school has more than one fire
alarm bell or light, arrangements should be made to ensure that when
an alarm is given on one, it is immediately relayed to all other alarm
bells or lights. |
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7. |
Fire
drills shall also be held for the boarding section. |
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8. |
No cooking
is allowed on the school premises, except in specifically designed and
constructed kitchens approved by the Director of Fire Services. |
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Correspondence with the Education
Department |
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9. |
All correspondence
should be addressed to the Director of Education but may be sub-directed
to the particular officer primarily concerned. |
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10. |
Interviews
with the Director or other officers of the Education Department should,
wherever possible, be arranged by appointment. |
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11. |
Members of the staff
of an aided practical school/skills opportunity school should normally
correspond with the Education Department through the Principal/Supervisor
of the school. |
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Admission of Pupils |
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12. |
(a) |
Allocation of places in Secondary
I of practical schools and skills opportunity schools shall be made
according to the official allocation system as the Director may from
time to time determine. |
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(b) |
The Director may, as he thinks fit,
require an aided practical school/skills opportunity school to admit
to that school as a pupil, a child who is referred by the Director to
fill an available vacant place. |
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(c) |
All practical
schools/skills opportunity schools shall maintain a system of records
giving details of each pupil in a form recognised by the Director. Such
records shall give particulars of pupils entering and leaving the school. |
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Suspension and Expulsion of
Pupils |
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13. |
(a) |
Pupils admitted into a course in an
aided practical school/skills opportunity school should normally be
allowed to complete that school course. No pupil shall be dismissed
under the age of 15 without proper warning and notice to parents and
without the prior approval of the Director. |
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(b) |
Pupils
must not be expelled solely on the ground that they are academically
weak. |
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14. |
(a) |
No pupil shall be considered for expulsion
except on the following grounds- |
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i) |
Deliberate non-payment of gazetted
fees; |
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ii) |
A criminal or grave moral offence
or serious breach of school discipline, after reasonable measures to
enlist the cooperation of parents have proved unsuccessful; |
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iii) |
Medical or other grounds accepted
by the Director as sufficiently serious. |
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(b) |
Where approved subscriptions and boarding
fees are charged, the deliberate non-payment of such fees is an accepted
ground for expulsion. Supervisors and Heads of schools will be expected
to investigate the circumstances and, if they are convinced that non-payment
is genuinely deliberate, to inform the Director accordingly before expelling
the pupil. This applies to all pupils, whether subject to compulsory
education or not. |
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(c) |
Exceptionally, if it is considered
that there are other grounds of sufficient gravity to merit expulsion,
the Director should be consulted at an early stage before any formal
action is taken. |
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(d) |
If a
Principal is contemplating the expulsion of a pupil, every effort must
be made to interview the parents. A warning letter should be sent to
the parents or guardians, and a full report should be submitted to the
Director for his consideration at the same time. |
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15. |
(a) |
Suspension from school is not an appropriate
way to treat a misbehaved pupil. Under most circumstances, the pupil
in question should be allowed to continue normal schooling, pending
the outcome of any investigation into the cause of his misbehaviour
by the school and, if necessary, he should be referred for professional
advice. |
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(b) |
The suspension of a pupil for a short
period of time may be ordered on grounds of unsatisfactory conduct after
a suitable warning letter has been given to the parents or guardians.
In exceptionally serious cases, suspension may be effected immediately,
provided that the parents or guardians are so advised. The Director
shall be informed of all cases of suspension from school for more than
three school days. |
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(c) |
All practical
schools and skills opportunity schools shall keep a record of all suspensions
and expulsions, showing the reason in each and including, in expulsion
cases, a record of the prior approval of the Director. |
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Attendance, Terms and Holidays |
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16. |
An attendance
register shall be kept for each class and shall be made up within one
hour of the commencement of each school session. |
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17. |
The Principal
of an aided practical school/skills opportunity school shall keep a
daily summary showing the attendance of each class. |
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18. |
Practical
schools/skills opportunity schools shall normally operate whole-day
sessions. |
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19. |
The school
hours shall be as approved by the Director. If the time devoted to religious
knowledge and other religious observances exceeds 1½ hours
per week, such excess time shall be additional to the normal school
hours. |
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20. |
No pupil
shall be compelled to attend religious instruction or to participate
in any religious observances and separate provision shall be made for
all pupils not wishing to attend such activities. All pupils shall be
informed of this requirement at the commencement of each school year. |
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21. |
The number of school holidays, which should include public holidays, shall be 90 days a year, with three additional discretionary holidays. The 90 days school holidays should primarily be holidays for the children. Teachers may also enjoy these holidays but they may be required to carry out extra-curricular duties or assist in performing school administrative duties during these holidays at the school's discretion.
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22. |
The Supervisor shall, in accordance with regulation 79 of the Education Regulations, send to the Director before 15 August in each year notice of all holidays it is intended to give in the coming school year, including any special holidays given in honour of any particular event, and of all dates on which the usual work of the school will be suspended.
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23. |
The Director may, in accordance with regulation 82 of the Education Regulations, by notice in writing to the Supervisor of any practical school/skills opportunity school require that a holiday shall be given on any day specified in such notice and the Supervisor shall ensure that such holiday is given accordingly.
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24. |
Schools may set aside not more than two days per school year for teachers to take part in school-based staff development and school planning work, during which pupils do not need to attend school.
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Curriculum
and Time-Table |
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25. |
The Principal of an aided practical school/skills opportunity school shall forward to the Director a notification of any changes in the course of study for the coming school year, not later than the first of September each year. The Director may withhold his approval of the whole course or any portion thereof, and the Principal shall thereupon modify it accordingly.
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26. |
In every aided practical school/skills
opportunity school, there shall be a time-table showing : |
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(a) |
the time at which each daily session
begins and ends; and |
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(b) |
the time of the instruction given
for each subject of the curriculum. |
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Copies
of the class and teachers' time-tables and time allocation table shall
be forwarded to the Director on the date specified in relevant circulars
issued each year. |
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27. |
In selecting textbooks for use by pupils, schools should observe the Guidelines concerning Textbook Selection Procedures and Acceptance of Publishers' Donations by Schools. Textbooks should not be changed unnecessarily as this may impose an undue financial burden upon parents. Changes should be made only if textbooks currently in use are found to be unsuitable. Where changes are deemed necessary, there ought to be good educational reasons for such changes. Where a series of graded books is to be replaced, the new series should be introduced gradually, beginning at the lowest level and not at all levels throughout the school at once except in the event of the implementation of a new syllabus. Any proposal to replace a book on the Recommended List by a book which is not selected from the Recommended List must be supported by good educational reasons. The school should be prepared to supply such reasons if required to do so.
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28. |
Each school should have a homework policy for which the Head of the school carries responsibility in order to exercise proper control over the homework being set. Such a policy should be worked out in consultation with teaching staff and, wherever possible, explained carefully to parents. The guiding principle in setting homework is that it should be planned and chosen to complement and reinforce the work being done in the classroom and that due recognition should be given at all times to the age and abilities of pupils.
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Closing of Practical Schools
and Skills Opportunity Schools in Event of Storms |
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29. |
(a) |
Practical schools and skills opportunity
schools should be closed in the event of the hoisting of any typhoon
signal higher than No. 3 or as otherwise instructed by the Director.
However, for practical schools with boarding sections, Supervisors of
schools may permit certain classes to continue their sessions. Notwithstanding
the above, schools shall be closed in other circumstances as instructed
by the Director. |
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(b) |
In the event of tropical cyclones,
heavy persistent rain and thunderstorms, Principals of schools should
make necessary arrangements in accordance with Administration Circular
in force. |
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(c) |
In exceptional circumstances, the
Director may announce the closing of schools or the suspension of classes
in one or more districts. Pupils living in such districts need not go
to school even if their schools are located elsewhere. |
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(d) |
If local weather, road, slope or transport
conditions warrant the closing of a particular school, and announcement
has not been made by the Director to close schools generally, the Principal
of the school may close the school and notify the Senior Inspector (Special
Schools Administration) as soon as possible afterwards. |
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(e) |
Principals
of schools are advised to draw up a contingency plan to deal with the
closing of schools or suspension of classes due to deteriorating weather
and parents should be informed of the arrangements through a circular
letter, which should also remind parents of the use of their discretion
in deciding whether or not to send their children back to school in
the event of heavy persistent rain or deteriorating weather, having
regard in particular to local weather, road, slope or transport conditions. |
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Inventories and Stock-books |
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30. |
Principals shall keep Inventories of all permanent furniture and equipment giving date of acquisition and date and reason of any writing off. Separate Inventories shall be kept for Furniture, Gymnastic Equipment, etc. The Library Catalogue shall be kept in such form as to serve as an Inventory for Books.
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Communication between Management
Committee and Teaching Staff |
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31. |
The Supervisor
of an aided practical school/skills opportunity school shall be responsible
for making arrangements satisfactory to the Director for consultation
between the Management Committee and the teaching staff. |
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Sale of School Textbooks, Exercise
Books, School Uniforms and Miscellaneous Items including 'Tuck Shop'
items |
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32. |
No trading operation of any kind is allowed in the school except with the prior approval in writing by the Director. Any profits so derived should be reflected in the school's account.
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33. |
The Principal of an aided practical
school/skills opportunity school shall be responsible for ensuring that
the provisions in the Code of Practice relating to Sale of Textbooks,
Exercise Books and School Uniforms and other School Accessories are
fully complied with. |
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34. |
Comprehensive price lists of all commodities for sale to pupils must be displayed prominently in the school. |
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