Understanding SEN in primary school
A plain-language guide for families and school staff: what special educational needs (SEN) mean in Hong Kong primary schools, how support is organised in tiers, what a growth portfolio is, and what you can expect to see.
Draft content 5 item(s) marked "to be confirmed" by the programme office.
What SEN means here
SEN stands for Special Educational Needs. In Hong Kong it is the general term for a child who needs extra or different support to learn well.
Children with SEN learn in ordinary primary schools, alongside their classmates. This is called inclusive education.
On this platform, difference is seen as natural variation, not as a problem to fix. This is the neurodiversity view. We say *neurodivergent students* and use neurodiversity-affirming language — never labels. The starting point is what a child can do: a strengths-based approach.
The platform never diagnoses. It is not a medical tool. It is a calm place to keep and share a child's growth.
Words you will hear
A few words come up often in Hong Kong schools and on this platform. Here is what they mean in plain language.
Three tiers of support
Hong Kong primary schools organise support with the 3-Tier Support Model. Support builds up in three tiers. The school, its SENCO and professionals decide the tier. The platform's record of evidence and goals helps them see the whole picture — it never decides the tier, and it never diagnoses.
| Tier 1 · Quality teaching for all | Good teaching in the ordinary classroom, for every child. |
|---|---|
| Tier 2 · Small-group add-ons | Extra small-group support on top of classroom teaching. |
| Tier 3 · Intensive individual support | Individual support for a child with greater needs — for example an **Individual Education Plan (IEP / ILP)**. |
What a growth portfolio is
A growth portfolio is one child's timeline: everyday learning evidence — a note, a photo or a short clip — the teacher's dated observation records, and approved reports.
Picture it: *a student is a folder; each piece of evidence is a page filed into it; a report is a bound stack of chosen pages; the AI is an assistant who reads the folder and drafts new pages the teacher signs; consent decides who may open the folder.*
There are no scores and no grades. Progress is compared with the child's own past, in areas like communication, social skills and self-management. Missing information is shown, not guessed. The portfolio follows the child; the next teacher starts from what is known.
What families will see
The parent view is a calm summary of what the school has shared about your child. It is built to answer one question: *how is my child doing?*
Nothing reaches a family until a parent gives consent. The consent steps shown in the demo are the delivery team's design; the final access and consent arrangement for families is to be confirmed.
- Shared highlights — Moments the teacher chose to share — a note, a photo or a clip — in plain language.
- Approved reports — A strengths-based term report, drafted from the evidence in the folder. The teacher edits and approves every word first. The family view carries a fixed footer: *AI-assisted · reviewed and approved by the teacher*. You can print it to PDF.
- Your language — English, Traditional Chinese or Simplified Chinese — switch on the page; your choice is remembered.
- Consent in your hands — Consent can be full, partial, pending or declined. With partial consent, video stays with the school. If you withdraw consent, your view is emptied straight away, with a plain explanation. (Demo design — final model to be confirmed.)
- Your child's own view — A read-only 'My Work' page, opened together with an adult: their own work and effort stickers. No scores, no labels, no alerts.
- What you will not see — No diagnosis, no risk score, no ranking and no comparison with other children. The platform has no such fields at all.
Common questions
Short answers to the questions families and school staff ask most.
Does the AI diagnose or label my child?
No. It never diagnoses, labels or scores a child. It suggests — it never decides. Anything it writes is worded as a possibility for the teacher to consider, and nothing is saved until the teacher accepts it.
Can the AI send something to me on its own?
No. Nothing it writes reaches a student or parent until a teacher approves it. Reports are edited word by word, then shared with consent.
Who can see my child's records?
Only people at your child's school with the right role. The school office manages the roster and consent but cannot open a portfolio. Programme partners and researchers see only de-identified group figures — no names — and small groups are hidden. Another school can never see your child's records. AI use, consent changes and shares are recorded in an audit trail with ids, not names. Attempts to reach another school's or role's data are blocked and logged.
Does the platform decide my child's support tier?
No. The school, its SENCO and professionals decide. The platform's evidence and goals help them see the picture.
Are there scores, grades or rankings?
No. Progress is shown against your child's own past, never against other children.
What about video clips?
A teacher may tag a short clip as evidence. For the teacher only, the demo can show gentle signals from a clip — a prompt for their judgement, never a diagnosis. This part is not final; its form is still to be confirmed. With partial consent, video stays with the school.
Can the AI be switched off?
Yes. Every core workflow works with the AI off. The programme can turn AI features off at any time.
Which children have a portfolio? Will my child have a login?
To be confirmed with the school and the programme. The demo is built for neurodivergent primary pupils, and a child's view is always opened together with an adult.
Is this real school data?
No. This is a demonstration on synthetic data only — no real children. The teachers, children and parents you see are demonstration personas.
Which law protects the data?
The Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance (Cap. 486) is the legal floor. All portfolio content is treated as confidential personal data.
Questions and contact
Every Hong Kong primary school appoints a SENCO to co-ordinate SEN support. For questions about your own child, start with your child's school.
The platform shown here is designed as one component of a five-year programme, *Fostering an Inclusive and Empowering Learning Environment for Neurodivergent Primary School Students*, initiated by The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust. This page is a demonstration guide, not the programme's official website.
*Demonstration · synthetic data only — no real children.*