Primary schools joining the 2024 cycle of the Secondary School Places Allocation System (SSPA) can collect application forms for Secondary 1 discretionary places (DPs) from tomorrow for distribution to parents of Primary 6 students, the Education Bureau announced today.

Such parents will each receive two paper application forms from their children’s primary school, while parents of students not studying in participating schools can obtain the forms from the bureau’s School Places Allocation Section.

The schools to which parents can apply for DPs are not restricted according to districts. Parents wishing to apply for such places in government, aided and caput secondary schools, as well as Direct Subsidy Scheme secondary schools, will have to submit applications to the schools concerned between January 2 and 16, 2024.

Parents who have registered as SSPA e-platform users and connected their account to iAM Smart+ can browse relevant information from tomorrow. They can also submit DP applications and check application results via the platform when the time comes.

The bureau stressed that parents should not disclose their order of school preference to schools, and that schools should not request disclosure of such information. It also reminded parents that they should neither submit applications to more than two participating secondary schools, nor submit duplicate applications via the e-platform and in paper form for the same student.

In addition, parents are advised to consider all aspects of the schools they apply to, educational philosophies, traditions, religious attachments, admission criteria, development and operations, to consider whether a school is suitable for their child.

Parents may browse relevant information in the latest Secondary School Profiles, which to be released by the Committee on Home-School Co-operation tomorrow, or on school websites. They can also obtain the Handbook for Application for Secondary One Discretionary Places from primary schools.

Students who are successful in their DP applications will not be allocated a school place through the central allocation system, the bureau highlighted.

If students are included by participating secondary schools on their Successful Lists for DPs, their parents will be notified on March 27, 2024 either via the e-platform or by the schools concerned.

The results of the allocation of DPs and the central allocation will be released simultaneously on July 9, 2024, the bureau added.