IEP Template for Hong Kong: What a Local SEN Support Plan Actually Contains

If you've searched for an IEP template online, you've probably found pages of US-format documents with legally mandated sections referencing IDEA and state disability laws. These are useless for Hong Kong. The legal framework is different, the support structure is different, and the accountability mechanisms are different. An IEP written for a Hong Kong school needs to work within the EDB's 3-tier model — not replicate a document from another jurisdiction.

Here is what a Tier 3 Individual Education Plan in Hong Kong should actually contain, and how to use a template structure that school staff will recognise and work with.

First: Who Gets an IEP in Hong Kong?

This matters before you download any template. In Hong Kong, IEPs are standard practice only at Tier 3 — for students with persistent and severe learning or adjustment difficulties who have not responded adequately to Tier 1 and Tier 2 interventions.

The EDB has explicitly stated that there is no requirement for schools to develop IEPs for every student with a registered SEN. If your child is at Tier 1 or Tier 2, you are unlikely to receive a formal IEP, and pushing for one requires documented evidence of the inadequacy of lower-tier interventions.

If your child is at Tier 3, the school is expected to produce and maintain an IEP. If they are not doing so, that is an advocacy issue — see the post on how to request an IEP in Hong Kong.

The Core Sections of a Hong Kong IEP Template

1. Student Identification and Background

• Student's full name, age, and date of birth
• School name, class, and form/year level
• Date of the IEP and the review period it covers (typically one to two terms)
• Names and roles of team members involved in drafting the plan (SENCO, class teacher(s), relevant specialists, parents)
• Summary of assessed disability category under EDB's 9 SEN categories
• Relevant diagnostic reports and dates (e.g., most recent EP assessment, CAC report)

2. Student's Current Performance Profile

This section summarises where the student is right now across relevant domains, based on recent assessment data. It should be specific and measurable, not vague. Examples:

• "Reading fluency: Currently reading at a P3 level based on the Hong Kong Test of Specific Learning Difficulties. Decoding accuracy 68% for unfamiliar characters."
• "Social communication: Initiates interaction with familiar peers in structured settings; does not initiate with unfamiliar adults. Requires gestural prompt for turn-taking in group activities."
• "Attention: Sustained on-task attention of approximately 8–10 minutes before requiring redirection in low-distraction settings."

Current performance profiles derived from observation logs and formal assessment data are far more useful to teachers than generalised statements like "has difficulty concentrating."

3. Annual (or Semester) Goals

This is the operational heart of the IEP. Goals should be written to the SMART standard:

• Specific — what exactly will the student do?
• Measurable — how will progress be quantified?
• Achievable — is the goal realistic within the timeframe given the student's current level?
• Relevant — does it address a priority functional skill?
• Time-bound — by when should the goal be achieved?

In the Hong Kong context, IEP goals typically span three to five priority areas. Sample goal structure:

"By the end of Term 2 2026, [Student] will independently decode 80% of unfamiliar words containing the phoneme clusters taught in the school's reading programme, as measured by biweekly teacher assessments."

Goals that say "Student will improve reading" are not IEP goals. They are wishes.

4. Specific Instructional Strategies and Accommodations

This section details how teachers will modify their instruction and the learning environment to support the student. In Hong Kong schools, practical examples include:

• Seating placement (near the teacher, away from high-distraction windows or doors)
• Pre-teaching of vocabulary before new units
• Provision of lecture notes or summary sheets prior to class
• Extended time for written tasks and internal assessments
• Permission to use assistive technology (e.g., text-to-speech tools for dyslexic students)
• Chunked homework with modified load
• Visual schedule support for students with ASD

These should be listed as concrete, actionable adjustments — not aspirational statements about inclusivity.

5. Support Services and Personnel

Specify who provides what support and at what frequency:

• SENCO or learning support teacher: how many sessions per week, what format (1:1, small group)
• School Educational Psychologist: assessment schedule and review frequency
• External therapists: if the school arranges or contracts speech therapy or OT, specify frequency and goals
• Teaching Assistant time: hours per week allocated to the student's classroom

If a shadow teacher or 1:1 EA is involved, document their role and supervision structure here.

6. Assessment Accommodations for Internal Examinations

Under EDB guidelines, schools are required to provide special arrangements for internal school examinations that mirror the accommodations a student receives in daily learning. Common accommodations include:

• Extra time (typically 25% additional time for students with SpLD or processing difficulties)
• Separate examination room to reduce distraction
• Provision of a reader or scribe for students with significant reading or writing impairments
• Modified question formats (e.g., oral responses permitted instead of written)

This section is critical: consistent documentation of internal exam accommodations is the evidence base required when applying to the HKEAA for Special Examination Arrangements (SEA) for the HKDSE in senior secondary years. Without this paper trail, the HKEAA is unlikely to grant accommodations for public exams.

7. Review Schedule and Progress Monitoring

IEPs should specify how often progress will be formally reviewed and who will be present at review meetings. In Hong Kong, the standard expectation for Tier 3 plans is a mid-year review (typically December/January) and an end-of-year review (May/June), with parents included as active participants.

Progress monitoring between formal reviews can be done through:

• Biweekly or monthly teacher progress notes shared with parents
• Comparison of pre-and post-intervention assessment scores
• Direct observation records from the SENCO or learning support staff

8. Parental Involvement and Home-School Strategies

This section documents agreed strategies that parents will implement at home to reinforce school-based interventions. It also records parent consent for the IEP and confirms that the plan was developed collaboratively rather than presented to parents as a completed document.

Parents have the right to participate in IEP drafting meetings, propose goals, and request revisions to strategies they believe are ineffective. If the school presents you with a completed IEP that was drafted without your input, request a meeting to review and formally amend it.

A Practical Note on Using Templates

Generic templates are a starting point, not a deliverable. A Hong Kong IEP template that your school hasn't used before may face resistance — SENCO staff who are unfamiliar with a particular format may be dismissive or uncooperative.

The most effective approach is to use a template structure as your own preparation tool: understand what sections should exist, what each should contain, and what good looks like. Then come to the IEP drafting meeting prepared to contribute to those sections specifically, rather than arriving with a pre-filled document that puts the school on the defensive.

For the complete framework — including how to get to Tier 3 in the first place, how to participate effectively in IEP review meetings, and what to do when a plan exists on paper but is not being implemented — the Hong Kong Special Ed Blueprint walks through the process in practical detail.

See more Hong Kong guides →