Centre Appraisal August 2017 Update

In 2014 the CDC committed itself to an ongoing process of internal and external review. Internal reviews have been in the form of staff questionnaires, meetings and exit interviews and we are pleased to say, are now firmly in place.

Our first external appraisal in 2014 was conducted by Jan Martin, a UK educational consultant and ex-HK education advisor. Findings highlighted positive areas in therapy, assessment, teaching, parent support and external professional development. Suggestions were made in regards to recording individual learning for children in a group setting together with the collection and monitoring of this information.

As a result of this the CDC began to trial different ways in which to record children’s progress. In 2016 we invited Jan Martin to return to the CDC but she was and is currently unable to travel. However, Jan recommended Denise Driscoll, Head Teacher of Meadowfields, a Special Educational School in the UK. Denise visited the CDC and confirmed Jan’s positive findings and made further suggestions in regards to recording and monitoring children’s progress. Simultaneously, outcomes of ongoing internal reviews identified a need to further investigate assessment reporting and staff development.

From June 2016 to August 2017 staff at the CDC trialed Individual Learning Pathways, ILPs, in order to record and monitor children’s progress, revised assessment reports and, with the support of The Swire Group Charitable Trust, created a guide for teachers and therapists.

Following this busy year, Dr. Rona Tutt, OBE, and Tricia Murphy, two highly distinguished educational consultants, visited the CDC from the UK. We are delighted to say that outcomes of this evaluation approved the new assessment reports as well as the guide. Further discussion led to additional honing of the Individual Learning Pathways (ILP) system and the exciting possibility of the CDC creating an ILP system to better facilitate children’s learning at home and at the CDC.

In addition, Rona and Tricia facilitated a CDC staff training session and each delivered a very well attended presentation to Hong Kong professionals and parents.

The beginning of the 2017 academic year has seen the CDC get off to a great start. We are very much looking forward to putting into practice the suggestions from Rona and Tricia and launching the ‘The Child Development Centre’s Guide for Teachers and Therapists”.