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Jockey Club celebrates success of its READ & WRITE project for dyslexic students

07/03/2015

A nine-year project led by The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust to give dyslexic children the opportunity to boost their reading and writing skills has proved a big success, with more than 420,000 students benefitting to date. Launched in 2006 with some HK$150 million donation from the Trust, the READ & WRITE: A Jockey Club Learning Support Network offers an evidence-based comprehensive learning system specially designed to help children with literacy difficulties, in which the Tiered Intervention Model for Chinese Language Learning for primary schools was adopted by the Education Bureau to run in local primary schools.

As a tri-sectoral collaboration between the Club, the Government and community partners, the project involves the Education Bureau, The University of Hong Kong (HKU), The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), Heep Hong Society and the Society of Boys’ Centres, which have developed and utilised a series of assessment tools, learning packages and parent handbooks for the pre-school, primary and secondary education sectors and the general community. So far, READ & WRITE has reached some 60% of pre-schoolers and more than 90% of primary schools, while some 7,500 kindergarten and primary school teachers have completed the READ & WRITE training programme.

Today (3 July), the Club’s Executive Director, Charities and Community, Leong Cheung joined Education Bureau Deputy Secretary (Professional Development Special Education Branch) Mrs Wong Yau Wai-ching, READ & WRITE Principal Investigators Professor Connie Ho and Professor Cheng Pui-wan and other school representatives to celebrate the achievements of READ & WRITE: A Jockey Club Learning Support Network. A special issue of Achievements of the READ & WRITE Project was also published to share practical strategies and successful cases with the public.

Mr Cheung said that providing equal opportunities for students with different abilities to develop their full potential had long been part of the Club’s commitment to building an inclusive society. “Early identification and support are crucial in assisting dyslexic students, and to date over 420,000 students have benefitted from READ & WRITE.  We are pleased that the project has also successfully promoted public understanding and acceptance of dyslexic and students with reading and writing difficulties.

“We believe the Club’s mission has been completed and it is time to pass the project to the Government and NGOs for further expansion. Looking forward, we will continue to work with various community partners to support students with other special educational needs,” he said.

Mrs Wong expressed her gratitude to the READ & WRITE: A Jockey Club Learning Support Network for enabling cross-sectoral collaboration. “A number of READ & WRITE programmes complement the Education Bureau’s role in supporting students with reading and writing difficulties. We will inherit the fruitful results of READ & WRITE and continue to uphold the concepts of ‘Tiered Support’, ‘Early Identification and Intervention’ and ‘Home-school Cooperation’ by strengthening teacher training, enhancing cross-sectoral collaboration, as well as adopting evidence-based model and teaching materials so as to provide timely and effective support to students with special educational needs,” she said.

The project involved HKU pioneering a Tiered Intervention Model for Chinese Language Learning for primary schools, which offers three levels of support in accordance with students’ individual needs. Students who subsequently fall behind schedule are provided with individualised intensive support. Around 20% of students assessed with reading and writing difficulties reached the benchmark of Chinese literacy after receiving the intervention for one year.

As a result of the positive responses, the Education Bureau adopted the Model in 2011 and now runs it in 200 primary schools, along with school-based support services, covering close to half of all primary schools in Hong Kong. Long-term quality support to dyslexic students is assured with some 5,000 Chinese language teachers representing more than 90% of primary schools having finished READ & WRITE training provided by CUHK. 

According to the Education Bureau, the number of primary and secondary students with dyslexia currently stands at more than 18,000. To render early intervention and support to pre-school children who are at risk of suffering from dyslexia, the project scope was extended in 2011 to cover pre-schoolers, with related training programmes already reaching some 2,500 teachers from half of the city’s kindergartens.

The success of the READ & WRITE pre-school learning package has prompted The First Social Welfare Foundation in Taiwan to adopt the package and some 1,000 sets have been distributed to teachers, parents and NGOs there.

In recognition of the importance parents’ support plays in the growth of children, the project alsooffers seminars for parents to learn how best to help dyslexic children. So far, some 8,500 parents have attended the seminars.

Heep Hong Society and its partners run a wide range of community outreach programmes from 15 district-based support centres, and distribute a Language Learning Activity Handbook for Preschool Children to parents to equip them with the knowledge and skills to help their dyslexic children. For more information on READ & WRITE, please visit: www.fed.cuhk.edu.hk/~jcrw.

The Hong Kong Jockey Club
Founded in 1884, The Hong Kong Jockey Club is a world-class horse racing operator and Hong Kong’s largest community benefactor, as well as one of Asia’s most prestigious membership clubs. Operating as a not-for-profit organisation, the Club allocates its surplus funds for charitable and community projects. In 2013/14, its donations reached a record $3.6 billion, and in the last decade alone it supported over 1,275 projects. The Club is also Hong Kong’s largest single taxpayer, contributing a record HK$19.58 billion in 2013/14. With about 70% of its revenue given back to society every year through donations and tax contributions, The Hong Kong Jockey Club delivers a significantly higher return to the community than any other racing and/or sports betting organisation in the world. As a socially responsible organisation, the Club helps Government combat illegal betting and advocates responsible gambling. The Club is also one of Hong Kong’s largest employers with over 24,800 full-time and part-time staff. Committed to global excellence and giving back to society, the Club is always “riding high together for a better future” with the people of Hong Kong. Please visit 130.hkjc.com.

The Cluba£į?s Executive Director, Charities and Community, Leong Cheung says over 420,000 students have benefitted from READ & WRITE, while the project also successfully promotes public understanding and acceptance of dyslexic and students with reading and writing difficulties.
The Cluba£į?s Executive Director, Charities and Community, Leong Cheung says over 420,000 students have benefitted from READ & WRITE, while the project also successfully promotes public understanding and acceptance of dyslexic and students with reading and writing difficulties.

The Cluba£į?s Executive Director, Charities and Community, Leong Cheung (centre) joins Executive Manager, Charities, Imelda Chan (1st right), The Education Bureau Deputy Secretary (Professional Development Special Education Branch) Mrs Wong Yau Wai-ching (2nd left), READ & WRITE Principal Investigator Professor Connie Ho (2nd right) and Professor Cheng Pui-wan (1st left) to celebrate the achievements of READ & WRITE: A Jockey Club Learning Support Network.
The Cluba£į?s Executive Director, Charities and Community, Leong Cheung (centre) joins Executive Manager, Charities, Imelda Chan (1st right), The Education Bureau Deputy Secretary (Professional Development Special Education Branch) Mrs Wong Yau Wai-ching (2nd left), READ & WRITE Principal Investigator Professor Connie Ho (2nd right) and Professor Cheng Pui-wan (1st left) to celebrate the achievements of READ & WRITE: A Jockey Club Learning Support Network.

Group photo.
Group photo.

The Cluba£į?s Executive Director, Charities and Community, Leong Cheung (2nd left) and The Education Bureau Deputy Secretary (Professional Development Special Education Branch) Mrs Wong Yau Wai-ching (2nd right) receive souvenirs from READ & WRITE Principal Investigator Professor Connie Ho (1st right) and Professor Cheng Pui-wan (1st left).
The Cluba£į?s Executive Director, Charities and Community, Leong Cheung (2nd left) and The Education Bureau Deputy Secretary (Professional Development Special Education Branch) Mrs Wong Yau Wai-ching (2nd right) receive souvenirs from READ & WRITE Principal Investigator Professor Connie Ho (1st right) and Professor Cheng Pui-wan (1st left).

Seventeen sets of the READ & WRITE teaching programme, learning package and parentsa£į? education handbook have been developed and published.
Seventeen sets of the READ & WRITE teaching programme, learning package and parentsa£į? education handbook have been developed and published.

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