Form Teacher Guidance Period

The Form Teacher Guidance Period (FTGP) was introduced to primary schools at Primary 1 and 2 levels in 2010 in alignment with recommendations by the Primary Education Review and Implementation (PERI) Committee. The central idea and purpose behind FTGP is to provide protected time for form teachers to build positive relationships with their pupils.

The FTGP is also one of the key strategies for ‘Strategies to Ensure More Attention to Individual Pupil Development throughout Primary School Life’ (SEAIP), which is intended to enable schools to strengthen the provision of pastoral care by creating stable and positive teacher-pupil relationships.

Rationale for FTGP

Research has shown that pupils are more likely to be emotionally and intellectually invested in classes where they have positive relationships with their teachers (Nichols, 2006; Pianta, 1999; Phelan, 1992). The provision of opportunities for social and emotional learning (SEL) contributes to the formation of good pupil-teacher relationship (Jennings & Greenberg, 2009; Murray, 2002; Pianta, 1999). It is critical that schools plan for time that allows purposeful pupil-teacher interactions and the explicit teaching of social and emotional competencies to pupils. In this way, pupils will experience positive school experiences that support their holistic development.

Objectives of FTGP

1. To provide for quality interaction time between form teachers and pupils;
2. To equip pupils with social and emotional (SE) competencies.

In Fengshan, FTGP lessons are carried out weekly on Fridays with co-FTs. The sessions include small group interaction opportunities for pupils and teachers to get to know one another better and to forge closer ties.

The FTGP concept can also be illustrated as below: