Official-rule family planner · 2027/28
POA, DSS and private-school route planner
Select every school type in the family shortlist to separate direct applications, Discretionary Places, Central Allocation and the official consequence of accepting a DSS place.
The official 2027/28 POA schedule is published
Quick answer
School type determines the route; acceptance type determines the POA consequence
Government and aided schools use POA, while DSS, private and ESF primary schools take direct applications. Accepting a DSS P1 place prevents or cancels a POA place. Education Bureau material separately discusses continuing in POA after a private-school offer, so the consequences must not be merged.
Annual publication boundary
The official 2027/28 POA schedule is published
This tool keeps POA, DSS and private-school rules separate and shows only 2027/28 POA dates and the age range locked to official sources. Check the school-choice list against its own publication status.
Verified POA dates
Add official milestones to the family decision line
Discretionary Places application: ePOA 17 to 25 September; paper 21 to 25 September
Education Bureau source ↗Discretionary Places result publication
Education Bureau source ↗Registration for successful Discretionary Places applicants
Education Bureau source ↗Central Allocation choices: ePOA 18 to 24 January; centre 23 to 24 January
Education Bureau source ↗Central Allocation results by post and ePOA lookup
Education Bureau source ↗Private by design
No child data, account or saved route
Selections are calculated only in the current page memory. There is no account, route storage or transmission, and the tool does not request a name, school, date of birth, address, application number, offer letter or personal deadline. Reloading restores the default state.
Three formal routes
Do not transfer one route's rules to another
Government and aided
Discretionary Places permits one government or aided school without a school-net restriction. Eligible children without a discretionary place may then enter Central Allocation in the official window. Direct-school interviews and application rounds are not POA rules.
Read the POA overview →DSS
DSS schools publish their own application, interview, offer and registration arrangements. Current Education Bureau rules state that accepting a DSS P1 place prevents a POA allocation and cancels a government or aided place already allocated.
Browse DSS schools →Private
Private schools also admit directly, but the DSS POA-cancellation rule must not be applied to a private-school offer. Education Bureau material separately says the names of children continuing in POA may be sent to the private school before allocation results.
Browse private schools →How to combine the timelines
- Keep three system tracks: Record POA documents, each DSS school and each private school separately instead of using one generic P1 deadline.
- Choose one school for Discretionary Places: This restriction belongs only to the POA stage and does not govern direct applications.
- Create a decision point for a DSS offer: Put the reply and registration deadlines in the family calendar and confirm the POA consequence before accepting or signing.
- Check private-school terms separately: Do not label it with the DSS cancellation consequence. Check the deposit, registration and Education Bureau list arrangement.
- Return to first-party sources before acting: Official 2027/28 documents, school notices and the application system take priority over this general planner.
Important consequence
An offer received and a place accepted are different states
Choosing “offer received, not accepted” does not cancel the POA route in this tool. Only “place accepted” displays the official DSS consequence. Actual acceptance, signed documents and place records must be confirmed from the school and Education Bureau; P1Tracker does not receive or determine a child’s application state.
Frequently asked questions
Do DSS and private primary schools participate in POA?
No. Current Education Bureau material states that P1 places at DSS, private and ESF primary schools are outside the Primary One Admission System. Families apply directly to each school.
Does receiving a DSS offer immediately remove the POA route?
No. The official consequence follows acceptance of a DSS P1 place. An offer received and a place accepted are different states, so check the reply deadline and POA consequence before accepting.
Can a child continue in Central Allocation after accepting a DSS place?
No. After a DSS P1 place is accepted, the child cannot be allocated a place through POA. Any government or aided place already allocated will also be cancelled.
Does a private-school offer have the same consequence as a DSS offer?
No. Education Bureau material separately discusses children who hold a private-school offer while continuing in POA and says their names may be sent to the private school before allocation results. The school's own deposit and registration terms still need direct confirmation.
Does the one-school Discretionary Places rule apply to DSS and private schools?
No. The one-school restriction applies to the Discretionary Places stage for government and aided schools. DSS and private schools use their own direct-application rules.
Where can families check the official 2027/28 POA dates?
The Education Bureau has published the 2027/28 annual timeline. This tool shows only source-locked official milestones and the age range; the school-choice list retains its own publication status.
Official evidence
Education Bureau POA material
The system boundaries, official 2027/28 milestones, DSS acceptance consequence and the arrangement for continuing in POA after a private-school offer are based on current Education Bureau material and FAQs; the school-net list still requires a separate annual-source check.