Purpose: This paper aims to analyse the reform syndrome, bottle-neck effects and their impacts on teachers and school education in the last ten years and highlight the direction of new developments. Design/methodology/approach: The paper examines educational reforms in Hong Kong in the last decade. Findings: Echoing the international trends of educational reforms, Hong Kong, as an international city, has initiated a series of educational reforms in the past decades. The experiences of educational reforms in Hong Kong may provide a good case for understanding the dynamics of educational reforms and drawing theoretical and practical implications for research, policy formulation and implementation not only in Hong Kong but also in other international communities. Originality/value: From the analysis of the reform syndrome, particularly the bottle-neck effect, there should be seven key aspects for policy-makers, educators and stakeholders in Hong Kong to address the emergent key issues in educational reforms and work for the further development of their education system in the coming few years. (Contains 1 figure.)