A very international British education
AS THE INTERNATIONAL-SCHOOLS MARKET GOES FROM STRENGTH TO STRENGTH, EVIDENCE SUGGESTS THAT A BRITISH CURRICULUM IS LIKELY TO INCREASE ITS DOMINANCE IN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOLS ACROSS THE GLOBE, AND THAT OVERSEAS FAMILIES WILL CONTINUE TO SEEK PLACES AT INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS IN THE UK. REBECCA MARRIAGE REPORTS.
ccording to the Independent School Council’s (ISC) 2015 Census, independent schools in the UK offering a traditional British education have recorded the highest number of pupils since records began in 1974. Barnaby Lenon, chairman of the ISC, puts this down
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to consistent high standards and a “tremendous record” of academic achievement, but also to stimulating opportunities for pupils outside the classroom and a professional approach to pastoral care.
“It is no surprise that British independent schools are seen as amongst the best in the world,” says Mr Lenon. The ISC Census shows that many families relocating to
the UK would agree. There are currently 16,821 non-British pupils whose parents live in the UK. Of these, more than 40 per cent come from European Economic Area countries and a further 15 per cent from the US. In addition, there are 4,175 British pupils whose parents live overseas.
But it is the export of a British education that has seen
the biggest growth over the last few years. While there are only around 350 ISC-affiliated schools, the overseas campuses of ISC schools are just a small part of the growing number of British schools overseas (BSOs). The International Schools Consultancy, which researches and analyses data from the international schools sector, estimates that there are more than 3,000 BSOs, representing around half of all English-medium international schools worldwide.
Overseas campuses of some of the best-known British independent schools are already positioned in global relocation hotspots. Dulwich College has had a school in Shanghai since 2003, and Harrow and Wellington also have outposts in China. New school projects were approved in Hong Kong, including Shrewsbury School, which also has a campus in Bangkok The perceived rigour of a UK-style education, alongside the global recognition of its qualifications, appears to be fuelling this growing demand around the world. According to a new British Council research report, Global Expansion of UK Boarding Schools: A Study of Branch Campuses, the last year has
seen rapid expansion of UK boarding schools across the world, with growth centred on East Asia and the Middle East. Five new branch campuses of UK boarding schools have opened in the last year, bringing to 44 the total of schools with campuses overseas. And there are no signs of this trend reversing, as strong economic growth in regions such as Asia is creating a growing middle class eager to give their children a quality education. Parents surveyed by the British Council during a recent UK schools and colleges exhibition in Hong Kong confirmed that there was a long-standing belief that attending a UK boarding school would lead to a successful application to a UK university.
“The priority given to education rises alongside the growth of the global middle class,” said Anna Esaki-Smith, author of the report. “Thus, the expansion of UK boarding schools overseas is a reflection of not only that correlation, but the belief that a UK-style education provides a quality academic experience.”
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