W:
www.ie-today.co.uk
China is one country generating much interest right
now. China has 200 million school-aged children and a rapidly growing middle class. An increasing number of these families are demanding an international education. Developments in China’s international schools market are going some way towards meeting this demand. The formation of Chinese-foreign cooperation programmes to create international schools which will enrol both Chinese nationals and foreign students has created new possibilities.
ABOVE: Harrow International School, Beijing - established in 2005 and teaching approx. 700 students representing some 40 different nationalities
According to market intelligence by ISC, all
these brands, along with the proprietary school groups such as Nord Anglia Education, Cognita Schools and GEMS, which directly own and operate multiple schools in a number of countries, have ambitious plans to expand. Wellington College and Harrow International, for example, will be opening campuses in China this September and Dulwich College will open in Singapore. However, says ISC chairman Nicholas Brummit,
“it isn’t easy for a UK independent school to start an international operation. Every country has different expatriate and local demographic profiles. Some countries (China in particular) don’t actually allow their nationals to atend foreign-owned and -run schools. Then there are different regulatory environments, different levels of competition and so on. In most instances a local partner is either obligatory or highly desirable. All in all, there is much to know.”
Regional developments Independent schools considering new international opportunities will be following the recent developments in the market. Growth of the international schools market in the last few years has been focused predominantly in Asia. Twenty-one countries now have over 100 international schools, 11 of which are in Asia (including the Middle East). The country leading the global market is the UAE, with 428 international schools, followed closely by China, which has 417. Pakistan and India both have over 350 schools and Japan has more than 200. Other countries with over 100 are Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Qatar and Saudi Arabia in Asia; Mexico, Argentina and Brazil in the Americas; Spain, France, Germany, Netherlands and Spain in Europe; and Egypt and Nigeria in Africa. The countries that experienced the most significant growth in 2013 were the UAE with 45 new schools and Brazil with 41. Other countries that saw major growth last year were Saudi Arabia, India, China and Indonesia.
Supporting the international schools market The growth of international schools comes with an increased need for the provision of high-quality educational services and supplies to support the schools in the region. Details from ISC’s latest country reports, which provide specific market intelligence on major growth countries for international schools, identify many examples of how the infrastructure behind school development is helping to maintain standards. Some educational providers are investing directly.
Fieldwork Education, for example, which offers the international primary and middle years curricula has, this year, opened an office in Kuala Lumpur specifically to support and provide training to schools in South East Asia, such as Harrow International in Bangkok, which deliver the IPC and IMYC. An increasing number of educational technology
and school suppliers are establishing field representatives in the region. And recruitment specialists are reporting increased demand from international schools for the targeted search and placement of skilled and experienced teaching and leadership staff. The majority of hires are fully qualified, experienced expatriate educators who speak English as a first language, mostly from the UK, New Zealand, Canada, Australia, USA and South Africa, adding an additional international perspective to the school’s teaching community. “The expansion of international schools comes
with a need for quality staffing, premium learning- focused provision, and the very highest performance and accreditation standards in order to maintain the reputation that many international schools in the region currently have,” says Nicholas Brummit. “This is particularly so for the independent school brands where the highest quality of learning facilities and provision atract some of the wealthiest of families. The market as a whole has a responsibility to keep these standards high if it is to see continued vibrant growth into the future.” The International School Consultancy Group (ISC) is
the only research organisation to focus exclusively on the international schools market. It provides a range of services to schools considering new developments and expansion, investors, developers, school suppliers and higher education institutions. These services include market intelligence reports, bespoke data, an online data service and personal representation. iE
Anne Keeling, The International School Consultancy Group ISC T: 02920 712265 E:
anne@annekeeling.co.uk W:
www.iscresearch.com
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40