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News
Independent School Council releases annual census
The number of international students studying at UK independent schools increased by 7.4 per cent this year on last year’s figures to reach 23,307, according to figures released by the Independent School Council (ISC) in April.
The gain is significant when compared with the total number of pupils studying at independent schools in the UK, which decreased by 0.6 per cent, and defies expectations that the global credit crunch would affect the number of overseas parents paying for private secondary school education in the UK.
ISC Chief Executive, David Lyscom, said, “In the deepest recession for over 70 years, with a fall in GDP of over six per cent, pupil numbers have fallen by over 0.6 per cent. There are 10 per cent more pupils at ISC schools now than there were in 1996. Moreover, there is strong growth in pupil numbers from overseas, emphasising the worldwide reputation of UK independent education and the high esteem in which it is held.”
Top nationalities for UK schools remain Hong Kong, Chinese and German, while European students accounted for 32.1 per cent of total international student numbers. However, Asian students were the fastest growing nationality group at the schools, with numbers from this region increasing by nearly 30 per cent. Japanese numbers, however, showed a large decline of over 12 per cent. Markets showing good growth included the Middle East, Korea, Spain, Malaysia, France, China and Russia.
The report also showed that the average termly fee for boarders at independent schools in the UK was UK£8,003 (US$11,955).
Feature
Agents on
boarding schools
Education agents working in the high school sector share a few insights into what they look for when finding new boarding school partners in the UK. Bethan Norris reports.
The boarding school sector of the educational travel abroad market is a particularly sensitive one for agents, given the young age of the students and long-term nature of the courses. The high cost of boarding schools in the UK means that the product is a premium one and the school and associated package has to be perfect.
So how do agencies working in this sector distinguish between boarding schools and ensure that the fit is right for their clients? For many agents the answer to this question is communication, communication and yet more communication. “Our success as an educational consultancy is largely based on our many personal contacts in our 150 partner schools,” says Alice Gräfin von Spee from von Buelow & Partners in Germany and the UK. “We have a clear and concise registration form which we send to the schools. Because of our almost friendship-like relationship to many schools, any misunderstandings or uncertainty can be cleared up within a telephone call.”
Kevin Jang from BEC Education in Korea agrees that personal contact with the school is a must. “I do always visit the schools before we recommend them,” he says. “We look for good facilities, friendly teachers, polite students with a smile and academic support on our visit. It is most important [that we have] a personal relationship with someone at the school, especially when our students have a difficult time and we need to get some help, an immediate response and good communication.”
While the ability to form a close working relationship comes high on the list of things agents require when looking for school partners, other more tangible requirements are also important. Gräfin von Spee says that the “number of German pupils compared to the rest of the student body” is an important consideration for them, as well as the ratio of borders to day pupils.
Egle Kesyliene from AMES Language Academy in Lithuania agrees that “the number of international students and proper mix of nationalities” at a school are the most important criteria for them. She adds, “Our clients always ask about ratings of a school but after a long discussion, we agree that there are other criteria which are more important to a particular student.”
Jang, however, highlights different aspects of school life that are important to them and their clients. “[We look for firstly] academic performance [secondly] boarding facilities [thirdly] EFL support [then] the atmosphere of school – friendliness – and [finally] accommodation,” he says.
Expectations may vary between different agencies but all expect high quality marketing material from schools. Jang says, “Schools normally [send us] brochures, websites, school magazines, dvds, leaflets. Dvds are the most useful for us and parents.”
However, the crucial indicator of a good school and business partner is often one that is difficult to quantify. Kesyliene says, “Since we are an experienced agency, we have developed a strong sense which helps us distinguish how the school keeps to its declared values.”
Agent Profile
In a new bi-monthly section, we ask an agent that specialises in UK boarding school placements to tell us about their business and why they like working in this sector of the education travel industry. This month, we talk to Battie Fung from Academic Asia in Hong Kong.
 “The company was first established in 1980 and we send around 700 students to UK boarding schools per year. I have personal experience as a boarder. Like many HK students, I completed my HKCEE and turned to the UK for sixth form and university education. My first journey to England was to join a boarding school for lower sixth. My first meal in the school was unbelievably exotic to me at that time and marked the beginning of a happy and fruitful few years in England. Working as an educational consultant makes me recall my happy moments. No doubt, my experience equipped me with the knowledge and information needed by families who are looking to send their children to the UK. Helping families to make the most appropriate choice of schools for their children, seeing pupils grow up rapidly with increasing confidence and self-esteem when returning home, hearing from the school heads that the pupils are doing so well in many aspects, – some were even selected as head of boarding, chairman of clubs, representing schools in different competitions, receiving offers from the most prestigious universities in the UK… all these make my day at work and give me the fuel to carry on. I have been employed by Academic Asia for over 10 years as a consultant. This is my first step into this sector and over this period we have been forced to face financial crises, social instability and an epidemic of acute diseases. The number of HK pupils joining UK education institutions each year remains fairly stable."
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