It has been reported that the number of students from Europe in Independent Schools has risen overall by 11% in the last year, because, it is said, their families are worried about the standard of education in their own state schools (well we know all about this don’t we)
It has been reported that the number of students from Europe in Independent Schools has risen overall by 11% in the last year, because, it is said, their families are worried about the standard of education in their own state schools (well we know all about this don’t we) and also because they want their children to go to a British or American University. The main rise in recruitment, reported in the Independent, is from young people from France and Germany (a 24% rise) from Spain (31%) and Russia (38%). It seems that parents from Germany (whose system has had a world-leading reputation) have told headteachers that they see discipline problems grow and rising class sizes since re-unification. Other headteachers said the growth of cheap flights was a consideration as well as the sport and music in the UK curriculum, smaller classes and more individual attention given to pupils. The Independent report quoted Geoffrey Boult, headteacher of Giggleswick School, a boarding school in North Yorkshire, who said: "I visited Germany recently and saw class sizes of over 35. Also, our schools don't turn them out at 1.30pm when they go into the bars and cafés abroad." Also many parents had opted for UK schools because they wanted their children to go on to study in a British or American university.
What is amusing about this report, however, is that the overall number of overseas numbers in our Independent Schools is very small indeed. Of the 504,141 pupils in private education, only 870 were overseas students! I make that only 0.17% - so not much of a money earner yet is it !
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