Page 6 - ELG1601 Jan Issue 432

Who reads the
ELgazette?
400 officials in 48 countries
receive their copy every month
– courtesy of the British Council
Page 6 ELmarket report January 2016
Why it’s great up north
Melanie Butler explains why the north of England is no longer a
region where overseas students need to be persuaded to opt for
he ‘Northern Powerhouse’ opened schools there: EF, Kaplan
has already arrived on the and EC in the north-west and CES
TUK’s English language in Leeds and Harrogate. Indeed
scene. Britain’s finance minister, Manchester and Liverpool com-
or Chancellor of the Exchequer bined now present a language
as we so quaintly call him, has learning hub to rival traditional
plans for a powerhouse, a new EFL destinations in the south
industrial and scientific hub, to such as Brighton, Bournemouth
be created in the north of Eng- and Poole, while the region as
land, linking the cities which a whole probably has a sector
were the birthplace of the Indus- the size of Bournemouth and
trial Revolution: Liverpool, the south-west. Students now
Manchester, Leeds, Sheffield Courtesy International House Newcastle actively choose to head north, no
and Newcastle. All five cities longer being persuaded to with
have seen an increase in their promises that Newcastle and
provision of British-Council- Sheffield are actually quite near
accredited language centres over London but just cheaper.
the last ten years. Cheaper it certainly is, particu-
But where exactly do we BRIDGING THE GAP Newcastle is one of a number of northern larly if you take into account the
mean by the north of England? cities that are becoming more popular with foreign students cost of living and of host fami-
There are various interpreta- lies, but as can be seen from the
tions, but for the purpose of this language teaching was domi- northern brand. The increase in value-for-money graph on page
EL Gazette feature we mean nated by the universities, many international interest in the uni- 7, although course fees are lower
south of the historic border with of which, like Manchester, Leeds versities, powered by initiatives on average, at £12.50 an hour for
Scotland down to the border and Liverpool, were leaders in such as the Northern Consor- a short course, there is much less
with Wales in the west and the research in applied linguistics. tium, has also increased the variation of price than in other
southern boundaries of York- Further education colleges, such region’s educational profile. major regions because almost
shire, south of Sheffield. as the Sheffield College, have Many observers believe, how- all centres are in the same price
Private language schools in also had a strong presence in the ever, that it is the worldwide band – between £10 and £15 an
the north were traditionally clus- English language sector for many fame of the region’s football hour for a short course. There
tered in the historic towns, such years. It was the brilliance of teams which is the main reason are fewer schools charging under
as York, Harrogate and Scarbor- Richard Day, founder and former for the strongest surge in growth £10 an hour in the whole of the
ough – all of which boast schools principal of English in Chester – the astonishing flowering of north than there are in Bourne-
which are between thirty and (the region’s top-ranked accred- the private-language-school mouth, but there are also fewer
fifty years old. In the old north- ited centre) to forge an alliance sector in the major towns, partic- charging more than £15. This
ern industrial towns English across the sector and to aggres- ularly Manchester, which fifteen is an area where getting value
sively promote the north as an years ago boasted just a couple for money means choosing
EFL destination with the crea- of accredited schools, and Liv- the best-quality schools, based
tion of English in the North, now erpool, which had none. Leeds, on British Council inspection
known as English UK North. Sheffield and Newcastle, where results, because they are unlikely
The emergence of northern International House held the fort to cost any more than those with
boarding schools such as Stony- alone for many years, have also below-average scores.
hurst and Windermere offering seen somewhat slower growth. The north of England offers
accredited summer schools is The increase in importance of great value for money, as long as
another more recent develop- the area can be seen by the eager- you choose the top-performing
ment which has extended the ness with which the chains have schools. n
Northern focus: where the
top schools are situated
Scotland
Newcastle
Northern
Ireland
Scarborough
Harrogate
York
Leeds
Manchester
Liverpool Sheffield
Chester
England
Wales