Page 15 - ELG1707 Jul Issue 449

DATA & ANALYSIS

can curb fee increases and attract people who Fig. 2: Growth in the number of overseas campuses of UK private schools
couldn’t afford it otherwise through a bursary
fund.’
The increase in ‘social capital’ derived from
setting up abroad was a benefit too, he said. But
he added it was vital for schools to invest time
and money to ‘remain authentic’ and true to
their educational values, exporting more than
just ‘the sign above the door’.
‘At Brighton, the overseas branches have the
same uniform, the same ethos, the same pastoral
system. We make it as “real” as possible,’ he said.
Anne Keeling, communications manager
at ISC Research, said that setting up schools
abroad also served to increase a school’s brand
and attract overseas students to the original
‘mother’ school. Colin Bell, chief executive of
the Council for British International Schools,
explained that UK government enthusiasm was
also fuelling the boom.
He joined a trade mission to China last 31,773
December, accompanied by England’s 27,619
education secretary Justine Greening and Number Number of
representatives from fifteen UK schools –
including a state boarding school. The aim of pupils pupils educated
was to ‘match-make’ schools with Chinese educated in in the overseas
investors.
He said, ‘Three or four years ago it was the the overseas campuses of
big names you would anticipate [setting up campuses of top UK private
schools], but now it’s certainly other schools
that aren’t necessarily household names. top UK private schools in 2017
‘There’s a realisation that it’s not just schools in
about revenue, but providing meaningful Source: Independent Schools
opportunities for student and staff exchange.’ 2016 Council Census 2017
Richard Gaskell, schools director at ISC
Research, added, ‘The British independent
school brand continues to develop a presence business’ of how to develop an independent South Korea, London and China.
overseas. For the wealthiest local families, it is school brand abroad, and that the US and And Haileybury School in Melbourne,
an increasingly popular solution in preference Australia were ‘anticipated’ to follow suit. Australia, set up an international school
to sending their pre-university-age child US private schools have now opened campus in China’s Tianjin in 2013, sporting
overseas to board in the UK.’ around six branches abroad, including Dwight an administrative building its website says is
He added that Britain was now ‘leading the School in New York, which has schools in ‘inspired by traditional Western architecture’.

Source: Independent Schools Council Census 2017 and EL Gazette research

Fig.3: Locations of overseas branches of UK private schools open up to August 2017 (Does not include schools that could not be located)
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