Page 14 - ELG2102 Feb Issue 474

BUSINESS NEWS .

The business model behind the

British school brands abroad boom

By Melanie Butler
The news that Benenden School, the English
girls’ school in Kent which is the alma mater
of Princess Anne, has partnered with a
Hong Kong-based education group to open
a school in mainland China should come as
no surprise.
There were some 78,000 international
students at around 400 IEPs in 2018, a 10%
drop from the previous year. But the fall was
not as dramatic as that seen in 2017, which
saw around 20% fewer students than in 2016.
Barely a month goes by without the UK
press trumpeting the opening of another
British boarding ‘branch’ in Bahrain, Bangkok
or Beijing.
The Benenden initiative is typical of the
role of British schools in China, the fastest-
growing market. Fourteen new British school
branches opened in the country in 2020,
up from just four in 2019, according to UK
teaching magazine TES.
But what is driving UK schools to
internationalise? The headline in the Benenden Benenden School is adding its name to a new venture in China
story in Independent Education Today magazine
sums it up: “New Chinese schools will fund UK offering everything from wedding venues to of trilingual preschools following the IB
bursaries, says Benenden”. EFL summer schools to generate income. programme and a Canadian international
Bursaries, a form of discounts on fees based In recent years, more and more UK not- school which follows the Ontario curriculum,
for-profits have turned to overseas school both in Hong Kong.
The Hong Kong group is looking initially
More and more UK partnerships to generate income which can to use its Benenden partnership to set up a
be used to fund an increasing number of
not-for-pro!ts have bursaries. Schools in China, aimed mainly bilingual school in mainland China, a market
turned to overseas at local children rather than the expatriate where traditional British education is popular
with parents.
community, have become an increasingly
school"partnerships to important sector of the market. The bilingual school market has grown
The Benenden story exemplifies this trend,
generate income as headteacher Samantha Price explained rapidly since 2019, when the Chinese
government banned its citizens from sending
in her interview with Independent Education children aged six to 15 to international schools
on family income, have become an increasingly Today: “We have been looking at various which followed foreign curricula. Instead, all
important aspect of private schools’ defence options in recent years. This first project in children in this age group must follow China’s
against accusations of privilege. Just 6.5% China is a wonderful opportunity to establish national curriculum and take national exams
of UK children attend fee-paying schools, a fantastic new school at the same time in Mandarin at 15.
compared to 10% in the USA, 15% in France as generating, in time, revenue that will Although fee-paying bilingual schools
and 35% in Australia. Yet in 2018, students supplement the donations from our incredibly deliver much of their programme in English,
from independent schools made up 42% generous supporters to help us offer more and are permitted to offer some British-style
of entrants into Oxford and Cambridge, bursaries here at Benenden.” courses in addition to the national curriculum,
according to the BBC. How do not-for-profit schools fund new the educational input of the British
The campaign to increase bursaries has seen for-profit schools overseas? The short independent school is necessarily limited and
their value rise to £440 million, up 66% since answer is they don’t. They partner with local educational oversight difficult.
2011, according to the Independent Schools businesses who build, own and operate the Jennifer Yu Cheng, of CTF Education
Council. But why look to overseas operations schools with the UK school taking a fee and Group, told Independent Education Today that
for funding? It’s because 74% of independent providing varying amounts of educational the strategic partnership with Benenden
schools are not-for-profit, including almost oversight. These schools are not ‘branches’ School would bring “one of the best schools in
all the famous historic secondary schools so of UK schools, rather they are more akin to the world” to the Greater Bay Area in China.
attractive to overseas parents. Under English franchises, with the UK schools having varying “The partnership sets the tone for our goal to
law they are deemed charitable trusts and not levels of educational input and oversight. deliver one of the best K-12 bilingual schools
permitted to make a profit from their fees. Again, the Benenden experience is typical. in Greater China,” she added.
Traditionally, money for bursaries has been The new school in China will be rolled out As Benenden’s Samantha Price explains, the
raised by endowments from former pupils, but and run by CTF Education. Founded in school will “reflect Benenden’s educational
the massive increase in funding needed has led 2017 as part of the giant Hong Kong-based ethos and feel wherever possible” and will
schools to set up for-profit trading companies CTF conglomerate, it currently owns a chain “share more than a name”.
14 February 2021