Page 12 - ELG2109 Sep Issue 477

UK INDUSTRY NEWS .

The sorry state of UK language schools

By Melanie Butler
Finding out exactly what has
happened to the UK language
sector during Covid isn’t easy.
The British Council website
only lists centres which are still PHOTO BY STOCKSNAP FROM PIXABAY
accredited, not those which
are no longer accredited, and
doesn’t indicate if they’ve gone
out of business.
The only list of closures in
the UK was released by the
association English UK last
December. It listed 30 centres,
one of which re-appeared alive
and kicking last month.
Right now on the accreditation
list, we have operations with
no schools, no teachers and a
company in liquidation; and those
operations which were taken
off the list when they went into
liquidation and have re-emerged
and been re-listed, even though
the company is still in the hands
of the liquidator. Now the British
Council has decided other schools
in liquidation will have their of a mainstream educational permanently and one merged with Companies House of 60 non-
accreditation ‘suspended’ and institution, such as a boarding another provider. chain operations showed that
their names withdrawn from the school, further education college Altogether, as of 1 September, 30% of year-round language
list pending investigation, but or university, the number of 72 operations listed as accredited schools had not reported a profit
which maybe be re-instated. private language schools drops to in March 2020 have disappeared for four years before Covid struck.
It’s like a remake of The Night of 229. In March 2020, there were from the lists, leaving 409 that The number for summer school
the Living Dead. As one principal 282 private language schools, so were there before Covid plus four operations was 90% showing
put it, “None of us knows who’s the sector has seen a decline of newly accredited schools, which significant profits.
still in business, who’s legit and just under 19%. is an overall drop of 14%. As far The financial returns for the
who’s not.” To be exact, 53 year-round as we can ascertain, only half of chains during the same period
On 9 August the following language schools, almost one those had definitely closed and were scarcely better: paper thin
claim appeared in the Times Higher in five of those trading at the most of those were year-round profits or small losses. As one
Education (THE), the newspaper beginning of last year, are no language schools. former financial director put it,
for UK universities: “One in six of longer listed as accredited. “We struggle to break even in
the UK’s 415 language schools – But this doesn’t mean they’ve So far, it’s the the year-round market so we can
69 in total – closed in the first year all closed: judging from their make money from the summer
of the pandemic, with many more websites, around a third of them year-round schools.” This would explains why
to follow.” But is that accurate? are still trading. chain schools account for 43% of
Not exactly. To start with, Other accredited sectors have language schools the UK’s Covid losses.
there are not now, were not not taken such a hit. At the that have borne Prior to the pandemic, there
before Covid and probably never beginning of 2020, the Gazette was a massive oversupply of year-
have been 415 accredited private had recorded 100 mainstream the brunt of Covid, round language schools in the
language schools in the UK. At education providers – including seeing 74% of UK market, one which – short
least, that’s the case if by language boarding schools, FE colleges of a change of government and
schools we mean privately owned and universities – listed by the all exits from a change in the work rights
centres largely dedicated to British Council as accredited. The legislation – was unlikely to
teaching English, or English plus number has dropped 13% during accreditation disappear. Only by bringing our
other languages, all year round. Covid, but only one – a boarding accreditation scheme in line
Of the 413 accredited centres school – has closed down, while So far, it’s the year-round with most of the rest of the world
listed by the British Council as of one other, a state college, is language schools that have borne by inspecting the finances of
1 September, just 271 are described still operating but has closed its the brunt of Covid, seeing 74% of providers can we hope to prevent
in their inspection reports as EFL department. all exits from accreditation. This more carnage going forward.
private language schools and four Among the 49 centres described would come as no surprise to the Covid, as is its wont, has had
of those have been accredited on the Council list as ‘private UK accreditors if they inspected as its EFL victims the weak, the
during the pandemic. language teaching organisations’, the financial health of the centres poor and those with underlying
If we eliminate schools from a term mostly used to describe they accredit, but they don’t. financial conditions. And the
that list which do not run multi-centre summer operations, An analysis by the Gazette havoc it has wrought is not
year round or which form part just three have gone: two closed of the accounts posted at done yet.
12 September 2021