Pictured: Royal Russell School
We speak to dozens of schools every week and are hearing that many boarding schools are seeing an increase in applications from families overseas. The reason? The UK’s successful vaccine roll-out and schools’ excellent provision of online learning during lockdown. Last week, we were approached by to contribute to research for an article on this.
With the confidence of many international families taking a significant knock at the height of lockdown, the recent surge in applications has been a welcome boost for many schools. ‘We are seeing more late applications from international families this year’, says Susan Hogan, Director of Admissions at
Canford. ‘The success of the vaccine programme here has also meant existing international boarders have been reassured that they can return to us in September’.
Since March,
Wellesley House School has seen a significant increase in interest from families in Spain, China, Japan, Sri Lanka and France. ‘We are feeling very optimistic’, says the school. ‘Wellesley has offered increased flexibility to our international families in the form of remaining open throughout exeat weekends and half terms’.
Orwell Park agrees. ‘In response to what we perceive as growing confidence in the UK education sector’s response to Covid, and increasing international vaccine rates, pupils from France and Spain have joined us this summer term, with interest from Hong Kong, Russia and China continuing to grow, and new applications of interest weekly’, says headmaster Adrian Brown.
‘International parents certainly seem to be feeling much more confident to send their children to the UK this year compared to last’, adds
Bede’s School. ‘I think that’s for two reasons; firstly because the British vaccination rate is so strong, but also because British boarding schools have proved during the last year that they can manage the situation effectively and keep children safe whilst minimising the impact on their education. It’s been a challenging year, but I think we have met those challenges head on’.
Of course, concerns about quarantine and the ability to travel still remain – and some independent schools are still providing online learning for international pupils who are unwilling or unable to return to the UK this term. The outlook, however, is bright – ‘and the consensus is that international pupils are keen to come to UK independent schools’, says Talk 看片狂人’s founder Alice Rose.
Read the in The Telegraph (£).