?
What about boarding schools?
Barnaby Lenon Headmaster, Harrow School, 1999–2011 and Chairman, Independent Schools Council (ISC) Boarding schools continue to be
form this proportion more than doubles to
by parents and can be used to fund
popular in the twenty-first century,
one in three of all pupils. For junior pupils
transformational bursaries at the school. In
offering exceptional education and
this proportion is significantly lower, with
return, the British school provides advice
extra-curricular activities with round-
only 2 per cent of pupils boarding.
and monitors the franchise school in a way
the-clock pastoral care.
which guarantees standards.
Although the overall number of nonThe 2021 ISC Census showed that an
British pupils with parents living overseas
In 2021, average fee increases were 1.7 per
estimated 65,345 pupils board at ISC
has understandably declined due to the
cent. A total of 179,768 pupils now receive
schools. Overall, 458 schools, representing
pandemic, the number of Hong Kong pupils
help with their fees, representing 35 per
33 per cent of all ISC schools, have some
has increased by 6.6 per cent to 5,466.
cent of all pupils. The value of this help
boarding pupils.
totals over £1.1 billion, an increase of 4.3
The parents of these pupils choose British Parents are able to choose between
schools because they are keen for their
different types of boarding to suit their
children to master the English language,
child. Although full boarding remains most
they understand the significance of extra-
popular overall, the pattern appears to be
curricular activities as part of a wide
changing with weekly and flexi boarding
education, and they know attending a
becoming more popular. In 2016, 15.7
British school may be the best way to gain
per cent of boarders were weekly or flexi
admission to a British university.
boarders. In 2021 the figure was 19.5
per cent on the previous year.
WIDENING ACCESS This reflects the long-term aim of our schools to increase bursary provision and widen access. Over the last 15 years, there has been a consistent trend of schools providing increasing amounts of fee assistance to pupils.
per cent. Many working parents value the
Some boarding and day schools have set
flexibility of these boarding options.
up franchise schools abroad. While I was
More than 40,000 pupils receive means-
headmaster at Harrow, we built schools
tested bursaries, valued at £432 million
There are variations between different age
in Thailand, Beijing and Hong Kong. These
in 2021. The average bursary is worth
groups. For the sector as a whole, 12 per
schools pay a fee to the British school
£10,237 per pupil per year.
cent of pupils at ISC schools board. At sixth
which helps to keep down the fees paid