THE VALUE OF INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS 2022

THE VALUE OF INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS 2022

About the ISC The ISC brings together seven associations and four affiliate associations to represent approximately 1,400 independent schools. These schools educate more than half-a-million children. Around half of UK independent schools are ISC schools, educating around 80% of all independent school children.

The ISC’s seven constituent associations are: Association of Governing Bodies of Independent Schools (AGBIS), Girls' Schools Association (GSA), The Heads’ Conference (HMC), Independent Association of Prep Schools (IAPS), Independent Schools Association (ISA), Independent Schools' Bursars Association (ISBA), The Society of Heads. The ISC's four affiliate associations are: Boarding Schools’ Association (BSA), Council of British International Schools (COBIS), Scottish Council of Independent Schools (SCIS), Welsh Independent Schools Council (WISC).

Supporting education for all Every child deserves an excellent education and a good start in life.

Independent schools share this vision.

The sector is a small part of the school system - educating approximately 6% of children - yet independent schools make a valuable contribution to our nation’s education by providing choice, extra capacity, and innovation.

Independent schools are aware of their social responsibility. Our 2022 Census showed 936 ISC member schools undertaking partnerships with their statemaintained colleagues – with almost 7,000 partnership projects between independent schools, state schools, and community groups. These include teaching A-level subjects, support for university applications, joint lessons in arts and drama and the sharing of sports facilities. This covers a time period when schools still faced COVID restrictions, so not all schools had re-commenced their partnership activities.

Independent schools are supporting education recovery following the impact of COVID-19, working in partnership to inc help disadvantaged pupils, recover lost learning, and share expertise to benefit all a children. The sector is keen to work with government and political parties to further help young people. We want to

develop education policies that support the widest range of children across the country, help raise educational standards for all children, and support those who have fallen behind during the pandemic.

Schools are also working hard to widen access to their world-class education. The last academic year (2021/22) saw ISC member schools provide £480 million in means-tested fee assistance, to those most in need of support to access independent schools. Across all ISC schools, one third of pupils receive some form of fee assistance.

We invite everyone to find out more about our schools and the role they play in local communities. The Schools Together website (schoolstogether.org) provides thousands of examples of the work independent schools are doing.

Independent schools are playing a positive role, and they want to do more.

By working together with our state partners, independent schools can make the most of their combined capacity and specialisms for as many young people as possible.

Julie Robinson ISC chief executive

Supporting the fight against COVID-19 Independent schools have been playing their part in the national response since the start of the pandemic. They supported their local communities, working together with state schools and critical services to continue education, protect children, and limit infections:

• Schools donated laptops and digital devices to partner schools and fundraised to buy more for local schools in need. For example, ACS International Schools donated 300 brandnew laptops to 20 partner state primary schools in and around Cobham to support local children who do not have access to technology at home.

• More than 10,000 beds in boarding schools were offered to NHS workers who needed accommodation near to their work, and away from family members to reduce the chance of passing on infections.

• Summer schools have been run between partner schools, supporting education recovery efforts. The Whitgift Community Summer School saw 200 pupils attend during the 2021 summer holidays – activities included lessons on maths, science, English, history, and philosophy, alongside sport, coding, and drama.

• Independent schools donated their PPE from science and design labs, and in some cases used their resources to manufacture additional PPE for local NHS and care services. Approximately 425,000 pieces of PPE were donated by independent schools in the first six months of 2020.

• Online resources were shared to enable both state and independent schools to continue learning remotely.

These included teaching materials and curriculum resources, as well as guidance on safeguarding and resilience during home learning.

The sector used new and existing partnerships with state colleagues to tackle learning loss, support disadvantaged pupils, and bridge the digital divide:

• Schools made online resources available to all state schools, whether local or across the country. More than 1,000 state schools have signed up to EtonX, granting 420,000 secondary school students access to online resources on leadership skills and university preparation. For the future, Eton College has committed to optimising its EtonX learning platform, and is expanding the range of courses on offer to include academic curriculum content, with continued free access for maintained schools.

At the same time, teachers and senior leaders in the independent sector were equally affected by the work and emotional strain of keeping schools running during the pandemic, while schools themselves faced financial challenges.

Maintaining physical teaching and online provision put a squeeze on many schools – with a number closing during the pandemic.

About independent schools Parents who choose independent schools do so because they believe it is best for their child. The money spent on fees comes from taxed income – with many families stretching resources to support their children in this way.

We know that parents strongly value school choice – and the ability to access independent schools. As the UN Declaration of Human Rights states: “Parents have a prior right to choose the kind of education that shall be given to their children.”

Views of independent schools are often based on stereotypes that mask the true diversity of a sector which encompasses a wide range of schools and approaches. Parents might choose independent education for some or all of their child’s education, or in order to meet particular needs. Independent schools offer specialisms in SEND, single-sex education, music, drama, dance, or boarding, which are not always available in state-funded schools.

ISC schools vary significantly in size from fewer than 20 pupils to over 2,400, although half of all schools have fewer than 300 pupils. In reality, many independent schools are small and not as wealthy as people may imagine. Fewer than 100 schools have more than 1,000 pupils.

Data from our annual school Census also show that: • Selection: More than half of our schools are not selective.

• SEND: 18% of pupils at our schools have SEND. • Diversity: More than a third of pupils at ISC schools are from ethnic minority backgrounds – about the same proportion as in the state sector.

• New pupils: Almost 30% of new pupils to ISC schools joined from the state-funded sector.

The impact of independent schools on the UK economy £16.5bn 2,559 schools £14.1 bn Demand-side support for GVA*

1,371 schools

Wider contribution to the economy, society, and state-funded education

£2.1bn GVA supported by non-British pupils

£4.4bn

328,050

£3.8bn Annual savings to taxpayer

281,980 jobs

£5.1bn £4.3 bn Annual tax revenues

All independent schools ISC schools *GVA = Gross Value Added

Delivering value to society Independent schools recognise their social duties. Through widening access, and partnerships with colleagues in the state sector, they make a significant contribution to the whole education system and to their local communities.

Just over half of all independent schools are charities that advance education.

Like all charities, these schools are regulated by the Charity Commission and must report on public benefit in their trustees’ annual report.

Independent schools will primarily provide public benefit through partnerships with state schools or by offering bursaries, and this extends beyond those schools that are registered charities.

Partnerships Schools of all sizes are working together in partnership – showing that together they can achieve more and bring educational experiences to a greater number of children.

Educational partnerships between independent and state schools are an important aspect of school life, benefiting both schools and local communities. In January 2020, before COVID restricted activities, ISC schools were involved in 11,700 partnership projects including subject support in maths, science, and modern foreign languages; teacher training; and careers and higher education advice and support. We know that this work is now resuming. In our last Census –

which included a time period when COVID restrictions were still in place – almost 7,000 of these partnership projects had begun again.

Larger independent schools have forged partnerships through the sponsorship and co-sponsorship of schools as part of the Government’s academies and free schools programme. Schools such as the London Academies of Excellence in Tottenham and Stratford benefit from independent school sponsorship and achieve high rates of Oxbridge entry.

When the COVID pandemic struck, independent schools joined their local communities to help the vulnerable and support our frontline services. These efforts included: • 639 schools donating to their local foodbanks, becoming collection centres, or having staff and students act as volunteer deliverers • 477 schools donating PPE from their food, science, and technology departments to local NHS trusts and key workers • 360 schools using their own facilities to manufacture additional PPE. The relationships between staff and pupils across the school system provide a strong base on which to build recovery.

Independent schools can provide academic support and opportunities for enrichment in areas such as sport, music and drama. Furthermore, with schools increasingly using remote technology,

there is the potential for partnerships to reach across larger distances and into communities where needs are greatest.

• ISC schools currently provide £480m in means-tested fee assistance.

• 30% of all pupils on a means-tested bursary receive remission of 75% or more The sector is keen to do more and has of their fees, and 47% of all pupils on signed a Joint Understanding with the means-tested bursaries receive remission Department for Education to grow stateof 50% or more. independent school partnerships to • One in 14 pupils at ISC schools is on a “support the raising of educational means-tested bursary or scholarship. standards in state schools”. The ISC Schools seek to do more whenever publishes an annual report on possible - but most schools do not have partnership working. large endowments and must fundraise to provide bursaries.

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Trends are only shown from 2011 onwards due to changes in methods of data collection relating to fee assistance. Note, due to the change in methodology we should be cautious about drawing too many conclusions in trend data between 2015 and 2016.

Benefits of independent schools Independent schools make an important and positive contribution to the education system, their local communities, and national productivity. In particular: Specialist SEND provision ISC schools educate more than 95,000 pupils recorded as having SEND, representing 18% of all pupils at ISC schools. The high proportion of pupils with SEND in the independent sector reflects the existence of a number of specialised schools, dedicated to giving education and care to children with serious and complex SEND requirements that is tailored around the needs of the individual young person. These schools provide vital additional capacity for local authorities and often provide SEND support that is not available elsewhere in the local area.

Independent schools also provide a supportive, nurturing environment for pupils with less severe needs in mainstream settings. The independence these schools have allows them to personalise learning and build assessments around pupils’ individual skill sets.

Boosting global competitiveness Independent schools also provide excellence in subjects vital to global competitiveness. Advanced maths and science study is key for technological innovation and countering climate change. While as global influence shifts, modern foreign languages will be vital for trade and international co-operation.

In the last year for which data are available (2019), independent schools accounted for: • Almost 30% of entries for A-levels in French and Spanish.

• 30% of further maths A-level entries.

• 21% of physics A-level entries.

An international asset The strong global reputation of British education attracts overseas companies and international students to the UK. These students bring a global perspective to our schools, enrich the community, and are a vital pipeline to British universities.

“Learning a foreign language can greatly benefit young people by introducing them to new cultures and dramatically expanding their horizon.”

Confederation of British Industry (CBI/Pearson Skills Survey 2019)

Independent schools are proud of the role they are playing in meeting the ambitions of the Government’s International Education Strategy and the target of attracting 600,000 international students to the UK every year. Not only do international students choose UK independent schools – many opt to study at UK universities, having been immersed in British life.

• Our last Census found there were more than 56,000 non-British pupils enrolled in ISC schools – of these, 25,000 had parents overseas, with 31,000 having parents in the UK. Although COVID had impacted enrolments, independent schools have worked hard to welcome students back and reassure them that Britain is a safe and welcoming place to learn.

• Non-British pupils at ISC schools account for £2bn of GDP per year, generating £600m in annual tax revenues.

• Independent schools contribute £1bn annually to education exports.

• British independent schools are also active internationally, with 93 campuses of ISC member schools operating overseas.

• In addition, British orientated international schools (the majority of which are not directly linked to UK independent schools) are part of the fast-growing international schools market, with almost 7,000 British orientated schools making up 42% of the global market, according to analysts ISC Research.

Supporting our economy Independent schools are often integral to communities, supporting economic prosperity both locally and nationally.

Research from Oxford Economics shows that for the UK as a whole, independent schools: • Contribute £16.5bn annually to GDP • Support 328,000 jobs • Provide £5.1bn in tax revenue • Save the state sector £4.4bn per year through parents not taking up state school places.

“The UK has a global reputation for education, characterised by excellence and quality. Our global education offer encompasses the full range of the education spectrum, including early years, independent schools...[and] higher education.”

International Education Strategy 2019, HM Government

Constituent Associations Girls’ Schools Association, The Heads’ Conference Independent Association of Prep Schools, Independent Schools Association The Society of Heads, Association of Governing Bodies of Independent Schools The Independent Schools’ Bursars Association Affiliated Associations Boarding Schools’ Association, Council of British International Schools Scottish Council of Independent Schools, Welsh Independent Schools Council Independent Schools Council First Floor, 27 Queen Anne’s Gate, London SW1H 9BU 020 7766 7070

www.isc.co.uk