subject: Which country sends the most children to UK schools? [print this page] Which country sends the most children to UK schools?
Education in the UK has been renowned throughout the world for its academic excellence for generations. British schools have always extended a warm welcome to overseas students, offering world-class educational opportunities in the form of private academies, top boarding schools and language institutions. Children who come to the UK to study benefit not only from immersing themselves in British culture, but from learning in a multi-cultural environment alongside a diverse mix of races, backgrounds and languages. In many cases pupils will find themselves building lasting friendships with children from up to 30 different countries, which will greatly enrich their lives and broaden their outlook on life. Many of them even benefit from foreign language exchange as friendships spark an interest in the different cultures of their classroom peers.
Independent schools in the UK recorded a total of 23,000 students from overseas in 2010, a figure which has been increasing steadily year upon year by around 8%. Hong Kong has a long-standing tradition of sending children to overseas schools and as such is currently the highest contributor of non-EU students to schools in Britain. Due to the historical links between Hong Kong and the UK, the former British colony modelled its education system on that of Britain many years ago and the system has undergone major reforms in recent years. Even so, over 5,000 children from Hong Kong were recorded as receiving education in Britain in 2009, a figure which accounts for almost a quarter of Britain's international student population. This is a trend that continues into the higher education sector, with British Universities consistently being the preferred choice amongst Hong Kong citizens for undergraduate and postgraduate studies.
China is close behind Hong Kong when it comes to sending children to British schools. Affluent families recognise the value of world-class education and the increase in Chinese wealth has seen demand for UK school places soar in recent years. Whilst in 2000 applications numbered just a few hundred, they have now risen to over 3,000 a year. When we add this number to the annual intake from Hong Kong, the total is just short of 10,000 and accounts for up to 40% of foreign students. In spite of the widespread esteem of British education, there are actually few Chinese families with the necessary knowledge to source the right school and understand the application system. Many agents such as the British Council work behind the scenes to bring institutions and families together and promote the advantages of UK-based schooling.
Families from Hong-Kong and China see a British education as the ideal springboard to an international career, encouraging their children to study Maths and Physics. Chinese students outnumber the next largest foreign contingent, from Germany, by more than one to four and whilst some independent schools may oppose such a disproportionate contingent from one geographical area, others welcome the trend. British families are increasingly likely to choose mixed-sex schools over boarding schools for instance and some institutions have struggled to fill places. Fortunately Chinese families are happy to opt for single-sex boarding schools, although it is believed that in the future they will question the benefits of doing so as the schools become more and more saturated with children sharing similar backgrounds and cultures.
