UK still top of the class for rich Asians
- Brexit fallout unlikely to impact private schooling as HNW families in China and other nations aspire to enrol their children for a gold-standard education
While other sectors remain on tenterhooks, Britain’s private schools are feeling generally bullish about the future and have few fears about the possible impact of Brexit.
That’s according to World Class Education, an inaugural report by Keystone Tutors and Wild Research, which is based on surveys and more than 150 interviews with respected figures in the UK’s independent education sector, including head teachers, admissions officers, specialist consultants, and even relocation experts.
It reveals how high-net-worth (HNW) families around the world view schooling in the United Kingdom, whether their perspectives are changing and, in particular, how they regard Brexit. It also provides advice for parents considering the UK as an education destination, and shows where the country fits in when compared against other popular choices like the United States, Canada, Australia and elsewhere in Europe.
Significantly, the findings show most respondents – 66 per cent – believe the outcome of continuing negotiations between Britain and the EU will have “no impact” on the attractiveness of education in the UK. Indeed, 6 per cent suggested there would actually be a positive impact, while 28 per cent expressed concern that things might turn negative.
The generally upbeat view was confirmed by results showing 61 per cent of respondents said the overall “appetite” for considering a UK education had not changed over the past 12 months. On this question, 24 per cent of replies felt interest had increased, and only 16 per cent indicated a decrease.
Going further, the report also found that the two greatest motivations for sending children to study in Britain are “quality of education” and the “prestige of the school/ university name”.
For secondary school level, parents say another driving factor is to chance to improve their children’s hopes of winning a place at one of the country’s top universities. While for those only thinking about university options, considerations like culture and lifestyle play a bigger part.