The coronavirus pandemic did not halt the growth of British independent schools last year in China, where 14 new schools opened compared with only four in 2019.
The growth is being fuelled by factors including the growth of the Chinese middle class and the desire by British independent schools to create “much-needed revenue”, according to a report by Beijing-based education consultancy Venture Education.
It states that 40 more new British independent schools are scheduled to open in China in the next few years.
Coronavirus: Hundreds of private schools ‘bust by Christmas’
Related: Private schools ‘wrestling’ with fee cuts
Read: Prep schools expected to cut fees
Steve Allen, headteacher of Lady Eleanor Holles International School, in Foshan, China, said: “The pandemic has changed views within China of sending children home (or abroad) to complete their schooling and, as a result, there is a growing demand for high-quality international education within easy reach of home.”
He said his school “provides everything that a student could enjoy from boarding in the UK without having to travel 10,000km from home and this is a major attraction”.
“British education remains widely respected in China,” he added.
There are now more than 30 British independent school brands operating in China, some of which have multiple schools across the country, according to the report.
They include Harrow School, which runs five schools and has plans to open eight more, and Dulwich College which currently operates nine schools. Other brands include St Paul’s Girls’ School, King’s College School and Wycombe Abbey School.
The report states that in the next few years, China will have four of the five top British independent school brands, as ranked by their most recent GCSE and A-level results.
Julian Fisher, senior partner at Venture Education, said: “From the Chinese side, local governments are competing with each other and want to attract international business. An international school brand helps property companies to get access to land and licences.”
Last year, Tes reported how Chinese investors were lining up to buy struggling English independent schools facing closure owing to coronavirus.
