Twenty-five independent schools in the UK have closed “as a direct impact” of Covid-19, it has emerged.
The warning was raised at a recent Education Sector Advisory Group meeting by the Council of British International Schools (Cobis).
The minutes of the meeting state, under Cobis’ contribution: “Twenty-five independent schools in the UK have closed as a direct impact of Covid-19.”
Cobis CEO Colin Bell told Tes that those schools were already in financial trouble before the pandemic and Covid has exacerbated their difficulties.
Asked whether any schools overseas have closed as a result of the pandemic, he said that none in Cobis’ network have, but added that independent schools abroad are seeing a number of challenges.
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One of these, according to Cobis’ contribution to the Advisory Group meeting, is teacher recruitment, with existing concerns around teacher supply being worsened by restrictions on visa, work permits and travel to and from other countries.
Mr Bell said challenges vary from country to country: teachers are having trouble getting a visa to enter China, for example, while others are facing quarantine restrictions before they can start work.
He said: “There are different restrictions, rules, regulations and ministries of education around the world, so schools are just trying their best to follow the regulations from governments to operate safely.”
Cobis also expressed concerns regarding the management and grading of British public examinations for 2020 and 2021 and the potential damage to the reputation of the British public examination system.
Mr Bell said: “Now schools are waiting and seeing in terms of results, they are committed to trying to get the best results for their students and they will be following the appeals process if appropriate.
“British schools overseas are equally as worried about the examination appeals processes and they are keen to work with the examination bodies and to support their students.”
When asked whether the controversy around examinations this year could deter students from choosing a British education, he said: “There are factors which could potentially affect the attractiveness of our British schools overseas, and this is one of those factors.”
However, he praised the concerted efforts of the sector.
He said: “There has been the commitment of teachers and school leaders to work with the examination bodies, with universities, to manage expectations of parents - we all recognise that teachers have worked incredibly hard and this is…the word ‘unprecedented’ has been used so many times.”
Mr Bell added that the prospect of fewer international students choosing to come to the UK to study or enrolling in British international schools abroad is also a concern for the sector.
Some schools might have seen falling pupil numbers due to changing situations for families, such as ex-pat families returning home or parents finding themselves in financial difficulty, he explained.
The Independent Schools Council confirmed that a number of schools have closed, as it was reported at the beginning of June, but that not all closures were ‘ISC schools’.
Julie Robinson, ISC chief executive, said: “It is terribly sad to hear of school closures as a result of the coronavirus pandemic and the impact on pupils, staff and parents at an already difficult time.
“It is impossible to predict with accuracy the full impact this pandemic will have. Of course, it is affecting independent schools like all SMEs and also the livelihoods of fee-paying parents.
“We know from past experience that independent schools are highly adaptable to a change in the market and last term we saw a tremendous response from independent schools in switching to online learning, which was well received by parents and pupils.”
