UK Immigration: The Sixth Form Colleges Association in England recently revealed that more than a dozen public secondary schools have begun recruiting self-funded students from overseas, with another dozen currently in the process of applying for approval. Currently, approximately 1,000 students from China and Russia have enrolled in UK public secondary schools.
Reporters have learned that the vast majority of Chinese students who go to the UK for secondary education attend private boarding schools, as public secondary schools primarily provide free education to local children. Recently, an article on BBC UK stated that after a large influx of Chinese students into UK private secondary schools, they are now making inroads into top-tier UK public secondary schools. It is reported that Richard Huish College in Somerset, in the heart of England, is a public secondary school rated as "outstanding" by the UK education regulatory body. This year, the school welcomed 60 overseas secondary students for the first time. Among the 60, apart from a few Russian students, almost all are from mainland China.
It is reported that British children attending public secondary schools do so for free; furthermore, children from low-income families are eligible for free school meals. Local government education authorities allocate education funding based on a per-student basis. The school's principal, Mr. Abbott, stated that the government allocates £4,560 per British student, while the school charges each overseas student an annual tuition fee of £12,000, with plans to increase it to £15,000 next year.
The report points out that according to the Sixth Form Colleges Association, which represents nearly 100 colleges in England, more than a dozen public secondary schools have already begun recruiting self-funded students from overseas, and another dozen are in the process of applying for approval. "There are already about 1,000 students from China and Russia who have entered UK public secondary schools. In terms of revenue, it is hugely attractive to public secondary schools that are facing budget constraints," said Kevin, vice-chair of the Sixth Form Colleges Association.
According to statistics, in 2014, a total of 24,391 overseas secondary students were registered in 1,257 private secondary schools in the UK. Among them, students from mainland China and Hong Kong accounted for approximately 38% of the total number of overseas students.
Hunter, from the UK educational agency Gabbitas, revealed that they are currently introducing Chinese students to UK public secondary schools. Hunter admitted that in UK private schools, the number of Chinese students has reached a critical point, and some British parents have even transferred their children to other schools because there are too many Chinese students.
