More Chinese flocking to elite British schools

For the third year in a row, the majority of overseas pupils studying in the UK come from the Chinese mainland - and more students are expected to set out for the country's schools as prosperous parents bid to imbue their children with British culture.

The latest Independent Schools Council data shows that there are 50,473 non-British pupils at 1,300 ISC member schools across Britain this year. Those from the Chinese mainland are the largest group - some 7,990, nearly a 10 percent increase from the previous year.

The annual ISC survey each January covers around 80 percent of all independent school pupils in the UK, with a record 522,879 attending member schools.

In 2015, the number of pupils from the Chinese mainland was 5,683, the first time that the Chinese mainland had overtaken Hong Kong as the top source of overseas pupils in the UK. The number has continued to grow.

The fast-rising total reflects the amount of newly generated private wealth in China in recent years.

"Hong Kong has been sending pupils to Britain for many years, and market penetration is very high; whereas in Chinese mainland this is just the beginning," says Alexander Nikitich, founder of Carfax Education, which helps place foreign students at leading UK schools and universities.

"It's only really in the last 20 to 25 years that China has developed historically (as a market) and, of course, developed an enormous middle class who can afford British boarding school fees," says ISC Chairman Barnaby Lenon.

In Chinese mainland, parents are flocking to pay more for houses with access to good educational resources, and "they gradually realize that the cost of sending their children overseas for education might be more affordable than buying the houses," says Zhang Junjie, a teacher with Ruixing Education, an overseas education consulting company in Suzhou, Jiangsu province. "The demand for British education at schools, both day and boarding, is booming and will only keep growing. It is also true in markets like the United States and Australia."

Zhang says: "The increase in the number of students for A-level courses is significant, preparing them for entry into the elite UK college and university network that already hosts tens of thousands of Chinese students seeking a degree."

Li Jin's son went to Manchester at age 15 to attend a private school nearby. She says it was a good decision.

"My son has gotten offers from universities, including King's College London," says Li, from Liaoning province. "His two years in the UK gave him more creative opportunities at school than he might have gained from the rote learning and tough teaching in China."

At school, her son got to learn skills like skiing and golf that will "prepare him to make friends with elites in the future". It has "widened his horizons, familiarized him with the West's culture and history and developed his English", despite her initial concerns over homesickness and culture shock.

The fees for the school are 600,000 yuan ($89,460; 79,915 euros; ￡70,224) for two years, which is half covered by a scholarship and half supported by the family savings accumulated over the years.

Li says her monthly income as deputy head of a middle school in Shenyang is about 8,000 yuan a month, and she also gives lectures to earn extra.

Most parents who send their children overseas are entrepreneurs and businesspeople. These days more people like Li, who have a wealth base and are well-educated, are becoming interested.

"Chinese kids work very hard and are focused on academic pursuits. The British system can provide them with more chances to get into top universities in the UK," Li says.

The move from China to the UK can be daunting, because pupils are in a foreign environment. Zhang says: "Students require a big adjustment to local culture and have to gain confidence and be more determined in their studies."