We found this a very interesting (albeit slightly misleading) article from the Financial Times. Our own experiences and discussions with parents from mainland China in recent weeks have provided us with a more optimistic view of these parents’ thoughts and feelings about UK private schools.
Firstly, compared to this time last year, we are in a much better position; let’s not forget this. That being said, in the next few months, we may all be in a worse situation (for the short-term) than we are today, especially if case rates continue to rise in the UK. However, there is growing confidence among Chinese parents that the UK, with its ever-increasing vaccination numbers, is slowly coming out of the pandemic crisis. This has translated to us seeing greater interest in parents looking to enrol children in UK schools further in advance, providing more time for the world to recover to near normality.
Secondly, the pandemic has definitely made parents rethink what type of an education they would like to provide their children. This has filtered through the Chinese market and has resulted in only those parents, who are adamant that a UK education is right for their child, remaining interested in sending their children to study abroad.
Thirdly, there is no doubt that the Covid pandemic has caused increased concerns for parents sending their children to study abroad but let us not forget that the impact of this has been felt in schools around the world, not just in the UK. We feel it is important to emphasize that Chinese parents still very much crave that world-leading, high quality education that UK boarding schools can offer their children.
Last but not least, yes, it is a challenging time. Yet, it is also a great time to improvise, continue to market all the benefits of an education in UK boarding schools and continue to develop the awareness of the industry. As well as working with many schools to organise prospectus and online webinars, recently, Connexcel has also worked closely with BAC and British Council to organise a large survey of Chinese parents to try and ascertain their opinions of the UK and their future plans for their children’s education. This work has put us in a good place to predict future trends within the Chinese market and will help us to plan accordingly.
