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Rich foreign families rush to send children to UK private schools since Brexit thanks to falling pound

The UK’s top private schools have experienced a rush of applicants from the world’s richest families since the fall in sterling following last year’s Brexit vote.

In its annual Wealth Report, real estate consultancy group Knight Frank reported that while rich foreign families have traditionally preferred to send their children to the US for their education, the cheap pound means private education in the UK has become more competitive.

Pound sterling has fallen to a 31-year low following the UK’s referendum vote to leave the EU last year.

Figures published by the Independent School Council last year suggested five per cent of pupil come from abroad – a number that is expected to rise over the next few years.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/rich-foreign-families-brexit-public-school-rush-to-send-children-harrow-eton-st-pauls-uk-falling-a7609181.html

Private special school places cost £480 million per year

A lack of state-funded places is forcing councils to spend hundreds of millions of pounds to send pupils to independent special schools.

Councils sent up to triple the number of SEND pupils to independent special schools last year compared with six years ago, Schools Week can exclusively reveal.

Councils blame the shift on a lack of funds for new state places, leaving them unable to keep pace with the rising numbers of diagnoses.

There are also not enough special needs teachers – a situation made worse by the Department for Education’s lack of recruitment targets and data for the SEND sector.

But sending pupils to private schools can be costly. Analysis by Schools Week shows that an independent place costs councils double that of a state place.

https://schoolsweek.co.uk/private-special-school-places-cost-480-million-per-year/