Best Schools - Ella Eyre: Millfield scholarship gave me opportunities I never would have had

Singer Ella Eyre has thanked Millfield School for her scholarship, saying she never would have been able to attend the school without it.

She recently returned to her former school to accept an award for her work in music, which was chosen by the current year eight pupils.

She attended Millfield Prep and Millfield on a scholarship from 2005 to 2010.

Eyre said: “One of the great things about Millfield is that there are so many opportunities to find your next direction, and even though I pushed boundaries during my time at school, that didn’t get in the way of me being able to shine and pursue the things that I was good at.

I came to Millfield as a swimmer and found my passion for performing

“I came to Millfield as a swimmer and found my passion for performing, and I especially want to thank Millfield for giving me a scholarship to attend the school. Without that, my mum would have never been able to afford to send me there, and I would never have had the opportunities that I have had.

Brexit Is Sending Students Packing, Straining Private Schools on Both Ends

While campuses in Britain look toward Asia in their struggle to refill seats, those on the Continent are scrambling to prepare for a crush of new pupils.

The unending and inelegant debate on how Britain will leave the European Union may rumble on through October, the latest Brexit deadline. But more than 2,000 private schools in Britain and thousands of overseas campuses are tied up in their own debates about how best to prepare for a changed population.

The struggle is especially tough for British schools that rely on fees from workers who might leave after Brexit, said Neil Roskilly, the chief executive of the Independent Schools Association. So far, a cheaper pound has helped keep school fees affordable, he said.

British schools have been attractive to students from Asia, and some may even find themselves an appealing acquisition for investors from places like India and China.

Smaller private schools, with 200 to 350 students, are vulnerable, Mr. Roskilly said. They often “felt the competition and put money into new buildings,” leaving loans they have to repay, he explained. He knows potential buyers are circling some schools, he added, and expects as many as 15 will close or be sold to overseas buyers in the next year.

Some organizations have hedged their bets by opening campuses overseas, according to the Independent Schools Council, a national umbrella organization that includes associations like Mr. Roskilly’s. “There’s definitely movement afoot,” said Colin Bell, the chief executive of an affiliate of the I.S.C., the Council of British International Schools, which plans to start training teachers in cities like Brussels.

“There’s this uneasy feeling about Brexit,” Mr. Bell added. “There is some concern about the perception that the U.K. no longer welcomes foreigners.”