Number of British schools in China to more than double to 46 by the end of 2019

British private schools are expanding rapidly in China as they seek to cash in on growing demand in the world’s second-largest economy, according to new research.

Consultancy Venture Education predicts there will be 46 British private school campuses in China by the end of the year, more than double the number two years before.

Last year, a record five schools opened their first international campus in China and nine more are expected to follow suit in 2019.

Venture Education said many were expanding beyond Beijing and Shanghai to cities like Guangzhou and Chongqing.

Chinese demand for British-run education has surged in the past few years as the pool of wealthy families continues to rise.

Many want their children to attend top-tier Western universities like Oxford or Harvard and see campuses of “brand-name” British schools like Harrow or Wellington as the best way in. 

The British run schools can also allow Chinese pupils to escape reliance on the country’s notoriously difficult, ultra-competitive, gaokao university entrance examinations

UK higher education statistics showed the number of Chinese students in UK universities more than doubled in the 10 years through 2016-17.

ISC Research has said British schools opened more branches overseas last year than in any of the past 20 years.

Read more at: https://www.tes.com/news/number-british-schools-china-more-double

Highest number of first class degrees on record as almost one in three students graduate with top marks 

Of those who completed undergraduate degrees last summer, 110,475 students across the UK (28 per cent) were awarded a first.

The proportion of first class degrees has increased by two per cent each year since 2013/14 and four-fold since 1994/5, according to figures published by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA).

A Department for Education spokesman said it is “concerning” that the “continued increase in firsts across the sector is not proportionate to improving standards”.  

The spokesman went on:  “A key strength of our higher education sector is its independence, but universities have a duty to maintain the value of the degrees they award.  “We have urged universities to tackle this issue and the Office for Students will use its powers to drive change if the sector does not quickly get to grips with this issue.”

Read more at: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/2019/01/17/highest-number-first-class-degrees-record-almost-one-three-students/