Is boarding school right for your child?
Sending children to school overseas is a tough decision for parents and they need to do their homework
Educational fairs are commonly held at this time of year, ahead of family decisions on studying abroad. That choice is tough for parents with children in their early teens or younger.
About 4,700 Hong Kong students now attend boarding schools in Britain, a drop from more than 5,000 last year. The number of students from Hong Kong has fluctuated over the years, yet the city remains Britain's most important overseas market, says Matthew Burgess, general secretary of the Independent Schools Council (ISC).
The council represents eight independent school associations covering 1,250 independent schools, among them 450 boarding schools.
The mainland will replace Hong Kong as the leading student source next year, Burgess predicted. There are now 4,400 mainland students enrolled in ISC schools, including 2,100 who enrolled in September, compared to 1,700 new arrivals from Hong Kong.
Burgess was in Hong Kong early this month for a talk attended by 300 parents. He stressed the quality of British schools, following revelations earlier this year of child abuse cases at 64 independent schools over a 27-year period.
A further 36 independent schools were linked to child abuse through unresolved prosecutions, convictions relating to children not on the school roll, civil actions, and police investigations leading to arrests but no charges.