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. The ISC says most offences took place decades ago and schools have since developed rigorous child-protection measures. Schools admissions policies is another issue. One former teacher of a college offering GCSE, A-level and foundation courses (which lead to admission at designated universities) claimed in an e-mail to the Post that the college charging high fees was operating like a "cash cow", offering a minimal extra-mural programme, and its halls of residence did not have any pastoral structure. Some students arrived at the colleges unable to speak English, or with such little English that they could barely make themselves understood. They were unable to undertake a university entrance course, it was claimed, and a third of the teachers were part-timers. Burgess dismisses the concern, citing schools that cater to, he claims, any standard of English. Taunton School, for one, runs an affiliate school that offers intensive English and other subjects for overseas students whose language skills are too weak to access the regular curriculum. Those students would be transferred back to the main school once their English was good enough. Neither is he worried about Hong Kong students lacking the opportunity to practice English, or being confined to their own ethnic groups. "Schools do not want cultural ghettos to exist; they make sure English is spoken," he says. With a host of school-arranged activities during the week and at weekends, boarding school students have more opportunities to mingle with students of other ethnic origins. For quality assurance, Burgess advises parents to check on school websites the official reports by the Independent Schools Inspectorate, with authorisation from the Education Department. One covers academic results, the other students' welfare. Janice Lam, who spent two years at Headington School in Oxford, before returning to Hong Kong for university study, went skating, toured the historic university town and visited Paris at weekends with fellow boarders. She also continued to learn the piano and the flute. The spacious facilities at any well-equipped school are a draw for many students. "The facilities at my school were renovated. There was a drama theatre," says Lam. "The teachers were dressed in normal clothes and were down to earth. There was not as much pressure as studying in Hong Kong. You could develop various interests." Her fellow full boarders were mainly international students, many of whom came from Asian countries such as Japan, Taiwan, India, and the mainland. Locals were day boarders who returned home at weekends, Lam says. The residential life prepared her for an international environment, either at university or in the workplace, she says. A school should match a student's aptitudes, abilities and interests, rather than just rank high in the league tables. "Leagues tables are important, but I don't think they say very much other than that the most selective schools will be at the top and inclusive schools are at the bottom," says Burgess. He advises parents to discuss the situation with their children before any decision. "My experience is that children know when they are ready to leave home; as a parent, I would not force my child to leave home if I felt they were not ready," he says. In Britain, children as young as seven are sent away to boarding school. There was not as much pressure as in Hong Kong. You could develop interests Janice Lam, former boarder "Boarding at 13 has been the model for many years for international and local students; schools are set up to deal with all emotional needs that children will have from being away from home; one of the strengths of the British boarding system is it's got a very strong pastoral system," says Burgess. "One of the important questions overseas parents should be asking is, 'Are you genuinely a full-boarding school or is my child going to be on his own at weekends.' "As the proportion of local boarders changes, it's important that parents know that the school they send their child to is a school where there is a full programme of activity, and on Fridays and at weekends, it is not just Hong Kong people who are left there," he says. Pastoral care is among the minimum standards laid down by the British government for this unique sector which has formed a prominent part of British education system. Other requirements for boarding schools are that: The school identifies at least one person other than a parent, outside the boarding and teaching staff of the school, who boarders may contact directly about personal problems or concerns at school. There is an appropriate range and choice of activities for boarders outside teaching time, including sufficient and suitably timed free time each day. Boarders have access to a range and choice of safe recreational areas, both indoors and outdoors, and there are safe areas at school where boarders can be alone. The school has, and consistently implements, a written policy to promote good behaviour among pupils. This policy includes measures to combat bullying and to promote positive behaviour. Boarders have a satisfactory means of contacting a member of staff in each house at night. If it is a decision made with a good understanding of what is involved, going abroad could be a rewarding move. "The positive aspect of boarding is the children can be with their friends, have an immediately accessible social life, and pursue their interests outside of school time," Burgess says. "The facilities at boarding schools are way beyond what students will be able to do if they were day pupils." gov.uk/government/publications/boarding-schools-national-minimum-standards Free of gender bias, girls show their potential As a physicist, Caroline Jordan became science-minded at an all girls' school. Now the head of all-female Headington School in Oxford, Britain, she has high hopes that her students will one day become engineers or scientists. "There is lots of data that shows that girls are more likely to do stem and science subjects if they are in a girls' rather than a co-ed school," she says. "At Headington, the most popular subject in sixth form is maths. A girl from Hong Kong has gone on to do biomedical science at Imperial College. "We have girls who do arts and languages, as well, but they choose what they're good at, as opposed to being pushed to particular areas." A day and boarding school, Headington seeks to tap students' full potential in an environment free of any gender bias. "An average teenage girl may get turned off sport if she is in a co-ed environment because perhaps she is more conscious of her body image, or does not want to assert herself," says Jordan, who was in Hong Kong to meet with parents and conduct student admissions interviews. She is due to be the president of the Girls' Schools Association in 2016. Headington now has about 100 students from the city. Some of its Hong Kong alumnae from the 1960s are leading figures in the finance world and other industries. "We do lots of things to make sure the girls are around not just girlie things; if you are at the right type of girls' school, it's a very good option," Jordan says. But most boarding schools in Britain are co-educational. Some principals support the so-called diamond structure, which combines both single-sex and co-educational teaching. Typically, boys and girls are taught together until the age of 11, then separate from 11 to 16, before coming back together again in a joint sixth form. "The move up from the boys' and girls' schools is an important step in the growing-up process, and the sixth form is a natural preparation for university and the world of work," says Mark Steed, principal of Berkhamsted, a diamond school in Hertfordshire.