I am often asked what attracts international students to British education.
Last year there were over 40,000 international students in British independent schools. They come from all over the world to spend their formative years away from their home countries and often away from their families. What brings them here?
Having worked with many families who swear by British education I've heard a variety of answers to this question. Here are some of the most common:
Language
The value of English cannot be overestimated. Of course it's important for those who go on to have international careers but it's also an essential tool for engaging with global culture. Undoubtedly the best and easiest way to achieve native fluency is to be educated in an English-speaking country.
Setting aside the communication benefits, more and more research has shown a large number of cognitive benefits to bilingualism. If you would like to read more there is a good summary here and plenty more information available online.
Tradition
What sets many top British schools apart from those in other English-speaking countries is their unique history. It is visible in beautiful buildings and quirky uniforms but, more importantly, it feeds an intangible sense of heritage and excellence that can permeate a school's ethos and rub off on its pupils.
When a school has been educating pupils for over 1400 years you can trust they've honed their approach...
Innovation
While many famous British schools are famous for their tradition, when you see them from the inside you realise just how innovative they can be. The best schools constantly re-evaluate their priorities and focus on career-long development for their teaching staff.
Eton College, for example, has a public image as a bastion of tradition but is really very progressive. Over ten years ago it became the first top school to appoint an imam and last year they set up a Centre for Innovation and Research in Learning.
Breadth of Education
In Britain we place enormous importance on co-curricular activities. It is common for pupils to have music, art, design and physical education as part of their timetabled lessons. In addition sport is played several times a week. At boarding schools it is usual for all these facilities to be made available to pupils in the evenings and at weekends.
But even on the academic side British education is characterised by breadth. Curricula cover not only traditional academic subjects but courses in personal and social development. Clubs and societies give students the chance to develop their interests at the same time as developing leadership and organisational skills. Good schools also offer a wide range of subjects and pupils are able to choose what they would like to study.
Flexibility
Pupils' choice is just one example of the flexibility a good British education provides. The range of options means a huge variety of children are catered for in different ways and smaller class sizes mean students receive more personal attention.
Top British schools also lead the world in the support provided to children with special educational needs like dyslexia.
Quality
All these factors combine to make a very high quality education and the results speak for themselves. British schools feed the best universities worldwide and students go on to success in a remarkable variety of fields.