Things change. Life happens.

Things change. Life happens.

Updates
[siteorigin_widget class="SiteOrigin_Widget_Image_Widget"][/siteorigin_widget] As an educational consultant, here is my take on the current boarding school enrolment landscape for Asian students. These observations are aimed to international families. In 2022 leading US boarding schools were inundated with applications once again, and recorded daunting accept percentages of anywhere from 12 percent to 18 percent on their March 10th decision day. International applicants from China and Hong Kong to leading schools in the US often numbered around 150 - with an accept number usually of just two to four. As a result, most schools will not go to their wait-lists. By their market decisions these schools are saying we want students from Asia who are already high functioning. I thought schools were about teaching! Therein lies the challenge. Families in Asia know of…
Read More
Boarding Schools: Resilience and Retooling

Boarding Schools: Resilience and Retooling

Updates
[siteorigin_widget class="SiteOrigin_Widget_Image_Widget"][/siteorigin_widget][siteorigin_widget class="SiteOrigin_Widget_Image_Widget"][/siteorigin_widget]BOARDING SCHOOLS: RESILIENCE AND RETOOLING My last blog was just over a year ago. It was gloomy. What a difference a year makes! Despite my concerns for independent school enrolments in this Covid era, those fears have proven to be unwarranted for the most part - certainly for schools in British Columbia and New England. These are the two areas of concentration for my consultancy work. Parents saw that safety protocols in fact are easier to implement and enforce at a boarding school. Zoom classes were a necessity last spring, but have been unnecessary in the boarding school bubble. Once the students were able to get to their schools in September - not an easy feat - and then allocated to their learning pods, things seemed to move…
Read More
March 15th – Beware the Ides of March

March 15th – Beware the Ides of March

Updates
[siteorigin_widget class="SiteOrigin_Widget_Image_Widget"][/siteorigin_widget][siteorigin_widget class="SiteOrigin_Widget_Image_Widget"][/siteorigin_widget][siteorigin_widget class="SiteOrigin_Widget_Image_Widget"][/siteorigin_widget]Boarding schools are under threat ... Boarding schools are under threat from extreme market forces, and today even more so with the reality of a global pandemic caused by COVID-19. We hear of individuals one or two pay checks away from personal hardship. Yet some independent schools are not too far away from such a scenario.This is a perfect storm caused by a diminishing middle class, an over- reliance on international enrolment in this era of globalization, and now a global pandemic. Independent schools are not immune to COVID-19. Government fiscal packages will not be available to private schools, and they must find ways to inoculate themselves from the possible serious side effects: e.g. falling enrolment as travel diminishes, requests for fee refunds in the event of…
Read More
Broadening School Horizons

Broadening School Horizons

Updates
[siteorigin_widget class="SiteOrigin_Widget_Image_Widget"][/siteorigin_widget] The Centre of London: Trafalgar Square. [siteorigin_widget class="SiteOrigin_Widget_Image_Widget"][/siteorigin_widget] Westminster School – close to Trafalgar Square and the ISC office – is a leading Public school in London, founded 14th century. Famous alumni include Sir Christopher Wren and A.A. Milne [siteorigin_widget class="SiteOrigin_Widget_Image_Widget"][/siteorigin_widget] One of the oldest schools in Wales – founded 1608. Cowbridge Grammar School. Most famous alumnus is Sir Anthony Hopkins [siteorigin_widget class="SiteOrigin_Widget_Image_Widget"][/siteorigin_widget] Cardiff and Vale College. The largest college in Wales: 30,000 students. With the Principal Mrs. Kay Martin. (Full disclosure she is a family member – very proud of Kay!) [siteorigin_widget class="SiteOrigin_Widget_Image_Widget"][/siteorigin_widget] Independent Schools Council regulatory body. ISC boarding and day schools educate more than 500,000 children in the UK. Broadening School Horizons With the spectre of uncertainty for Asian students being placed in US or…
Read More