UK private schools see jump in interest from pupils leaving Gulf

{"text":[[{"start":7.85,"text":"UK private schools are benefiting from a jump in interest from families based in the Gulf eyeing safer options for their children’s education since the outbreak of war in the Middle East. "}],[{"start":18.1,"text":"Iran’s barrage of missiles and drones, in response to US-Israeli attacks, punctured the aura of safety in expatriate hubs like the United Arab Emirates and caused some parents to change their plans."}],[{"start":31.1,"text":"One family, which had been holidaying in Scotland in February, decided not to return to the Middle East and “ride it out” in St Andrews, placing three children into St Leonards School for the summer term, according to headteacher Simon Brian. "}],[{"start":45.5,"text":"“People are talking about regional instability, the disruption of school closures and the shift to online learning. There has been a clear spike of interest from the Middle East,” said Brian. “It is quite unusual — we are seeing interest like never before.”"}],[{"start":60.35,"text":"Enquiries from the Middle East to the roughly 500-strong boarding school have risen from the usual two or three a year to 12, added Brian, whose institution charges yearly fees of up to £22,770 for day pupils and £54,420 for boarders. "}],[{"start":79.75,"text":"The school has also received a record number of speculative applications from teachers based in the Middle East."}],[{"start":null,"text":"

"}],[{"start":86.5,"text":"Lorraine Davidson, chief executive of the Scottish Council of Independent Schools, said: “All of our schools are very welcoming of people forced to move because of a change of circumstances.”"}],[{"start":96.8,"text":"Iranian bombardment has undermined the allure of the low-tax UAE for foreign workers."}],[{"start":102.95,"text":"About 30,000 British expats, or one in eight of the resident population, either left the UAE at the start of the war or delayed their return from holidays."}],[{"start":111.95,"text":"Many have now gone back to the Gulf, residents said, and schools reopened. But Iranian strikes on the UAE on May 4 revived previous fears and prompted a temporary return to online learning. “I don’t think anyone wants kids in school if there is a risk of missiles,” said one. "}],[{"start":130.4,"text":"Others were frustrated about the impact of remote teaching on pupils’ education, especially those facing exams. “It’s terrible for kids’ mental health,” said another parent, who is now searching for a UK school for their children from September. “It does make you question how long you can live in a city without a properly functioning school environment,” she added."}],[{"start":151.3,"text":"A “significant contraction” in the UK private school sector has opened up space for pupils from the Gulf, said John Forsyth of the independent school group Forfar Education."}],[{"start":161.20000000000002,"text":"Some private schools have closed or merged after the UK government imposed VAT on fees last year and parents shifted their children to state schools."}],[{"start":170.3,"text":"With capacity at about 65 per cent, spaces were widely available in mid-market private schools, Forsyth added. Top-end institutions remain in high demand."}],[{"start":181.25,"text":"“A flurry of parents has come back to schools in the UK and Europe, looking to stay for the summer term, before going back [to the Middle East] in September” in time for the new school year, he said."}],[{"start":192.8,"text":"Some parents in Dubai said their friends had managed to place their children into top UK schools such as Sevenoaks and Repton, where fees are £13,555 per term. Others have returned to Australia or chosen boarding schools in Kenya."}],[{"start":209.25,"text":"“People are looking for options because everything is still a little uncertain,” said one."}],[{"start":null,"text":""}],[{"start":214.7,"text":"In the UAE, where global education companies and famous UK schools such as Harrow have drawn up expansion plans, the future of the sector will depend on the nature of any long-term settlement between the Gulf states and Iran."}],[{"start":227.64999999999998,"text":"Forsyth said that if there was a long-running “cold war” — with no direct attacks on the UAE — the September school intake may be “very soft” but should normalise over the medium term."}],[{"start":238.7,"text":"“However, more drones or direct attacks may be catastrophic,” he said. "}],[{"start":243.35,"text":"For one mother, who had been working in professional services in Dubai for more than a decade and asked not to be named, the Iran war has accelerated her plans for an eventual move back home."}],[{"start":254.4,"text":"“Dubai is an amazing place to raise kids, but there are also positives about the UK, like nature, family and friends,” she said. "}],[{"start":263.1,"text":"With the outbreak of war coinciding with the spring academic holiday, the family changed its holiday plans from France to a flight back to England, where the children have been placed in private and state schools in Hampshire."}],[{"start":277.20000000000005,"text":"“I wasn’t scared by the loud bangs of interceptors, but you can’t explain that to a small child,” said the mother. “The conflict tipped the balance.”"}],[{"start":293.15000000000003,"text":""}]],"url":"https://audio.ftcn.net.cn/album/a_1778225381_9283.mp3"}