Demand leads major boarding schools to India

The Red Pen, one of India’s leading education consultancies, is set to organise a British boarding school fair across three cities in India in April.

The fairs, in Delhi, Mumbai, and Kolkata between April 13-16, will bring together heads of admissions from 14 prominent British boarding schools.

Those joining include the likes of Sevenoaks School, Millfield School, Haileybury School, Malvern College, Rugby School, Cheltenham College, Charterhouse School and more.

With approximately 500 boarding schools, and 1,926 Indian students enrolling in these institutions in 2023, the UK has become a lucrative destination for Indian parents as these schools are well-known for facilitating entry into selective universities like Oxbridge and Ivy League institutions in the US.

“My time as a student at Charterhouse, a British boarding school, was nothing short of fabulous,” said Namita Mehta, President of The Red Pen. 

“It’s where I embarked on a journey of growth and self-discovery. While it set my course towards the University of Oxford, the school honed my leadership skills, which I value even today.

“I hope the British Boarding School Fair becomes the stepping stone to many such journeys.”

Students who register for the fair will have the opportunity to engage with the representatives one-on-one, get insights into their curriculum options, explore their extracurricular opportunities and understand their pastoral care systems. 

Indian families will have the chance to engage with representatives of the “most prestigious boarding schools in the UK”, CEO and co-founder of The Red Pen, Kimberly Dixit, added.

“Each participating school has a stellar reputation”

“Each participating school has a stellar reputation for preparing students for academic excellence, character development, and future success,” she said. 

The growing popularity of British boarding schools has also led to the establishment of their campuses in India. While Wellington College in Berkshire has a campus in Pune, Harrow School established a campus in Bengaluru in August 2023. 

UK boarding and independent schools face a hike in costs if the Labour Party wins the next election in the UK. The party has pledged to charge private schools 20% VAT and end business rate relief, which it says will raise some £1.7bn for the country’s coffers.

While criticised by the independent sector in the UK, the pledge is a step back from the 2019 Labour suggestion that it would abolish private schools and “integrate” them into the state sector.

It is understood that private schools are increasingly looking to cut back bursaries and scholarship offerings and recruit more students from overseas as a result of the policy proposal.

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