Rise in children admitted to private schools

The number of pupils being admitted to the fee-paying sector at the age of 16 surged by more than six per cent this year, it was disclosed.

The rise was far higher than the increase in admissions at 11 and 13, the other main entry points to independent senior school, according to data from the Headmasters’ and Headmistresses’ Conference.

The organisation, which represents 250 elite fee-paying schools, including Eton, Harrow, St Paul’s and Winchester, said parents were still going to great lengths to fund independent education, despite pressures on family finances in the economic downturn.

The study also suggests that families are prepared to pay a premium for top-quality tuition to get sons and daughters through their A-levels – maximising their chances of getting into good universities.

This summer, pupils from independent schools were three times as likely as those from state comprehensives to gain top A* grades at A-level.

The disclosure follows unprecedented competition for degree places in 2010, with warnings that up to 180,000 people missed out on higher education.

Demand is expected to be just as fierce in coming years amid fears over a freeze in the number of new university places as vice-chancellors are forced to make savings to pay off the national debt.

According to the latest study, the equivilent of 1,185 children were pulled out of HMC schools in the last academic year for financial reasons, but that was almost matched by a rise in the number of new starters.

David Levin, HMC chairman and headmaster of the City of London School, said: “In spite of the uncertain economic climate, parents are prepared to commit themselves, often at great personal financial sacrifice, to high quality education in the independent sector.”

Mr Levin has already unveiled plans to create up to 1,000 free and heavily subsidised places in independent school sixth-forms to enable pupils from deprived backgrounds to study “strategically important” subjects such as science, maths and foreign languages at university.

Speaking before the HMC annual conference in London this week, he said: “I believe we have an indispensable national resource which boys and girls should be tapping into. We have a significant role to play in preparing more children for university.”

The organisation surveyed almost half of HMC members just weeks into the new academic year.

Figures showed that the overall number of pupils in HMC schools this term increased by 0.49 per cent – boosting last year’s total of 197,658 by almost 1,000.

The survey revealed a rise of 6.3 per cent in the number of new pupils admitted at 16, compared with a two per cent increase at 11 and 4.4 per cent at 13.

However, the figures also show some parents are still being forced to pull children out for fee-paying schools because they can no longer afford the fees.

Some 0.6 per cent of pupils were removed from HMC schools “for purely financial reasons” – the same as last year. It was equivalent to 1,185 children at HMC schools and more than 3,000 across the independent sector.
--By Graeme Paton,27 Sep 2010