ISC responds to PEPF report suggesting UK independent schools are looking to expand abroad
An ISC spokesperson has responded to research by the Private Education Policy Forum (PEPF), which has suggested independent schools are making 'lucrative incomes' from their subsidiaries abroad.
According to the findings of the research by the PEPF, 40 British schools took in £29 million in 2020-21, compared with £1.6 million in 2011-12. The Guardian has reported that such schools have been 'rushing' to open satellite schools overseas to increase revenue amid fears that an incoming Labour government would remove their charitable status.
Speaking to The Guardian, a spokesperson for the Independent Schools Council (ISC) said: “It takes years to plan and set up satellite schools, so the idea that this is a kneejerk reaction to Labour’s policy is definitely wide of the mark." Julie Robinson, chief executive of the ISC, also pointed out that money generated is invested back in UK education, "usually through bursaries and scholarships".