the CCP is behind a spate of takeovers of British private schools. More than 30 independent schools have been bought by 
investors in the past decade and other big purchases are being examined by regulators.
“China is playing the long game and doing all the things we used to do as an empire. They targeted universities before but have realised it’s easier to start younger. It’s ideological warfare. These children will grow up and be helpful to the Communist Party.”
Britain’s “world-leading education system is an obvious target for influence” for China and “should be protected accordingly … Successive previous governments have misunderstood the strategic threat posed by China. The government must ensure that British interests are safeguarded.”
“We need to stop flogging the family silver to China. Chinese investment in our schools comes with strings attached and serves a strategic purpose. Already many schools self-censor in the hope of Beijing’s preferment. This has to stop and government needs to look carefully at protecting our schools from malign influence, not driving them into the hands of adversary states.”
PM Keir Starmer has resisted pressure from the security services to place China on the enhanced tier of the foreign influence registration scheme (FIRS), designed to track people working for hostile states in the UK.
Analysis of Chinese investment in UK schools published last year by a Beijing-based company called Venture Education, co-founded by former Harrow Beijing teacher Julian Fisher, said that the strong demand among Chinese families for British education was the primary driver behind the acquisition of schools, and that the model adopted between 2017 and 2020, under which 17 schools were bought, was to “buy distressed schools and either try to fill them with Chinese students or use the brand in China”.
According to Venture, the Covid years led to a more hands-off approach but from 2022 there was a notable increase and a total of 30 schools had been bought by Chinese investors by the end of last year. These latter purchases were seen as long-term investments with potential for sustainable growth and returns.
The schools listed by Venture include Thetford Grammar School, which dates to 1566 and is now owned by China Financial Services Holdings, and Wisbech Grammar, founded in 1379 and bought by Access Education.
Several girls’ schools have started to accept boys after their acquisition, including Abbots Bromleyand Ipswich High School.
Malvern St James was bought in Feb and one month later announced that it would take boys from this Sep so that it would appeal to the “overseas international boarding market”, which prefers mixed-sex schools. This was reported to have led to a backlash, with girls at the school wearing pink as a protest.
Fisher said that Labour’s introduction of VAT on private school fees had increased their attractiveness to Chinese investors.
China represents the biggest source of non-British pupils whose parents live overseas and accounts for 6,258 of the 25,526 pupils in this category. This increased from 5,824 the year before.
Of UK schools struggling financially, “if the choice is between the school closing, or a Chinese company taking ownership and trying to make it work, perhaps while introducing a noodles option at lunch along the way, it’s no contest.”
The acquisitions also raise questions about asset sales of charities, as many private schools have charitable status.
These include Malvern St James, which was bought by Galaxy Global Education Group this year. It also owns Plymouth College and Durham High School, which have charitable status, and Ruthin School, which does not.
thetimes.com/uk/politics/ar
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Byron Wan
@Byron_Wan
Seventeen British schools are already owned by Chinese companies...
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