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Welcome to our Sep/Oct 2020 Newsletter!
UK Education Guide in the news
Can the recruitment of pupils for UK Boarding schools ever be 100% online?
COVID-19 has heralded a shift to an online world which has implications for every aspect of Boarding school operations. Clearly, the most obvious impact has been on teaching, shifting almost overnight to Microsoft teams and other online learning platforms.
However, the impact is also being felt in pupil recruitment. The days when Agents and Schools met in large conference spaces to talk to each other and make Agent agreements has also shifted online. So, how far can algorithms and automated online applications processes ever replace traditional Agents, school admissions teams and a school tour?
In this article for The PIE, we asked some Boarding school sector leaders for their opinions…
blog.thepienews.com/2020/09/pat-moores-online-recruitment/
Announcing our new partnership with Westwin
The Westwin site has now launched-welcoming parents from China https://ukeducations.cn/
thepienews.com/news/westwin-partners-with-uk-education-guide/
The age old debate, A Levels v IB...
In this article for ST magazine, with insight from boarding school leaders in the UK, we look at whether the debate has moved on during the Covid-19 crisis. Does either qualification seem better suited to a post Covid-19 world?
studytravel.network/magazine/news/2/27780
Join us for a Free Webinar introducing the UK Education system-
We cover: The best times to enter the UK Education system?
• Types of schools in the UK?
• Public examinations?
Check out our Facebook page for dates of Webinars aimed at families in; Malaysia, Vietnam and UK in the next 6 weeks.
www.facebook.com/ukeducationguide
School news
Ellesmere College, Amber’s story - a Flash of genius!
A Shropshire student has beaten off the challenge of thousands of rivals to take one of the top spots in a prestigious writing. Amber Coxill, a Year 13 student at the College, won third place in the National Flash Fiction Youth Competition organised by the University of Chester with her composition ‘Thursday’ - an emotive story about a couple’s life journey after their chance meeting in a cafe. Ellesmere College featured strongly in this year’s competition with two students being Highly Commended - Leo Buckle, Year 12, for his composition ‘Shopping’ and Alixandra Heasmer-Jones, Year 11, for her story ‘The Games’.
Felsted School International Returners Course
Following the success of the Felsted International Summer School Online Global Studies and English Language programme, a similar provision was created for a number of Felsted international boarders who were required to isolate when returning from overseas before the term began. In addition to the returning Felsted students, the programme was also delivered to 10 partner schools around the world, including; Millfield School and Dover College in the UK to schools in Kumasi, Buenos Aires and Argentina.
Millfield School launches new fundraising campaign with #TOGETHERBAND
Millfield School is launching an exciting campaign, Millfield Transform a Life #TOGETHER FUND, to raise vital funds for bursaries to enable talented children to access a transformational education. Millfield Transform A Life campaign launched on September 14 in partnership with the global awareness campaign #TOGETHERBAND.
#TOGETHERBAND, created by former Millfield student Cameron Saul, aims to build an engaged and active global community, committed to achieving the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals by the 2030 target date.
BBC Young Choir of the Year
Mount Kelly Chamber Choir was delighted to reach the finals of the BBC Young Choir of the Year earlier this year, but sadly the competition was cancelled during the summer due to COVID-19 restrictions. The BBC has now sent the school the short segment which would have introduced the school's performance in the final programme and features interviews with pupils and footage of the choir rehearsing for the competition.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qxJvyGdwak
Talent Agency picks winners of Lockdown Competition
During Slindon College's remote learning during lockdown the pupils were tasked with recreating their favourite movies into a minute-long video clip. The pupils rose to the challenge, offering a huge array of creative short movies which saw role play, stop motion animation and 2D animation take centre stage whilst also utilising their vast Drama and ICT skills to film, edit and craft these creations. Third party, Rebecca Middleton Talent Agency were given the difficult decision of picking the winners, and they decided:
Chun L. deserved first place for his animated version of 'Captain Underpants.'
Indiana F. achieved second place with his 'Star Wars', stop motion animation that he crafted entirely using Lego!
You can see the videos here: www.facebook.com/SlindonCollege/videos/332012354789817
TASIS teacher wins Outstanding Educator award
Upper School Economics Teacher - Liam Canny - has won an Outstanding Educator award from The University of Chicago.
Every year, The University of Chicago gives newly enrolled students the opportunity to recognize the educators who have made a difference in their lives. A student that recently graduated from TASIS nominated Liam. The prestigious Outstanding Educator award is given to educators that think carefully about their instruction, share an infectious love for learning, care about their students both inside and outside the classroom and go beyond everyday teaching and leave an impression that is carried over a lifetime.
Issy makes history in thrilling MCC match
The annual match between the MCC and The Leys 1st XI has been held – but behind closed doors. It proved to be a real thriller despite the lack of a crowd. Supporters were able to follow the action remotely on a live twitter feed. Taking her place in The Leys team, strictly on her own merit and making history in the process, was Issy Routledge (U6). She has been a star of girls’ cricket at The Leys, captaining the U15 team that reached the finals of the School Sports Magazine national T20 competition in 2018. Playing in brilliant September sunshine, the MCC won the toss and batted first making 216 for 8 off their 35 overs. The Leys snatched victory off the last ball, winning by four wickets.
International Education Round-up
Record number of international undergrads accepted onto UK courses
Despite predictions of a multi-billion pound ‘financial black hole’ facing UK higher education institutions due to a drop in international student enrolments, UCAS data has revealed the number of students from outside the EU accepted onto undergraduate courses has risen by 9% to a record 44,300. This latest figure represents an increase of around 4,000 from 2019 figures (40,720), with the majority of non-EU students accepted coming from China (12,980) and India (3,150).
thepienews.com/news/record-number-of-international-undergrads-accepted-uk-courses/
84% of agents losing income because of Covid-19 – survey
The emergence of the Covid-19 pandemic has posed new and diverse challenges for education agents, with the majority (84.8%) experiencing a loss of income, a new survey by MSM has shown. MSM surveyed 395 education agents from 30 of the most viable city targets for international students in June 2020 three months after Covid-19 was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organisation.
thepienews.com/news/majority-of-agents-losing-income-because-of-covid-survey/
Chinese interest in studying abroad plummets amid pandemic
Fewer than one in five Chinese students are interested in studying abroad in the post-Covid era, according to a survey conducted for the Centre for Global Higher Education. The paper’s authors, a team at Lingnan University in Hong Kong, described their finding that only 16 per cent of respondents were interested in studying abroad as “alarming”. If this materialised in mobility data, it would mark a major reversal in Chinese student movement to the West, which has shot up consistently over the past decade. “If there was no pandemic, the number of [Chinese students overseas] in 2020 would have reached a new high,” the authors write...While the US and UK still made the top five most popular destinations among the survey’s respondents, Australia, Canada and New Zealand no longer make the cut.
www.timeshighereducation.com/news/chinese-interest-studying-abroad-plummets-amid-pandemic
UK universities look to offer discounts for EU citizens
At least one institution is offering hopeful applicants from the EU an “automatic fee reduction” to bring costs in line with charges for U.K. nationals. The U.K. government estimates there could be a shortfall in EU nationals attending U.K. universities of up to 20 percent — and that was before the coronavirus crisis...Royal Holloway University in London is offering eligible EU students who start their courses in September 2021 “an automatic fee reduction which brings your fee into line with the fee paid by U.K. students” that will apply for the duration of the course. However, two higher education lawyers said such offers could be discriminatory under U.K. equalities laws, as they could amount to discrimination based on nationality.
www.politico.eu/article/uk-universities-look-to-offer-discounts-for-eu-citizens/
UK announces early opening of new international student immigration route
The UK government has announced that an immigration route for international students that was planned to open in January 2021 will now open on 5 October 2020. The Student Route and Child Student Route is a streamlined visa application process that is part of the UK’s new points-based immigration system. “The new Student route improves on the previous Tier 4 route by making it more streamlined for sponsoring institutions and their students, [and] creating clearer pathways for students,” explains a Home Office statement.
monitor.icef.com/2020/09/uk-announces-early-opening-of-new-international-student-immigration-route/
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