mtmconsulting has been featured in the June edition of Education Investor magazine, in the article ‘A Numbers Game’, which looks at the changing market place for independent schools. The article, which is available to subscribers on the Education Investor website, commences with an analysis of the latest Independent Schools Council (ISC) census figures, which shows that between January 2009 and 2010 independent school rolls fell by a total of just 0.6%, an “outstanding success” in any other sector, David Lyscom is quoted as saying.
However, the article goes on to note a number of key factors:
- Independent school attendance in the North has dropped by 300% more than in the South
- The numbers of youngest children entering independent schools has decreased severely – by over 5% for four-year-olds. If this decline is repeated in future, it could have significant effects on the health of the sector
- The decline in recruitment of UK pupils has been mitigated by rapid growth in the numbers of foreign pupils, which increased by over 8% in the last year
The article then goes on to look at the swiftly changing political context and the ’free schools’ model introduced by the Conservatives. Referring to mtmconsulting’s Independent Education Sector Report 2010, the article asserts that ” in areas with grammar schools, private pupil numbers were more than a third (34%) lower than other factors would predict. In other words, grammar schools were attracting parents who would otherwise have gone private…. Tory policies could act as a long-term drag on the private schools market.”
Conversely, the cuts that seem inevitable in the maintained sector may provide some support for independent schools as ‘pushy parents’ scramble for alternatives to the plummeting standards that come as a result of these cuts. Independent schools may also use the post-recession period as an opportunity to reduce costs by cutting staff numbers: quoting Melanie Tucker of mtm, the article states that the fee-paying sector’s current pupil:teacher ratio is 8.3:1, “a ratio that the sector will find difficult to maintain”. mtm recommends schools may use this opportunity to increase the ratio to 10:1 without significantly compromising their offering.
Finally, the article suggests that the Tory plans for free schools may provide an opportunity for independent schools: “paying for education will be something people get used to in much the same way happened in health, Melanie Tucker is quoted as saying. “Even among those that can’t afford full-scale private fees, that could open up opportunities for companies that provide tuition or other supplementary education. That could be quite an exciting and dynamic thing that’s happening.”
mtm is a business consultancy offering education strategy, parental research and school marketing services to the independent and maintained sectors. To discuss how we may be able to support your school, please contact mtm.
