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South African pupils get a taste of private school life

Posted on 23rd October 2008

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Five South African pupils have been chosen to spend a year learning at a prestigious English private school.

Stowe, a high-performing independent institution, is hosting these teenagers, who won a place after writing an essay about why they wanted to study in England, reports the Daily Telegraph.

They were then interviewed in South Africa by headmaster Dr Anthony Wallersteiner.

Dr Wallersteiner told the paper that he believes this is a unique experiment, stating: "Other English public schools have had exchanges, but not to my knowledge on this scale and not where each pupil has been fully funded."

Partly sponsored by Virgin tycoon Sir Richard Branson, the Johannesburg-based students are known as the Branson scholars.

The rest of the money came from chief executive of Barchester Health Care Mike Parsons, who is an alumnus of Stowe and has family connections to South Africa.

Stowe is a co-educational boarding and day school based in rural Buckinghamshire.