Industry News
Independent sector taking on more pupils
Posted on 17th May 2007
Pupil numbers in the independent sector continued to rise this year, according to the latest Independent Schools Council (ISC) Annual Census.
The 2007 report found that the number of pupils in ISC member schools – a figure that constitutes over 80 per cent of all pupils in the sector – rose from 505,450 in 2006 to 509,093 this year.
"These figures show a stable and thriving independent sector," ISC general secretary Jonathan Shepherd commented.
It is thought that features such as the provision of foreign languages are becoming increasingly attractive to parents looking for the best place to educate their children. "The government did make one quite major mistake in making languages optional after Key Stage 3. That has led to a huge decline in language teaching in the maintained sector. Parents talk to parents. They are the best recruiting agents for any school," Mr Shepherd added.
"Sixty-four per cent of modern languages A levels are taken in private schools. These are the A levels which help get you through to the top universities," advised shadow education secretary David Willetts yesterday in a speech to a Confederation of British Industry conference.