I ndeed, it’s why many of the institutions have, over recent years, begun to think of themselves more as international brands. Several British schools, for example, among them Bromsgrove, Dulwich and Shrewsbury, have opened establishments overseas or franchised out their names to local operators; in September Rugby opened its first satellite abroad, in Thailand. Education is an export product. And that may bring its own set of problems. “When I went into boarding schools none had a marketing director or budget, and now every one does,” says Tim Haynes, the headmaster of Tonbridge, one of Britain’s leading boarding schools. “But personally I’m sceptical of schools going overboard on marketing. We’re talking about children’s education here and there’s this danger of overselling.” And of under-delivering. Boarding schools provide, for some, a stability that home life perhaps cannot offer after divorce, or with both parents in demanding round-the-clock jobs. This role is especially relevant in the context of a much-reported mental health crisis among younger generations. But, “the dynamics [of independent boarding school education] are all a bit sharper now,” notes Robin Fletcher, CEO of the Boarding Schools‘ Association in the UK, the country that is home to more boarding schools per square kilometre than any other in the world. And all the more so because, contrary to stereotype, most boarders are now first generation and come from “new” money. “It’s a greater percentage of family income that is given to pay for boarding schooling now, and with that comes greater parental expectation – an active interest in their investment, with technology giving them the means to be very active.” Haynes rejects the notion that there is some kind of arms race between boarding schools. But he concedes that, while academic expectations may vary between schools – according to 2016 Association of Boarding Schools (US) figures, 50% of pupils go on to complete advanced degrees, as opposed 36% of private day-pupils – it’s really pastoral care, and the range of opportunities afforded pupils, that are the selling points now. “What boarding schools do well, after all, is character-building, because we have the pupils 24/7,” he says. “That’s what good boarding schools do extremely well.” Many parents, less and less interested in waving the old school tie, are ready to shop the world to find the right package of character-building for their needs, too. Which means that the UK, US and Switzerland are not only competing with each other but also with institutions like Queen’s College in Queenstown, South Africa, and Geelong Grammar in Victoria, Australia. Even location is a factor of growing importance. Once a backwater setting reassured parents of their child’s safety. Now access is increasingly key, both the pupil’s access to services, and parents’ access to their children. “Parents are concerned that we don’t live in a bubble,” notes Justin Usher, director of boarding at Collège du Léman, about the resistance he’s seeing to traditional far-from-the-real-world schools. “We’re right next to Geneva. If a kid wants to do jujitsu and we only offer karate and judo, it means we can find a jujitsu teacher. The fact is that it’s more important for boarding schools to have some point of differentiation now. And finding that isn’t easy.” M ichael O’Connor, chief marketing and enrolment Office of Appleby College in Ontario, agrees: “To succeed globally, schools need to identify and promote their own unique value propositions, [ones] that allow them to carve out a niche.” It might be a global education programme, or arts, or athletics. “But the days of being able to ‘sell’ your school based on a picturesque campus are over. Prospective students and parents are much more sophisticated in their approach. They want to know why your school is the best fit for them. And why they should invest on average US0,000 on a four-year high-school education.” Boarding schools are increasingly conscious of the need to provide access to financial support – in order to increase social inclusivity for its own good, and also because it helps provide the multi-national/race/faith/background diversity that improves their pupils’ experience – though they do recognise that the level of fees largely make boarding schools a product for the top five per cent of earners. “I think there has to be an acknowledgement that boarding schools are of niche appeal, so one might expect them to be expensive, and for there to be a readiness to pay for the benefits,” argues Sarah Frei, head of marketing at Brillantmont International School in Lausanne, which increases its fees every five years. Brillantmont is not alone in this: for years school fees have been rising faster than inflation and even house prices. Six-figure annual fees look to become a reality soon. That’s going to be unsustainable, especially as competition grows, whether it’s a greater number of day schools, or even, in some countries, vastly improved state schools – Frei notes that a bilingual qualification is now a standard part of Swiss state school education. “The fact is that boarding schools are a market, and they run as part of a market, too,” says Tonbridge’s Haynes. “Does that mean I feel the pressure? No. But it is important now to know what your market is, and to deliver what it wants.” 64 CENTURION-MAGAZINE.COM
