Higher fees, more pupils

Independent schools in England have had to raise their fees, causing, it is felt, a drop in foreign student enrollments. Also, government assistance has been curtailed. Yet, more youngsters than ever before are expected for the new school year.

The Independent Schools Information Service estimates that independent schools in 1981 will serve 10,000 more students than they did in 1980. They already register a rise of some 63,000 pupils since 1977. The 1980 figures show that there are approximately 1,000 fee-paying schools and that they are attended by about 330,000 students. These account for approximately 5 percent of the school-age population.