Dr Fiona Rogers summarises the results from the Council of British International Schools’ annual research survey

The diverse international schools sector certainly cannot be accused of standing still. In the past five years, according to data from ISC Research, the number of English-medium international schools has grown by 8% to nearly 15,000 schools; pupil numbers have risen by 13% to 7.4 million; and fee income has increased by 22% to more than $67 billion. In this context of growth, the Council of British International Schools (COBIS) has published the report on its 2024 annual research survey with members – conducted in partnership with GL Education. The findings in the report highlight many of the ongoing and emerging trends in the British international schools market.

Student numbers and profile

Reflecting the growth of the sector, pupil numbers in COBIS schools remain consistently strong, with 58% of schools reporting an increase in student numbers compared to last year. These pupils represent a wide range of different nationalities, with some responding schools having more than 100 different nationalities within the school community. The demographic of nationalities has been shifting in some schools, with 39% of responding schools observing a notable or significant change to the nationalities that make up their pupil bodies in the past two years. These changes vary from region to region, but increases in Chinese, Russian, and Ukrainian nationals were the most common responses.

Teacher supply

Teacher supply continues to present a challenge globally, with the training of new teachers struggling to keep pace with the increase in the number of schools. 87% of responding schools find it somewhat or very challenging to recruit the required quality of teaching staff. However, schools are continuing to address this in various ways – engaging with initial teacher training in an international context (iPGCE, iQTS, etc), partnerships with local schools or universities, exploring the use of online or remote teachers, and flexible working.

Wellbeing and mental health

Wellbeing and mental health remain key priorities for schools, with respondents observing a range of challenges in their school community in the past two years, including: increases in mental health issues (53%); increases in wellbeing issues (50%); and unacceptable online behaviour (40%). The majority of schools (83%) have a member of staff with specific responsibility for wellbeing. And over the past two years, more than half of responding schools (53%) have increased their focus on wellbeing within the curriculum, as they continue to adapt their curriculum to meet the needs of pupils.

AI in schools and mobile phone policies

While the COBIS annual research survey includes a number of areas of focus that remain the same from year to year, there are also new areas introduced periodically to reflect the shifting priorities and challenges in the sector. Previous surveys included questions on remote learning and the impact of the pandemic, for example, and questions about diversity, equity, inclusion, justice and belonging were added from 2021, reflecting the developing focus on this in schools.

In 2023/24, the survey asked questions about artificial intelligence in schools for the first time; these questions were repeated in the most recent survey (2024/25), and it is interesting to note the progress that has been made. 53% of respondents teach students how to use artificial intelligence responsibly and appropriately. This is a significant increase on last year’s response (25%) when schools were asked about use of AI for the first time. The volume of schools considering training staff on AI use, developing school polices on AI use, and adapting homework policies in light of AI advances has decreased compared to last year, while the proportion of schools reporting having implemented training and policies has increased, suggesting that many schools have now progressed with the training and policy changes that were being considered in 2023.

The 2024 survey also included questions about mobile phone policies in schools, mirroring some of the current dialogue on this issue. The majority of responding secondary schools (85%) indicated that mobile phones are banned entirely or significantly restricted in schools (that is, handed in upon arrival, or not taken out during the school day). 52% of secondary schools reported that pupils may have their mobile phones in school, but these must be kept in their bag/locker or locked in a pouch, while 26% have banned mobile phones outright in school.

Impact of geopolitical conflict

Another area that was explored for the first time in the 2024 survey was the impact of geopolitical conflict in schools. COBIS schools are global communities – educating pupils and employing staff from a wide range of backgrounds and nationalities. These new questions were added to explore how geopolitical conflict affects school communities, but also how it is addressed in schools.

More than half of schools (53%) felt that current and recent geopolitical conflicts had a significant or moderate impact on their school and community. There was some regional variation in this, with schools in the Middle East and North Africa being most likely to report geopolitical conflicts having a significant or moderate impact on their school, and schools in Asia being the least likely.

The impact of geopolitical conflict manifests in schools in various ways. A third of schools reported an increase in anxiety in pupils as a result, or linked to, geopolitical conflicts. Conflicts/confrontations between pupils; parental views impacting pupil behaviour or relationships; and confrontations between parents have also been experienced by some schools. Half of schools indicated that their local context affects how geo-political conflicts are addressed in school. 41% of schools suggested that there are geopolitical conflicts that they are not able or choose not to address in school, with the main reasons being: a desire to establish school as a safe place, set apart from global conflicts; sensitivity to local context; and avoiding conflict within the school community. A smaller proportion of respondents suggested that conflicts were not addressed in school because of mandates or guidance from the local ministry/government or from the board/owner.

University destinations

For two decades, this survey (in its current and previous forms) has collected data about university destinations for leavers from British international schools in membership of COBIS. This year, 91% of leavers from COBIS schools (at the end of the 2023/24 academic year) went on to university. There has always been a strong link between British international schools and UK higher education, but the proportion of graduates choosing a university in the UK has been declining in recent years. This year, 39% of leavers went on to university in the UK, down from 45% in 2023. In 2019 this figure was 53%, and the figure had been consistently above 50% for many years. In part, this reflects the changing demographic of the international school pupil population (22% of leavers went on to university in the host country), as well as increased access to information about global university destinations. But finance also plays a significant role, with the cost of university in the UK cited by schools as the top factor influencing pupils’ decisions. This was followed by: preference for a university closer to home/family (41%), lack of access to financial support (28%), and the cost of a student visa, post-study work visa and/or healthcare costs (25%).

The findings of the 2024 COBIS Annual Research Survey demonstrate how the best British international schools continue to adapt to face the challenges and opportunities of an evolving educational, global and technological landscape. This is a diverse, dynamic and thriving sector, and COBIS is committed to supporting and empowering schools, reaching and connecting school communities as they work to develop pupils who will have a positive impact on society.

Dr Fiona Rogers is deputy chief executive at COBIS