Number of Russian children in private schools down by 50pc since 2016

 Diplomatic relations between Moscow and the West have taken a turn for the worse in recent years. Now, it seems that the ill feeling has extended to education, as the number of Russian children sent to British private schools has almost halved over the past two years.

The number of Russian students whose parents live overseas has been steadily growing since 2007, but has dropped sharply since 2016, according to the Independent School Council’s (ISC) annual census.

In 2015, there were 2,795 Russian pupils at UK private schools, but this has dropped to 1,699, the latest figures show.

Meanwhile, the number of Chinese students attending fee-paying schools has soared.

Grace Moody-stuart, director of Good Schools Guide education consultants, said that wealthy Russian families have historically been attracted to British boarding schools for the prestige associated with an all-round education.

“If they live overseas, they will be sending their children to prestigious British boarding schools. They want the sport, art, and everything that is excellent about that education,” she said. “It is also a chance for children to immerse themselves in the English language, and to have access to top universities whether in the UK, the US or Canada.”

Ms Moody-stuart said that while the Russian families who send their children to private schools in the UK tend to be extremely wealthy, the Chinese families tend to be more middle class.

“Many of the Chinese students do not speak English. But they are very bright, they work very hard, they’re very ambitious,” she said.