BN(O) scheme: more than 8,500 Hong Kong students estimated to have applied for school places in Britain since September, according to UK report
- Influx attributed to BN(O) scheme offering pathway to citizenship, with Nottinghamshire getting the most applications
- Local councils say wave has added unusual pressure to school system
More than 8,500 Hong Kong students are estimated to have applied for school places in Britain since last September, according to an official report, with the influx attributed to a scheme in the country offering city residents a pathway to citizenship.
The report released by the British government this month also revealed the distribution of Hong Kong students who have settled in the country, with Nottinghamshire, Kingston and Solihull as the top three choices, while Surrey and Leeds have the longest queues for school places.
Local councils have said the trend has added unusual pressure on the UK school system.
A total of 152 local administrations were surveyed in the report, with a 77 per cent response rate. Some areas which have enrolled Hong Kong students might not have replied to the survey as data was collected from local authorities on a voluntary basis, according to the report.
“Imputations to adjust for non-response have been made to produce national and regional estimates,” it stated.
Among local councils that responded, 94 received a total of 6,513 school applications between last September and May this year, and 6,103 offers were made.
