Birmingham, Nottinghamshire and Barnet the most popular choices, government survey finds
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The number of Hong Kong students studying at state schools in England has surged by nearly one third in the academic year compared with the previous year, with Birmingham, Nottinghamshire and Barnet the most popular choices, a government survey has found.
The annual survey led by the Department of Education, completed voluntarily by state-funded schools, showed that at least 7,100 students from Hong Kong were studying there during the 2023-24 academic year, up by 32 per cent from 5,400 the year before.
It demonstrated a continued upwards trend as the figure only stood at 3,068 in 2021-22 and 1,081 in 2020-21, the year before London rolled out the bespoke BN(O) immigration pathway for Hongkongers.
The scheme was launched in January 2021 in response to the Beijing-imposed national security law the year before.
More Hong Kong students were expected to be studying at state schools than what the survey had suggested given it was not mandatory for schools to fill in the information.
According to the survey, the council of Birmingham reported having the largest number of Hong Kong students studying in state schools among around 150 local authorities. It recorded having 946 students from Hong Kong, up from about 800 last school year.