Written evidence submitted by St. Clare's,
Oxford (SV1)
There are a number of points which I would like to
make which I hope will inform the debate and make the position
of St. Clare's and other similar educators clear.
1. St. Clare's is an international, sixth form
college and has been since it was founded in 1953. It has been
offering the International Baccalaureate Diploma since 1977, longer
than any other school or college in England. Worldwide, there
are only 14 other schools have been doing the Diploma longer than
St. Clare's. The College has been awarded an Outstanding rating
from Ofsted, achieved by less than 10% of schools and colleges
in the UK. In addition to the IB programme, the College also operates
a year-round English Language School, a University Foundation
Course [UFC] and takes American undergraduate students for semester
programmes. It is recognised by the International Baccalaureate
Organisation as a provider of training courses for teachers.
2. Approximately 85% of revenues are generated
by foreign students, ie the College earns c £10 million every
year for the UK and is a net contributor to invisible earnings.
It is a member of an industry which is highly regarded by foreign
students who have made a deliberate decision to send their sons
and daughters to be educated in this country. The College did
not "take in" foreign students in order to compensate
for lower numbers of students from the UK—it has always
been an international college and its mission is "To advance
international education and understanding". There are very
few Colleges in the UK which are like St. Clare's in terms of
the deliberate international composition of its student body and
the range of courses which it offers, with Atlantic College -
part of the United World Colleges movement- being our closest
comparator.
3. The College has Highly Trusted Status [HTS],
the highest level of registration which UKBA offers. It takes
its responsibilities for issuing CAS letters very seriously indeed.
It is the College's view that in line with the observations made
in points 1 and 2 above, that institutions with HTS should be
allowed to offer Level 3 courses and sponsor students under the
GSV route.
4. Having read the Consultation document it would
appear that:
- the arrangements for independent schools, where
the majority of visas issued are Child Student Visas, are unlikely
to change. Students are under 18 years of age, are not allowed
to work or bring in family members and do not have a right to
work once they have finished their secondary school education,
ie they represent a minimal risk; and
- the Committee is not reviewing the position of
students who come to this country and study for six months or
less and who do not currently need a visa.
5. The Committee is, however, interested in the
number of General Student Visas [generally students aged 18+]
which are issued every year under Tier 4 arrangements and is looking
to find ways to limit the number. There are a number of approaches
which can be taken:
- cut the number of visas by a specific percentage;
- reduce the benefits associated with the granting
of a GSV, notably the right to work, the right to bring in family
members and the right to work in the country once a degree has
been awarded; and
- review the level of courses for which visas are
granted.
6. Whilst it possible for different parts of
the education industry to have different views about how cuts
should be made, from St. Clare's perspective, the greatest threat
is to reviewing the level of courses for which visas are granted
and for, specifically, the University Foundation Course [Level
3] which prepares foreign students for entry into British universities.
Students who take the UFC at St. Clare's have been extremely successful
in going on to very good British universities. Their English is
strong enough to cope with the demands of a first degree, they
have had a year to get used to life in the UK and they have adapted
to the less didactic style of teaching in this country which often
differs from their home country experience. This means that these
students are much less likely to drop out of their first year
of a degree programme and are more likely to complete a first
degree successfully. We would, therefore, heartily concur with
a view that colleges with HTS status should be allowed to offer
UFC courses as they complement the work of universities. Furthermore,
it was clear at the meeting on Monday 13 December at St. Anne's
in Oxford that the universities themselves value the work of third-party
providers like St. Clare's in "supplying" good
quality students to their institutions.
7. Slashing the number of Tier 4 visas which
are issued would represent a crude approach to the political problem
which the Coalition faces—the promise to cut the number
of immigrants to the UK to the "tens of thousands".
The Committee can, however, reduce numbers by formally considering
the suggestions which have already made by other organisations
vis:
- Drawing a line under the UFC so that potential
students will not be able to get Tier 4 visas for courses which
are less than a Level 3 unless the institution has HTS;
- Removing the right for students who study Level
3 courses to bring any family members with them. [I would mention
that at St. Clare's, no student on the UFC has brought a family
member with them.]
- Restricting the right of students, and dependent
family members, to work in the UK.
8. Anecdotally, and although the UKBA has done much
to tighten up on rogue institutions, there are still some institutions
which abuse the system. These organisations must be shut down
and not allowed to re-open. Highly Trusted Status should mean
that the institutions which gain that status are trusted to make
decisions about the students who enrol on their courses.
9. The demonization of foreign students
in the press is an irrational and unhelpful response but it should
not prevent the government putting in place an intelligent [and
responsive] approach to regulating the flow of immigrants into
this country. The government should show leadership on this
point and resist the temptation to be influenced by populist rhetoric.
I will conclude with a quotation from The Right Honourable
Keith Vaz, Chair of the Home Affairs Committee, made with reference
to the capping of immigrant numbers.
"We were particularly concerned about the potential
effect on international students. Our evidence underlined their
crucial importance to the cultural and intellectual life, as well
as finances, of UK educational institutions. The government should
direct its efforts to tackling those who abuse the system—bogus
colleges and visa overstayers—rather than penalising legitimate
students."
I would heartily concur with his remarks.
December 2010
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