Jodie Godliman

Last weekend Pippa’s Guardians, delivered our very first British Boarding School Fair in Japan (https://bbsfjapan.com/). Our decision to run such an event was based on the increasing level of interest in our School Advice Service as well as increased Guardianship enquiries.

Our goal is to recruit students from the Japanese market my demystifying UK Boarding Schools and making them more accessible. We have started this process by bringing 15 leading boarding schools to Japan where they met with over 400 families in one day. The volume of interest was simply extraordinary, and schools had lines of families waiting to speak to them from 10am to 430pm. Furthermore, information seminars provided some further context for Japanese families and feedback suggest the event itself was a roaring success.

Our research and the attendance at our event, demonstrates that more and more Japanese families are looking to access UK boarding schools for their children, often as young as 9 years old. The ISC census confirms that, in the last 10 years, there has been a 117% increase in Japanese students enrolling in UK Boarding Schools. In further research we discovered that most Japanese families see UK boarding schools as distant, inaccessible, expensive and very traditional. There is a misconception that our schools are beyond the reach of many Japanese families and therefore schools in America, Canada, Australia, Switzerland and New Zealand have been the ‘go to’ option.

Aside from running an extremely popular fair we are hosting information sessions both online and in person in Japan to talk about UK Boarding Schools. Information sessions that are well received by Japanese families as they simply lack the necessary information to make informed decisions about UK boarding schools. We have also received a lot of interest from the Japanese media; Prior to the event, we were interviewed no less than five times by leading media organisations all keen to understand the UK boarding school market further.

Ben Hughes, Managing Director for Pippa’s and managed the event in Japan. “When I was 10 years old my school had two Japanese and three Thai students as boarders and this was in 1991. It was a transformation experience for me as a young boy, I loved meeting these new cultures and getting to know them better. We even acted as their host family and visited them in Asia – wonderful!  My point is, Japanese students have been coming to UK boarding schools for years, when properly advised it can be hugely beneficial for Japanese students but also very positive for the British students too, as I can attest. Whilst Japanese students coming to UK schools isn’t new, what is changing is the sheer volume and the increase in demand for information about our schools.“

Japanese students and UK Boarding Schools, it’s a thriving, vibrant and positive collaboration for all parties and we’ll see numbers of students really starting to increase in 2024 and beyond.

Nicola Hugget attended the event representing Cheltenham College. “Our experience of the Pippa’s Guardians fair in Japan was superb. It was very well-advertised in country ensuring a large turn-out of families and we felt it was an excellent first introduction for us into the Japanese market. The trip itself encompassed many interesting elements, not just meeting parents and pupils, but also helping us to understand more of the culture. The level of information that parents received was excellent as it ensured they made informed choices in who they approached. The whole event, and subsequent visits around the fair itself were very thoughtfully and carefully structured. The use of excellent translators was also a terrific detail that made a huge difference. We will certainly want to attend future Pippa’s events overseas.”

We are very grateful for the 15 schools who took the ‘leap of faith’ with us and came all the way to Tokyo (some just for the weekend) to recruit students and to support us at our inaugural event.

Our sincere thanks to:

Mr Tim Day, Ms Laura Bursey Faulkner and Mr Neil Hampton from Rugby School

Mr Giles Vosper Brown from Stowe School

Mr Richard Houchin from Cheltenham Ladies’ College

Ms Lorna Dolan from Sevenoaks School

Ms Jane Jorgensen from Abingdon School

Dan Thornburn and James Postle from Millfield Prep School and Millfield School

Ms Nicola Hugget and Mr Simon Conner from Cheltenham College

Mr Dylan Smart from Blundells School

Ms Jo Covenay and Ms Lizzy Lewis from Christ’s Hospital School

Ms Pauline Jackson from Malvern College

Mr David Watkin from Culford School

My James Hills from Clifton College

Ms Rachel Debenham from Wellington School

Ms Donna Cresswell from Queenswood School

Most importantly, Amelia and Archie Hughes representing The Elms School!

If you are interested to hear more about how Pippa’s Guardians can help your school recruit students from Japan please do get in touch with Ben Hughes. Ben@pippasguardians.co.uk

Arigato, until next year!

Outside there was a stunning clear night sky with a full moon- the Harvest Moon so after being inspired by the amazing art, Tina was able to capture the Harvest Moon in her hand, which created a stunning photograph.

From the Louvre there was time to travel to the Eiffel Tower, and as it was a warm evening hundreds of people were out enjoying the evening and at 10’Oclock the Tower began to sparkle with an amazing light show, yet another spectacular and special moment.

On Saturday morning it was time to enjoy a traditional breakfast at a Café and to watch the world go by, a famous Parisian pastime. Then a stroll around the traditional shops and Rose was able to teach Tina some useful French vocabulary, especially in the Patisserie shop, Tina decided to set a challenge, to return to school with a Baguette and traditional Macaroons!

There was just enough time to visit the Sacre-Coeur Basilica, after climbing the steps below was the amazing view of the city.

Finally, it was time to return to the Gare du Nord for the return trip back on the Eurostar, and of course to have Tina’s passport stamped and her visa activated.

The trip to the French capital was brief, but Tina was able to see some outstanding art, learn a little French language, stand amongst some iconic architecture and create memories of a lifetime.

We are delighted that we were able to help Tina with her visa whilst also having lots of fun and soaking up some French art and culture.

Vive la France!

As the school holidays draw to an end, our Area Managers have been busy with one of their favourite parts of the school year, the Meet and Greets.

Pippa’s Guardians personally welcomes students and their parents as they arrive in the UK in readiness to start their new adventure. These valuable face-to-face meetings allow us to get to know the students and build strong relationships so that we can support them over many years. We introduce our host families by visiting them together at their home so parents can also see where their child will be staying. We also help arrange school uniform and other equipment such as bedding or sports kit as needed.

We understand how anxious parents and students can be, especially in the first few weeks, but our Area Managers are close by and check in with the students regularly to support them and ensure the start of term is as smooth as possible.

Here are a few photos from the first meetings with our new students.

It is always our pleasure to welcome our new students and their families to Pippa’s Guardians. This is the start of an exciting journey where we will look after and support your child as if they were part of our own family.

As another school year draws to a close, we find ourselves both happy and sad as we bid farewell to some of our beloved students. It is that time of the year again when our older students spread their wings and venture into the next phase of their lives and University. As we prepare to say goodbye to our bright students, we want to extend our heartfelt gratitude for allowing us to be a part of their incredible journey.

Throughout their time with us, students have grown not only academically but also as individuals. They have formed lasting friendships, cherished memories, and gained valuable life skills. Our Area Managers and host families have said goodbye with pride as they watch them transition to universities, ready to conquer new challenges. We are confident that they will make us proud with their accomplishments.

Below are a small selection of our students’ stories and messages…

We would like to wish everyone an enjoyable summer. We will be preparing to welcome back our existing students for the new school year.

We are also looking forward to meeting our new students for September and support them from the very beginning of their journey.

To all the Pippa’s students off to University in September- We wish you good luck! Please work hard and stay in touch!

This unique and personal event was hosted by Pippa’s Guardians Managing Director, Ben Hughes with presentations from Regional Manager, Vicky Dickinson and Dr James Copeland-Jordan, Head of Science, Engineering, Technology and Mathematics from Cheltenham College. Ben, Vicky and James ran 3 seminars across the day, allowing a more intimate experience to listen, ask questions and meet the team on a one-to-one basis to chat and ask advice.

Vicky presented on ‘Preparing for Life at Boarding School’ and explained how an effective support network of Parent, Guardian and School, all working closely together, provides the best care for international students.  She provided step by step guidance on preparations before arriving in the UK and explained how our personal ‘Meet and Greet’ service provides an opportunity to meet with a carefully matched Host Family as well as helping with many important practical matters.

Parents and students appreciated the advice Vicky gave on starting school, with many practical top tips shared so expectations can be managed and understood.

Advice on coping with homesickness, understanding mobile phone policy and common illnesses was particularly reassuring for our new Mums and Dads.

Vicky also spent time talking about living with a Host Family and how we ensure safe and smooth travel arrangements for our students, before concluding with a focus on the importance of good communication with our parents.

As a Cambridge University graduate, James was very well placed to share his knowledge and expertise at our ‘Welcome Event’. He presented on ‘Life at a British Boarding School – An Academic Perspective’ during which he introduced the differences of a UK education and how our new students should be preparing for a ‘different kind of busy’ in their new school careers. He explained how learning works in the UK and the audiences across all the 3 sessions found the explanation of a typical school week and timetable structure to be enlightening. James provided an overview of the UK curriculum and highlighted how demonstrating a sense of curiosity will help students to thrive academically.

Advice on how to prepare academically for the start of the new term was well received as was James’s advice to parents on how best to communicate with school to ensure that their children reach their full potential. The opportunity to ask questions both in the wider group and individually was appreciated by our parents.

We are grateful to everyone who attended the event and gave us such positive feedback. The whole Pippa’s team look forward to welcoming our new parents and students to the UK in September.