From this autumn, the leading UK independent school is going to provide classes in leadership to Chinese students, using live online tuition.

 

The school has formed a partnership¹ with a technology firm to create a company called EtonX.

 

The school, in Berkshire, says any income raised by the international project will be used for bursaries to cover pupils' fees.

 

Percy Harrison, director of information technology at Eton College, says the school would be able to reach a wider number of pupils, without setting up an overseas campus.

 

He said there were risks to the "brand" of independent schools setting up overseas "franchises²", but the online venture would allow Eton to provide lessons for students in China without losing control of the quality.

 

The EtonX project will see pupils in China learning from a mixture of interactive³ content produced at Eton, with one-to-one online teaching from tutors in the UK.

 

The cost, about £700 per pupil, will be paid by Chinese parents as an optional extra, like a music lesson.

 

Teachers from Eton have been to the schools in China to talk to their counterparts in Chinese classrooms. At the launch, the project is expected to involve "less than a dozen" schools in China.

 

The lessons, aimed at China's aspirational⁴ middle-class families, will teach secondary pupils a "modern leadership programme", taught in English and focusing on communication skills and how to work collaboratively.

 

The aim is to give Chinese students skills for a modern international workplace, which will help them think beyond a school system with a high level of rote⁵ learning.

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