Top boarding schools ‘increasingly not British at all’

The battle to stop Britain burning | Travel expert Simon Calder joins The Telegraph

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Saturday, 30 May 2026 Issue No. 454

Good morning. Britain’s boarding schools are lauded around the world, but they’re increasingly inaccessible to British children. Facing Labour’s VAT raid, these schools have raised fees and “priced out” UK pupils, according to the country’s top educational philanthropist. Now, at least two in five attendees come from abroad. Albert Tait has the story below. Chris Evans, Editor P.S. Try All Access today for just 25p per month, but hurry, this email-exclusive offer must end soon. If you’re already a subscriber make sure you’re logged in to read today’s stories.   In today’s edition The corruption scandal threatening to topple Pedro Sanchez — Travel expert Simon Calder: ‘I won’t pay to put bags in the hold – even if I’m going to Australia’ — Plus, eight foods you should eat regularly to help lower your dementia risk

Ends soon: Four months for 25p per month Save on an All Access Subscription with your email-exclusive offer Subscribe now   Top boarding schools ‘increasingly not British at all’ Pupils at Eton in 1958. About 10 per cent of pupils at the boarding school are now from overseas Albert Tait News Reporter   Britain is world-leading in very few things in the 21st century, but our boarding schools are still one of them. From Eton and Harrow to Westminster and St Paul’s, these institutions are educating the children of the world’s elite – including royalty, heads of state and business leaders – and remain an integral part of the country’s “soft power”. Are they truly still British, though? Sir Peter Lampl, the founder of the Sutton Trust and the country’s top educational philanthropist, has claimed many of these schools are “increasingly not British at all” after an increase in the numbers of foreign students. Sir Peter Lampl criticised Labour’s decision to impose VAT on private school fees Writing in The Telegraph, he said British children were being “priced out”, with their places instead taken by international students. He partly blamed this on Labour’s “narrow-minded and mean-spirited” VAT raid on private schools. An analysis of the latest student figures revealed that the proportion of boarders who had come from overseas had almost doubled over the past two decades, now accounting for at least two in five pupils. Children from mainland China made up the largest share of non-British boarding school pupils in 2025, according to the latest census by the Independent Schools Council. This report is available only to subscribers. Continue reading ➤   Opinion Camilla Tominey The Left still refuses to admit the truth about mass migration Immigration is not the sole cause of our youth unemployment crisis, but figures suggest it has had a huge impact Continue reading ➤     Tom Harris Burnham’s chips and gravy act is working Continue reading ➤     Sophia Money-Coutts Jilly Cooper was right: we’ve all had enough of weepy, weak men Continue reading ➤     To make sure you don’t miss our newsletters when they land in your inbox, click here. In other news Trump: Hormuz blockade will end Block on prostate screening lacks humanity, say MPs Sturgeon: I’m the victim of my husband’s fraud Ousted BP chairman pulled into row over 5-star hotel stays Trump launches ‘aliens website’ pushing deportation message The Trump administration has launched a new website tracking ‘alien encounters’ weekend reads The corruption scandal threatening to topple Pedro Sanchez The corruption allegations have provoked widespread protests against Pedro Sanchez’s Socialist government He is the godfather of Spain’s progressive politics, the former Socialist prime minister who withdrew the country from the Iraq war, legalised gay marriage and confronted the crimes of General Franco. Now, Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero is also under investigation as a criminal suspect. Authorities allege that he ran a vast “influence-peddling” network – one that raises fresh questions about Spain’s unusually close embrace of Chinese technology, and threatens to engulf the government of Pedro Sanchez. Continue reading ➤ For more daily international affairs commentary straight to your inbox, sign up to Cables ➤   ‘It’s thrilling to be doing a proper travel podcast,’ says Simon Calder Travel expert Simon Calder: ‘I won’t pay to put bags in the hold – even if I’m going to Australia’ As travel guru Simon Calder arrives at The Telegraph to host a new weekly podcast and newsletter, he sits down with Jessamy Calkin to discuss his career as “the man who pays his way”, his love of travelling light and why he’s always on the road. He’s “part Martin Lewis, part Boy Scout”, says Jessamy – and his enthusiasm for travel remains boundless. Continue reading ➤ Sign up to the new Travel newsletter to receive weekly inspiration and recommendations from Simon ➤   More than 120,000 acres of countryside in England and Wales were burned in 2025 The battle to stop Britain burning Last year, thousands of wildfires scorched 120,000 acres of our countryside. As Britain basks in record-breaking heat, a fierce battle has erupted over how to prevent the next disaster. Gamekeepers say fighting fire with controlled winter burns is the only way to stop them, but the Government has banned the practice. Rural land managers warn that Labour’s policy will backfire, leaving natural habitats vulnerable to infernos. Continue reading ➤   ‘My life is not your typical red-blooded male set-up’: Nick Harding and his wife Stephanie Davies ‘I do all the housework – chore-play boosts my sex life with my wife’ Perhaps it’s because I work from home that I’ve never felt particularly emasculated while ironing, writes Nick Harding. Or doing the laundry for that matter. Shouldering the housework while my chief executive wife runs her business just feels fair. However, according to a growing body of research my “chore-play” efforts lead to a healthier sex life. Well, I’m not complaining… Continue reading ➤   After securing Arsenal’s first title for 22 years, Mikel Arteta stands on the brink of winning the club’s first Champions League From Barcelona outcast to the brink of greatness: The making of Mikel Arteta Mikel Arteta is one of European football’s most fascinating personalities. The Arsenal manager is known for his competitiveness and drive, but his story is about far more than a simple determination to win. Sam Dean looks into the moments, places and people that have shaped Arteta, who today is hoping to add Champions League glory to the Premier League title he secured earlier this month. Continue reading ➤   Your Saturday Eight foods you should eat regularly to help lower your dementia risk With one in three people born in Britain today predicted to develop dementia during their lifetime, protecting our brain health has never felt more important. Research shows diet may play a powerful role in reducing our risk of age-related cognitive decline – but what exactly should we eat? We spoke to Dr Jeremy Spencer, a professor specialising in nutritional neuroscience, to discover the eight everyday foods with the strongest evidence for keeping our brains healthy as we age. Continue reading ➤   Food for thought Do you have plans for this weekend? Whether you’re staying in or going out, we’ve got you covered. Every week, Diana Henry, The Telegraph’s award-winning cookery writer, brings you three dishes for a perfect weekend meal. Meanwhile, William Sitwell shares his view from the culinary world – and a recommendation or two. If you’re staying in... This kimchi rice dish can be customised to suit children who prefer milder food Diana Henry The Telegraph’s award-winning cookery writer   Half term is over and the summer term is always a bit of a shock. When my kids were at school my first thought was always: “What will I cook?” During the summer, it’s difficult to get children to eat very much at all. It’s too hot, nobody wants to sit at the table. Then there are the dishes you might need to make for picnics and school events (hello again, sports day). Anything glossy and sweet always goes down well, so these marmalade-glazed drumsticks are at the top of my list. Eating with your hands is obviously allowed. Really quick and slightly unusual dishes go down well, too. If this kimchi rice is a bit “out there” for your children, follow the recipe but use bacon, onions and soy sauce (instead of kimchi) and make it as hot or as mild as you like. I have yet to meet a child who doesn’t like some version of egg fried rice. Spicy chicken burgers with special sauce This chicken burger, meanwhile, has been tried and tested on my children. If the sauce (mayo, ketchup, paprika and a few other bits) seems a bit of a faff, use whatever mayo-based sauce you have, but my children made this up themselves and they love it. As long as you can keep all the elements cool – you don’t want cooked chicken in a warm bag – this is a good option for picnics. Fish-finger sandwiches with pickled-onion mayonnaise Finally, and you may roll your eyes at this – “she honestly thinks we’re going to make our own fish fingers?!” – but bear with me and try these fish finger sandwiches. Not only do homemade fish fingers taste better but they’re a lot cheaper than those I buy, especially if you’re feeding teenagers. If you really don’t want to bread and fry, get the best you can. You can use the sauce from the chicken burgers above if you want, or make my pickled-onion mayonnaise (just mayo, chopped pickled onions and parsley) to go with the sandwiches. On good white bread please! Well made, these are a treat. Find me here every Saturday and in the new Recipes newsletter, which you can sign up to here. If you’re eating out and fancy taking your dog along with you, don’t get on the wrong side of William Sitwell, our Restaurant Critic... William Sitwell says the deep fat fryer is his Executive Chef’s dirty secret William Sitwell Restaurant Critic   Naivety and foolishness are the twin characterisations I am now lumbered with as this restaurant critic toils also as restaurateur. Foolish to take on The White Hart in West Somerset, naïve to the constant challenges. Naïve too, I now see, to one of the tricks of the trade, a dark art that is a dirty but very big secret. It was the roasties that gave the game away. So perfectly crunchy and crisp and cooked to order. Try that at home. Impossible. Then, horror of horrors, I saw the truth. Chef Dom lobbing them into the fryer. “So perfect,” chorus the customers. As I write this week, if only they knew the industry’s shocking secret to perfectly crisp sage, broccoli, capers, kale, bay leaves, leeks… Read William’s column here ➤   Your say Flattery will get you everywhere Every weekday, Orlando Bird, our loyal reader correspondent, shares an off-piste topic that has brought out the best of your opinions and stories. Orlando writes... What’s the best compliment you’ve ever received? That was my colleague Kate’s question in Wednesday’s newsletter, which considered whether the arts of flattery and flirtation – or even just plain old niceness – were in decline. I can report that your responses suggest otherwise.   Sally Moir recalls: “A few years ago, I was purchasing a wine box in Sainsbury’s. At the self-service checkout I had to wait for the age check. Along came a very young assistant, who earnestly explained that he had to see my ID to make sure I was over 25. “I was surprised, as this had never happened to me before, and duly produced my driving licence, which he thoroughly checked. I thanked him for the compliment. I am now 66.” I had a similar checkout triumph when I was trying to buy a box of matches recently. Still glowing.   Another reader writes: “Many years ago now, I was 16 and sitting on a double-decker bus going to work. I had just got a new boyfriend and was feeling wonderful. This must have showed, as the elderly lady sitting next to me said: ‘You look beautiful’.”   Sometimes it’s not quite so clear-cut. Patricia Morris explains: “I had some of my poems printed in the local parish magazine. Subsequently, at a church crafts event, I had a table with my name plaque on it. “I was approached by a lady, who made it clear that she was not interested in crochet, but checked whether I was the author of the poems, then said: ‘Oh, I was expecting someone older.’ I’m not sure if it was a compliment or not.” When I was younger, people would occasionally tell me that I was an “old soul”, which I found similarly ambiguous.   Finally, I was pleased to hear from all the jazz fans among you after Tuesday’s section on Miles Davis’s Kind of Blue, and particularly enjoyed this response from a reader: “As a youngster, Miles Davis and his family moved to my hometown of Pine Bluff, Arkansas. My father was a huge jazz fan, so Davis was the background music of my life. “Fast forward many years later to the arrival of our son, who has had Kind of Blue as his bedtime music since he came into the world. He is now 12, and preparing for his Grade 4 trumpet exam. He’s also called Miles.” That’s all from me for this week, folks. I’ll be back on Monday to bring you our best talking points. In the meantime, you can contact me here.   Andrew Baker’s Saturday quiz Come together for the latest instalment of my Saturday quiz. 1. On this date in 1536, Henry VIII married Jane Seymour. What number wife was this for the monarch? 2. What is the occupation of Seymour Skinner in The Simpsons? 3. Wallis Simpson married the former King Edward VIII and became Duchess of Windsor. Wallis was actually her middle name – what was her first? 4. How should one address a non-royal duchess in formal conversation? 5. Apsley House, the former house of the Duke of Wellington at 149 Piccadilly, is often referred to by which alternative address? You can find the answers at the end of the newsletter. Plus, can you tackle The 1% Club? Scroll down to see if you got the questions right – and play for free on our website and app.   On this day 1431 | Joan of Arc is burned at the stake 1896 | First documented car accident occurs when a driver hits a cyclist in New York City 2024 | Donald Trump is found guilty on 34 charges (and you can see how we covered the story on our front page the next day) Birthdays: Steven Gerrard (46), Mark Sheppard (62), Harry Enfield (65)   Puzzles Find as many words as you can in today’s Panagram, including the nine-letter solution. Visit Telegraph Puzzles to play a range of head-scratching games, including The 1% Club, Cogs, and Quick, Mini or Cryptic Crosswords.   Yesterday’s Panagram was MALIGNANT. Come back tomorrow for the solution to today’s puzzle.   Thank you for reading. Have a fulfilling day and I hope to see you tomorrow. Chris Evans, Editor P.S. Please send me your thoughts on this newsletter. You can email me here. Quiz answers: Third Headteacher Bessie Your Grace No 1, London   1% Club answers: Dan Thomas Sthi ranswe Yellow   Ends soon: Four months for 25p per month Save on an All Access Subscription with your email-exclusive offer Subscribe now

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