Richmond has become a magnet for families fleeing China's increasingly authoritarian regime in Hong Kong.

The borough's schools have accepted some 376 children of primary age since 2020 and over 140 at Secondary level, which has partly offset a fall in the birth rate among local families.

Details have been included in a report assessing school places and provision for the next few years, which has been compiled for the Council's Education and Children's Services committee tonight - Monday.

The UK government has offered Hong Kong families refuge in this country is response to a failure by the Chinese government to honour commitments to maintain democratic rule.

Richmond is the borough of choice for many of the families involved despite relatively high house prices and living costs, not least because of its high quality state schools and access to a number of high performing private schools.

Significantly, the people of Richmond have also been at the forefront of welcoming and supporting refugees from Ukraine with over 125 youngsters accepted into borough schools.

The report for councillors also raises the prospect that the rise in the cost of living with high energy, food and mortgage bills will see more of the borough's parents opting for state schools, rather than going private.

The Council report said the borough birth rate fell from 2,992 in 2010 to 2,544 in 2016, which reduced the demand for places in the borough's primary schools.

As a result, it said the number of Reception classes offered in the 2021/22 academic year was cut by nine across seven schools - Buckingham Primary, Darell Primary, Hampton Wick Infant, Heathfield Infant, Nelson Primary, Stanley Primary and Trafalgar Infant.

Importantly, this drop in the number of children born in the area and joining Primary schools in Reception classes has been partially off-set by a rise in the number of applications to join 'in-year'.

The report said: "The biggest change since December 2019 has been the very large increase in in-year admissions – i.e. applications for any year-group made other than within the coordinated entry process for Reception entry."

This figure has almost doubled since 2019 – rising from 796 to 1,585, which equates to 132 per month.

The report said: "Although up to a third, on average, of these applications in each school year were made by families already resident in the borough who wanted their children to change schools, two-thirds-plus were made by families who have moved here from other areas of the UK (c.22%) or from other countries (c.44%) and are therefore seeking new school places.

"In part, they have been driven by the large number of applications made by families who have moved into the borough from Hong Kong, for a total of 376 primary-aged children since September 2020. Richmond is one of four boroughs in London which has experienced such large numbers, the others being Barnet, Kingston and Sutton."

The latest figures for Richmond, covering both primary and secondary schools, is 516. In Greater London this is second only to Kingston at 588, with 547 for Sutton and 356 for Barnet.

Looking ahead, it added: "It is expected that arrivals from Hong Kong will continue as the situation there further deteriorates."

It said the cost of living squeeze appears to be – at least partially – driving an increase in the number of applications to join primary schools part way through the school year as parents switch away from expensive private education.

It said: "It is probable that these increases have also been partly driven by the national economic downturn, and it is therefore anticipated that this will also lead to an increased number of applicants for reception entry in the coordinated process for

September 2023 entry, due to fewer parents/carers opting for the private sector."

Historically, many borough parents used state primary schools before switching to the private sector for Secondary School. However, the report said this has changed due to economic factors and given that the borough's 11 state-funded secondary schools have improved their standards and exam results.

The report said: "Twenty years ago, before inter-authority coordinated admissions for state-funded schools was introduced, around 40% of children leaving state-funded primary schools in Richmond transferred to schools other than state-funded

secondary schools.

"That trend has always been much more prevalent in the eastern half of the borough than the western half. Although the rate is variable, that percentage has considerably reduced, to 17 per cent for 2021 entry."