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STUDY MOTIVATION

Is Homework In Schools a Good Thing?

• October 12, 2021

• What are the pros of homework in school?
• What are the cons of homework in school?
• How much homework do UK students get?

For decades (and even centuries, according to some anthropological evidence ), homework has been considered an essential part of formal education . It’s believed that it provides you with the opportunity to ‘learn by doing’ and test and apply what you’ve been taught during school hours. 

However, some modern studies suggest that the practice of homework in schools might not be as helpful as we think it is. According to statistics on homework, homework over a certain level (the 10 minutes per grade standard) has been linked to excessive stress and disruption of personal and social habits in adolescents. It may surprise you to find out that the average amount of homework that kids from countries like the US, UK, France, and Germany currently get is above the standard limit . 😮

If you’re currently a student in the UK, you may be wondering whether homework actually does kids and teenagers any good. Keep reading to find out more about the pros and cons of homework.

What are the pros and cons of homework in school?

Pros: , homework encourages practice.

The primary purpose of homework in schools is to reinforce the habit of practising what you’ve learned in school. Some subjects like maths and languages require daily practice even outside of school hours for you to strengthen the fundamentals you’re learning. 

Practising these subjects regularly from a relatively young age can help equip you for secondary school and college courses like economics and literature, which require a strong knowledge of the basics. Also, independent learning in your own time is a fantastic way for you to identify the subjects you’re most interested in – who knows, you may even find your preferred field of study at an early age through homework! 👍

It allows your parents to be actively involved in your 

A healthy learning environment requires your parents to take an active interest in your education. Your parent or guardian helping you with your homework can help you gain a better understanding of what you’re learning and working on, since you’ll benefit from having anything you’re unsure of explained to you by someone other than your teacher at school. 

Helping you with your homework also makes it possible for your parents to stay involved and keep track of your progress in school in a non-intrusive manner. Additionally, it fosters good communication as you’ll talk to your parents more about the classes you’re attending and other school-related activities that they should know about. ✔️

It’s a great lesson in time management 

Homework in secondary school can be a great way for you to learn how to manage your time better. Older students are often actively involved in academics, sports , and several other extra-curricular activities that facilitate their all-round development. 

Therefore, completing homework outside of school from an early age can help you learn beyond the classroom and gradually get used to managing your time and responsibilities well. ⏰

Homework research encourages independent critical thinking 

Many schools are now opting for homework research as opposed to the traditional practice homework. In fact, it forms the very base of the flipped classroom structure where the students are given review materials before the class to grasp the concepts more quickly once they’re in school.

Homework research allows you to conduct your own research on a topic and form your own thoughts and opinions on what you’re learning. It encourages independent critical thinking from a young age, which is very beneficial for you. 💡

Not every child has a supportive enough home environment 

While most kids in school might have a supportive and peaceful home environment that allows them to study, some children and teenagers aren’t that lucky. Difficult domestic environments can be extremely stressful for kids, which can make independent learning outside of school challenging.

It might be difficult for kids without strong support at home to muster up the time and concentration needed to do the kind of homework that requires independent research and critical thinking. 

It adds to an already packed day 

Homework in schools, especially secondary school, often adds to your already busy days. While time management is an important virtue to learn, homework in secondary school can feel nearly impossible to manage with all the extra-curricular tasks you’re expected to juggle. 😰

Stress related to school can have a negative impact on young people’s mental health . If you find yourself struggling with your workload at school, you should speak to your parent or caretaker, or bring it up with your teacher so that you can get some extra support to help you through it. It’s not unusual for kids and teens to sometimes feel overwhelmed in their learning journey, so don’t be afraid to reach out if you need help!  

There’s no evidence that suggests the extra work produces better academic results for younger kids

A study conducted by the University of Michigan concluded that younger children (below 12 years of age) benefit more from activities such as reading for pleasure and not stipulated school homework. In fact, school homework might lessen the chances of a child reading or writing outside of school as a hobby. 

Research suggests that in many cases, kids having too much homework assigned to them stunts their overall personality development.  

How much homework do UK students get? 

Research on homework shows that the average British school student spends around 3.5 hours on their homework per week. Of these, primary students spend 2.2 hours; secondary students spend 4.3 hours; and sixth form students spend 5.3 hours on homework per week on average. While these numbers aren’t worrisome, they are still over the standard limit prescribed by most child health bodies. ☝️

It’s important for children and young people to communicate with their caretakers if they find that their workload is excessive. If you find yourself getting worried or stressed out over school , we would recommend speaking to your parents or bringing it up with a teacher. The most important thing is your wellbeing, and you need to be able to cope with your homework and make academic progress without increasing your stress levels. 

At GoStudent, we believe learning is a two-sided process that involves active participation from both students and tutors. We have thousands of top tutors available, so if you need any help with learning and homework, GoStudent may be just the ticket. Book a free trial lesson today to try us out! 

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The Homework Debate 2021: Do Primary Schoolers Really Need Homework?

The homework debate resurfaces every year without fail. It is a popular topic with parents, primary school teachers, online tutors, and politicians alike. Should homework be banned? Is homework at primary school necessary? Do pupils receive enough education in class that homework is nothing but a waste of time? – These are all questions that you have no doubt heard before.

Is the homework debate even relevant in the context of COVID-19? As an  online maths tuition service  for KS1 and KS2 pupils, we believe so! Sometimes we set our students homework. We believe that this debate is more relevant now than it has ever been. Let’s discover why…

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“Homework should be banned!” – The call to action

Our children are too tired!

Is it the case that we put too much pressure on children these days? At the age of 7, UK primary school pupils are expected to sit their Key Stage 1 SATs test. This continues in primary school up until Year 6 when they are expected to prepare for and sit their Key Stage 2 SATs test.

Some parents argue that this leaves little time for kids to wind down at home. When can they find the time to indulge in sports, hobbies, and creative interests if their time is consumed by homework? Let’s not forget the added stress caused by the UK Coronavirus lockdown.

Primary school homework does more harm than good:

A BBC Newsround report from 2018 consulted education experts on their views of the homework debate. Nansi Ellis, Assistant General Secretary at the Association of Teachers and Lecturers argued that homework gets in the way of all the good things kids enjoy. It does not always boost performance in class.

She also highlighted that it demands a lot of parents, not only their time but also of their own educational understanding. This sometimes backfires as the methods of learning in school twenty or thirty years ago are likely not the same as those taught nowadays. This can risk causing further confusion.

BBC Newsround’s own survey of the homework debate and how much homework primary school pupils receive found that parents thought:

Where is the proof?

The same BBC report saw Ellis claim that while teachers setting homework is in theory supposed to better results, there is no proof of this being the case. Rosamund McNeil from the teacher’s organisation NUT highlighted that cases abroad support this. In Finland, pupils are set minimal homework but it remains one of the most educationally successful countries in the world.

The homework debate is not just about students – it’s about teachers too!

Homework is time-consuming. Teachers must plan it and mark it, in addition to preparing their classroom lessons and reporting on pupils’ progress. Time constraints can force teachers to work late into the night at home which opens an entirely new can of worms. Overworked teachers are less effective in class. Perhaps it would be more efficient for schools to ban homework altogether.

The other side of the homework debate: Why our kids need homework

It has long been the view that homework acts as a supplement to what has been taught in class. It is an opportunity for pupils to review areas of work they might not understand, focusing their learning.

Homework for primary school students is a good thing!

Homework can be fun and imaginative, an opportunity for parents to bond with their children over education. Take the classic example of counting peas on the dinner plate to learn multiplication tables. Homework does not always have to be completed in a book or on a worksheet. It can often reflect the creativity of the teacher who can inspire children to take their learnings and apply them to the real world. Pricing a shopping list is an awesome way to practise maths while acquiring life skills!

In May 2021 we asked our social media community for their thoughts on this debate. More than two-thirds agreed that homework should not be banned. 

The UK is falling behind the rest of the world:

Once upon a time the UK may have had the best education system in the world. Now is not that time. Studies suggest that  UK literacy and maths rates are falling  while in other countries they continue to rise.

As a result, many teachers and parents agree that our children require further encouragement. This is not the time to ban homework in the UK. Especially when we take into consideration the months of lost learning caused by the COVID-19 UK lockdown. This is the time to help primary school children catch up, and homework can support the effort.

The homework debate in the context of COVID-19

We touched on this earlier before considering both sides of the argument in the UK homework debate. However, with home learning more popular than ever, is there still a place for homework in UK primary school education?

The homework debate solution: Online tuition

It’s engaging for children; it reflects what they have been learning in class and saves time for both parents and teachers.  Online tuition has soared in popularity through 2020  and 2021, and could be the solution for people on both sides of the homework debate.

Read more :  How online maths tutors are helping KS1 & KS2 pupils succeed.

In the UK there are tons of tuition services helping to provide kids with a competitive edge using an extracurricular push. You can view a list of the top 15 here:  Discover the UK’s best online tutors.

If you have any comments or questions regarding this topic, please feel free to let us know in the comment below or in our Facebook group  UK Primary School Maths – Tutoring & Tips,  we will reply to you as soon as we can.  

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Understanding homework in the UK and how to stretch learning

Homework in UK Schools:

• Some believe learning should happen mostly in school, with free time at home for other activities.
• Others believe homework is important for learning progress.
• It’s important to find a healthy balance between homework and other activities.

Primary School:

• Check the school website for information on topics covered in your child’s year group.
• Discuss these topics with your child.
• Find age-appropriate books or practice books related to the topics.
• Help your child practice reading, spelling, and multiplication tables (tested in Year 4).
• Find fun online resources for practice.
• Talk to the teacher about areas for development and how you can help at home.
• Visit museums, zoos, and places of interest related to your child’s learning.
• Discuss these experiences together.

Secondary School:

• Check the school website or ask the admin office for information on your child’s curriculum.
• Make appointments with relevant subject teachers for advice on improving specific topics.
• Buy practice books related to GCSE subjects.
• Visit museums and places of interest to connect learning to real life.
• Everyday experiences can be learning opportunities for your child.
• Work with the school and find ways to support your child’s learning journey at home.

My child only gets one piece of homework a week. How can I ‘stretch’ my child’s learning?

Different schools have different policies and views around homework in the UK. Some schools, following the National Curriculum may believe that pupils are exposed to so much learning in school time, that home time should be more of an opportunity to develop social, emotional and physical learning. Other schools feel that there are not enough hours in the day to get everything in the curriculum covered in depth and that homework is vital to progress and enrichment. Personally, I feel that homework and ‘well-being’ time should be healthily balanced.

Take a look at your child’s school website to find out about the topics that are covered in your child’s year group and talk about these with your child. See if you can find some age-appropriate books or practice books on sale in bookshops or online that might help your child with these topics and set one or two of these pages or exercises for your child to complete. Ensure that they know the letters and sounds and spelling patterns commonly used in English and that they know their multiplication tables to 12 as they will be tested on these in Year 4. Find fun ways online to practise these too.

Talk to the class teacher and ask what you can do to stretch or improve areas of development for your child at home. Go out on visits as a family, where possible, to museums, zoos and places of interest that link to your child’s learning and talk about these together.

 At secondary school, look at the school website to find the curriculum areas that your child is studying in that year or ask the admin office for advice where to find this. If you need to speak to a subject teacher about enriching your child’s learning, make an appointment to find out how you can do this in a specific theme or topic.

There are plenty of practice books on sale to help with different subjects at GCSE level but don’t forget to get out and about, wherever possible, to enrich learning in museums and places of interest linked to the topics being learned in school. 

Learning opportunities are everywhere!

This question was asked by one of our parents during our recent webinar ‘ Unlocking the Power of Parent-Teacher Communication ‘ and was answered by a very experienced primary school teacher who has also held a Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Coordinator (SENDCo) role.

If you have any questions for our bilingual team (English and Cantonese), reach out via email [email protected]

Parents ask us about…Parent-Teacher Communication

Understanding send in the uk and where to get advice, understanding what teachers mean in reports and meetings when your child is new to the uk, subscribe to our newsletter.

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Should homework be banned?

Social media has sparked into life about whether children should be given homework - should students be freed from this daily chore? Dr Gerald Letendre, a professor of education at Pennsylvania State University, investigates.

We’ve all done it: pretended to leave an essay at home, or stayed up until 2am to finish a piece of coursework we’ve been ignoring for weeks. Homework, for some people, is seen as a chore that’s ‘wrecking kids’ or ‘killing parents’, while others think it is an essential part of a well-rounded education. The problem is far from new: public debates about homework have been raging since at least the early-1900s, and recently spilled over into a Twitter feud between Gary Lineker and Piers Morgan.

Ironically, the conversation surrounding homework often ignores the scientific ‘homework’ that researchers have carried out. Many detailed studies have been conducted, and can guide parents, teachers and administrators to make sensible decisions about how much work should be completed by students outside of the classroom.

So why does homework stir up such strong emotions? One reason is that, by its very nature, it is an intrusion of schoolwork into family life. I carried out a study in 2005, and found that the amount of time that children and adolescents spend in school, from nursery right up to the end of compulsory education, has greatly increased over the last century . This means that more of a child’s time is taken up with education, so family time is reduced. This increases pressure on the boundary between the family and the school.

Plus, the amount of homework that students receive appears to be increasing, especially in the early years when parents are keen for their children to play with friends and spend time with the family.

Finally, success in school has become increasingly important to success in life. Parents can use homework to promote, or exercise control over, their child’s academic trajectory, and hopefully ensure their future educational success. But this often leaves parents conflicted – they want their children to be successful in school, but they don’t want them to be stressed or upset because of an unmanageable workload.

However, the issue isn’t simply down to the opinions of parents, children and their teachers – governments also like to get involved. In the autumn of 2012, French president François Hollande hit world headlines after making a comment about banning homework, ostensibly because it promoted inequality. The Chinese government has also toyed with a ban, because of concerns about excessive academic pressure being put on children.

The problem is, some politicians and national administrators regard regulatory policy in education as a solution for a wide array of social, economic and political issues, perhaps without considering the consequences for students and parents.

Does homework work?

Homework seems to generally have a positive effect for high school students, according to an extensive range of empirical literature. For example, Duke University’s Prof Harris Cooper carried out a meta-analysis using data from US schools, covering a period from 1987 to 2003. He found that homework offered a general beneficial impact on test scores and improvements in attitude, with a greater effect seen in older students. But dig deeper into the issue and a complex set of factors quickly emerges, related to how much homework students do, and exactly how they feel about it.

In 2009, Prof Ulrich Trautwein and his team at the University of Tübingen found that in order to establish whether homework is having any effect, researchers must take into account the differences both between and within classes . For example, a teacher may assign a good deal of homework to a lower-level class, producing an association between more homework and lower levels of achievement. Yet, within the same class, individual students may vary significantly in how much homework improves their baseline performance. Plus, there is the fact that some students are simply more efficient at completing their homework than others, and it becomes quite difficult to pinpoint just what type of homework, and how much of it, will affect overall academic performance.

Over the last century, the amount of time that children and adolescents spend in school has greatly increased

Gender is also a major factor. For example, a study of US high school students carried out by Prof Gary Natriello in the 1980s revealed that girls devote more time to homework than boys, while a follow-up study found that US girls tend to spend more time on mathematics homework than boys. Another study, this time of African-American students in the US, found that eighth grade (ages 13-14) girls were more likely to successfully manage both their tasks and emotions around schoolwork, and were more likely to finish homework.

So why do girls seem to respond more positively to homework? One possible answer proposed by Eunsook Hong of the University of Nevada in 2011 is that teachers tend to rate girls’ habits and attitudes towards work more favourably than boys’. This perception could potentially set up a positive feedback loop between teacher expectations and the children’s capacity for academic work based on gender, resulting in girls outperforming boys. All of this makes it particularly difficult to determine the extent to which homework is helping, though it is clear that simply increasing the time spent on assignments does not directly correspond to a universal increase in learning.

Can homework cause damage?

The lack of empirical data supporting homework in the early years of education, along with an emerging trend to assign more work to this age range, appears to be fuelling parental concerns about potential negative effects. But, aside from anecdotes of increased tension in the household, is there any evidence of this? Can doing too much homework actually damage children?

Evidence suggests extreme amounts of homework can indeed have serious effects on students’ health and well-being. A Chinese study carried out in 2010 found a link between excessive homework and sleep disruption: children who had less homework had better routines and more stable sleep schedules. A Canadian study carried out in 2015 by Isabelle Michaud found that high levels of homework were associated with a greater risk of obesity among boys, if they were already feeling stressed about school in general.

For useful revision guides and video clips to assist with learning, visit BBC Bitesize . This is a free online study resource for UK students from early years up to GCSEs and Scottish Highers.

It is also worth noting that too much homework can create negative effects that may undermine any positives. These negative consequences may not only affect the child, but also could also pile on the stress for the whole family, according to a recent study by Robert Pressman of the New England Centre for Pediatric Psychology. Parents were particularly affected when their perception of their own capacity to assist their children decreased.

What then, is the tipping point, and when does homework simply become too much for parents and children? Guidelines typically suggest that children in the first grade (six years old) should have no more that 10 minutes per night, and that this amount should increase by 10 minutes per school year. However, cultural norms may greatly affect what constitutes too much.

A study of children aged between 8 and 10 in Quebec defined high levels of homework as more than 30 minutes a night, but a study in China of children aged 5 to 11 deemed that two or more hours per night was excessive. It is therefore difficult to create a clear standard for what constitutes as too much homework, because cultural differences, school-related stress, and negative emotions within the family all appear to interact with how homework affects children.

Should we stop setting homework?

In my opinion, even though there are potential risks of negative effects, homework should not be banned. Small amounts, assigned with specific learning goals in mind and with proper parental support, can help to improve students’ performance. While some studies have generally found little evidence that homework has a positive effect on young children overall, a 2008 study by Norwegian researcher Marte Rønning found that even some very young children do receive some benefit. So simply banning homework would mean that any particularly gifted or motivated pupils would not be able to benefit from increased study. However, at the earliest ages, very little homework should be assigned. The decisions about how much and what type are best left to teachers and parents.

As a parent, it is important to clarify what goals your child’s teacher has for homework assignments. Teachers can assign work for different reasons – as an academic drill to foster better study habits, and unfortunately, as a punishment. The goals for each assignment should be made clear, and should encourage positive engagement with academic routines.

Parents should inform the teachers of how long the homework is taking, as teachers often incorrectly estimate the amount of time needed to complete an assignment, and how it is affecting household routines. For young children, positive teacher support and feedback is critical in establishing a student’s positive perception of homework and other academic routines. Teachers and parents need to be vigilant and ensure that homework routines do not start to generate patterns of negative interaction that erode students’ motivation.

Likewise, any positive effects of homework are dependent on several complex interactive factors, including the child’s personal motivation, the type of assignment, parental support and teacher goals. Creating an overarching policy to address every single situation is not realistic, and so homework policies tend to be fixated on the time the homework takes to complete. But rather than focusing on this, everyone would be better off if schools worked on fostering stronger communication between parents, teachers and students, allowing them to respond more sensitively to the child’s emotional and academic needs.

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UK pupils do more homework than many European countries

Report by the OECD finds a wide gap in homework levels between wealthy and poor school pupils

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School pupils in the UK are given more homework than many other European countries, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

Teenagers in the UK take home more work from school than those in countries such as Finland, Germany, Sweden and Austria, but far less than pupils in Singapore and Shanghai.

Italy, Ireland and Poland also had higher levels of homework than the UK.

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The OECD found that the UK has one of the widest gaps in homework hours between wealthy and disadvantaged pupils.

Andreas Schleicher, the OECD's director of education, told the BBC that the difference in homework hours carried out by richer and poorer students might be related to a lack of space to study and the amount of help parents could offer with the work.

He suggested that schools could help bridge the gap by providing a space where pupils could do their homework in school.

The time spent on homework is linked to higher achievement, said Schleicher. However, Finland and South Korea are examples of countries that achieve high results with some of the lowest levels of homework.

The weekly average for the UK was five hours, but the OECD said this was balanced with figures from young people who appeared to do almost no homework at all.

Here are the countries/cities that offer the highest levels of homework:

1. Shanghai

3. Singapore

4. Kazakhstan

9. Lithuania

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Homeworking in the UK – regional patterns: 2019 to 2022

Homeworking during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, focusing on changes and how they have altered the distribution of labour across the UK.

This is the latest release.

Contact: Owain Nolan, James Probert, Nick Chapman, Chris Hendry, Addie Knight

Release date: 11 July 2022

Table of contents

• Main points
• Changes in regional workers
• Homeworking
• Commuting between regions
• Flexible working
• Effects on spending
• Industry composition and occupation
• Demographic breakdowns
• Homeworking in the UK – regional patterns: 2019 to 2022 data
• Data sources and quality
• Related links

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1. Main points

Between October to December 2019 and January to March 2022, homeworking in the UK more than doubled from 4.7 million to 9.9 million people.

Increases in homeworking varied across UK regions, the largest percentage increase in homeworking was in Scotland (203.5%, up 544,000), and the smallest percentage increase was in Northern Ireland (56.4%, up 49,000).

Between October to December 2019 and January to March 2022, the number of non-homeworkers (those who live and non-homework in the same region) and regional commuters (those who work in a region but live in a different region) in the UK decreased by 19.7% (down 5.5 million).

The decrease in the number of non-homeworkers (those who live and non-homework in the same region) and regional commuters (those who work in a region but live in a different region) varied across UK regions, the largest decreases were in London (30.1%, down 1.4 million), followed by the South East (21.8%, down 775,000), Scotland (21.2%, down 505,000) and the North West (20.2%, down 627,000).

2. Overview

During the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic there was an unprecedented increase in the number of individuals working from home. Recent analysis shows that this increased homeworking is likely here to stay, as detailed in our Is hybrid working here to stay? article . Despite the end of UK government guidance to work from home, in February 2022 more than 8 in 10 workers who had to work from home during the coronavirus pandemic said they planned to work both from home and in the workplace (hybrid work). Of those workers surveyed, 42% were planning to work "most working hours from home, and sometimes from their usual place of work". The increase in homeworking practices has led many to consider the implications on local labour markets and consumption.

To understand this better, we examine how increased levels of homeworking have affected where workers spend most of their working hours across the UK. We compare the Labour Force Survey (LFS) for the periods October to December 2019, and January to March 2022. This allows us to make a comparison between the most recent period of data available, and the period prior to the introduction of guidance and legal requirements to work from home.

From the LFS we can obtain a respondent's International Territorial Level (ITL) 1 region of work. This allows us to compare the ITL 1 region a worker lives in relative to where they spend most of their working hours. Workers can either spend most of their working hours in the same region as they live or commute to another region.

In addition, LFS respondents are asked the extent to which they work from home. From the responses given, we classify homeworkers as anyone who reported their main place of work as:

their own home

the same grounds or building as home

different places using home as a base

Those who reported mainly working "somewhere quite separate from home" were classified as non-homeworkers. Homeworkers automatically had their region of work set to their region of residence.

Based on individuals' responses about their region of work, their region of residence, and whether they mainly worked from home, we categorised workers in each UK region into three mutually exclusive groups, those who:

live and homework in the same region (homeworkers)

live and non-homework in the same region (non-homeworkers)

work in a region but live in a different region (regional commuters)

Throughout this analysis, the number of regional workers is based on where workers spend most of their working hours rather than the region in which they live. We use levels of regional workers to understand the geography of where those in employment are spending most of their working hours. For these reasons, our estimates differ from the official employment statistics and should not be interpreted as the official source of information on employment levels in the UK regions. For more information, see our Labour market in the regions of the UK bulletin , which is based on residential employment and published each month.

3. Changes in regional workers

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has changed working habits with more people now working from home, as detailed in our Public opinions and social trends, Great Britain: 22 June to 3 July 2022 bulletin . The increased prevalence of homeworking, as well as wider economic conditions, have contributed to changes in the distribution of where regional workers are spending their working hours.

We calculated the number of regional workers by summing those who live and homework in the same region, live and non-homework in the same region, and live outside of the region but commute in to the region to work. Between October to December 2019 and January to March 2022, the number of regional workers increased in four regions and decreased in eight regions. There are seasonal patterns relating to regional workers which may affect the results when comparing the periods October to December 2019 and January to March 2022.

The largest percentage increases in regional workers were:

in the East of England by 3.1% (up 89,000)

in the West Midlands by 1.7% (up 48,000)

in Scotland by 1.5% (up 39,000)

The largest percentage decreases in regional workers were:

in London by 4.8% (down 258,000)

in the North West by 4.3% (down 151,000)

in the East Midlands by 2.4% (down 56,000)

Figure 1 shows the contributions of homeworking, non-homeworking, and regional commuting to the change in regional workers in each region between October to December 2019 and January to March 2022. An increase in the prevalence of homeworking has resulted in a positive contribution to the change in regional workers in all regions. The positive contribution is greatest in London and Scotland at 22.8 percentage points and 20.1 percentage points, respectively. This is offset by the negative contribution of those non-homeworking in all regions. Similarly, the contribution of regional commuting to the change in regional workers was negative in all regions. The largest negative contributions were in the regions which see the greatest proportion of commuters, London (down 6.2 percentage points) and the South East (down 2.6 percentage points).

Figure 1: London has seen the largest decrease in the number of regional workers

Contribution to change in the number of regional workers between october to december 2019 and january to march 2022, uk regions, not seasonally adjusted embed code embed this interactive " id="embed-d83-45b0-945a-65da62b9f187" name="embed-d83-45b0-945a-65da62b9f187" readonly /> copy.

• Regional worker figures for the UK and England are not reported to avoid confusion with official employment statistics. Only ITL1 regions have been included in the chart.

Download the data

The following sections of this article provide more detail on the underlying patterns in homeworking, non-homeworking, and regional commuting in each region and how these patterns differ by regional and personal characteristics.

4. Homeworking

The UK government first asked people to work from home if they could on March 16 2020. Guidance and legal requirements on homeworking throughout the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic varied between administrations but England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland all ended the legal requirement to work from home at the end of January 2022. However, England and Scotland ended their work from home guidance at the same time, in Northern Ireland, guidance to "work from home where possible" was removed in June 2022 and Wales introduced a strategy to encourage remote working in March 2022 .

Between October to December 2019 and January to March 2022, homeworking in the UK more than doubled, increasing by 108.8% (up 5.2 million), from 14.5% (4.7 million) to 30.6% (9.9 million).

The number of homeworkers increased by more than 50% in all UK regions. Scotland saw the largest percentage increase in homeworking (203.5%, up 544,000 people) and Northern Ireland the smallest percentage increase (56.4%, up 49,000).

The regions with the highest percentage of homeworkers in January to March 2022 were London (37.0%, 1.9 million), the South East (36.9%, 1.6 million) and the East of England (31.1%, 903,000). The regions with the lowest percentage of homeworkers were Northern Ireland (16.4%, 137,000), the North East (22.4%, 262,000) and Yorkshire and The Humber (26.2%, 668,000).

Between the same two periods, the percentage of non-homeworkers (people who live in a region and leave their homes to work in the same region) decreased in all UK regions. London saw the largest decrease (28.3%, down 1 million), and Northern Ireland the smallest decrease (8.7%, down 67,000).

Figure 2: Homeworking increased by more than 50% in all UK regions

Change in homeworking and non-homeworking, october to december 2019 and january to march 2022, uk regions, not seasonally adjusted embed code embed this interactive " id="embed-b5c-4247-a662-26793ae7e05d" name="embed-b5c-4247-a662-26793ae7e05d" readonly /> copy, 5. commuting between regions.

Between October to December 2019 and January to March 2022, the number of people who commuted into a region different to their region of residence for work fell across the UK by 26.1% (down 629,000). The decrease happened in all UK regions but was largest in:

London 36.8% (down 367,000)

the South East 29.1% (down 117,000)

the East Midlands 21.2% (down 32,000)

Figure 3: The number of workers commuting into a region different to their region of residence has fallen across all UK regions

Change in regional commuting, october to december 2019 and january to march 2022, uk regions, not seasonally adjusted embed code embed this interactive " id="embed-cdb-447f-84f6-c3638ea27936" name="embed-cdb-447f-84f6-c3638ea27936" readonly /> copy.

• There were no commuters in or out of Northern Ireland from other UK regions in either the October to December 2019 sample or the January to March 2022 sample. Northern Ireland is therefore absent from the figure.

To avoid double counting workers who live in one region and work in a different region, we only include those who are commuting into a region for the count of regional commuters and regional workers. However, for completeness we also report trends in commuters travelling out of a region between the two periods.

Between October to December 2019 and January to March 2022, the number of people commuting out of a region for work fell in every UK region except the North East, where it increased by 4.2% (up 2,000). The largest percentage decreases in the number of people commuting out of a region for work happened in:

the South East 35.6% (down 233,000)

Scotland 29.8% (down 10,000)

the East of England 28.8% (down 144,000)

6. Flexible working

In addition to the variables already detailed, Labour Force Survey (LFS) respondents are asked whether they worked at least one full day from home during the reference week. This allows us to examine whether individuals who reported they do not mainly work from home (non-homeworkers) did work from home in some capacity.

Across the UK, in January to March 2022, 14.3% of people (2.8 million) who did not mainly work from home (non-homeworkers) said they worked from home at least one day in the reference week. This figure was highest in London (24.3%, 627,000) and lowest in the East Midlands (9.1%, 126,000).

Figure 4: Over 14% of those who did not mainly work from home reported working from home at least one day a week

Percentage of workers who do not mainly work from home (non-homeworkers) but reported working from home at least one day in the reference week, january to march 2022, uk regions.

Source: Office for National Statistics – Labour Force Survey

Download this chart figure 4: over 14% of those who did not mainly work from home reported working from home at least one day a week, 7. effects on spending.

Our analysis on Homeworking and spending by characteristic found that around half of those who worked from home as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic reported spending less as a result. Alongside reduced spending on transport, one reason for this could be reduced spending on locally consumed goods and services while commuting and in the workplace.

Combining the number of non-homeworkers with the number of regional commuters gives the total number of people who might purchase goods and services as they work and commute. For example, buying a sandwich or a coffee at a train station or near their workplace.

Between October to December 2019 and January to March 2022, the number of non-homeworkers and regional commuters in the UK has decreased by 19.7% (down 5.5 million). The decrease occurred in all UK regions, with the largest percentage decreases in London (30.1%, down 1.4 million), the South East (21.8%, down 775,000) and Scotland (21.2%, down 505,000).

While these data are not directly linked to changes in spending, this shift in the distribution of labour from areas of high job density, such as high streets and city centres, to residential areas may also change where and how workers spend their money.

It is possible to observe this using the Pret Index, as detailed in our Economic activity and social change in the UK, real-time indicators methodology . This shows total weekly till transactions at Pret a Manger shops as a proportion of the average weekly level in the first four weeks of 2020 (between Friday 3 January and Thursday 30 January 2020). In the week ending 30 June 2022, the Pret Index showed transactions in the "West End" and "City Worker" groupings of London were lower than pre-coronavirus pandemic levels (at 94% and 86%, respectively), but transactions in the "Suburban" group were higher at 123%.

Figure 5: London had 1.4 million fewer regional workers non-homeworking and commuting in to work between the two periods

Percentage change in non-homeworkers and regional commuters, october to december 2019 to january to march 2022, uk regions, not seasonally adjusted.

Download this chart Figure 5: London had 1.4 million fewer regional workers non-homeworking and commuting in to work between the two periods

8. industry composition and occupation.

The industry composition of each region is one explanation for regional variation in the rate of homeworking. Some industries are more likely than others to adopt homeworking and have a higher percentage of their employees working from home. Our previous analyses found large variation in homeworking by industry. Regions where these industries are common are therefore more likely to have a larger proportion of their employees working from home.

During the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, industries requiring face-to-face contact (for example, accommodation and food services ) were hit harder than those with workers who were able to work from home. This shift in industry composition could increase the proportion of businesses able to work from home and the percentage of employees working from home.

However, when we standardised industry composition, so all regions have the same industry composition as the UK in October to December 2019, there is still considerable variation in the percentage of homeworkers between regions. This variation might be explained by a number of factors, such as access to technology or specialist tools, which have been explored in previous analysis .

Considering the popularity of homeworking (as detailed in our Business insights and impact on the UK economy: 16 June 2022 bulletin) amongst workers, the ability of industries to work from home may affect the desirability of some jobs. In August and September 2021, businesses in industries which have low rates of homeworking (hospitality, water, health, construction, and retail) reported it was more difficult than normal to fill vacancies .

Figure 6: Standardising for industry composition had little effect on the percentage of homeworkers

The percentage of homeworkers, standardised and non-standardised, january to march 2022, uk regions.

Download this chart Figure 6: Standardising for industry composition had little effect on the percentage of homeworkers

In October to December 2019, those employed in skilled trade occupations were most likely to be working from home (24.8%), while those within the sales and customer service occupation were least likely (4.2%). Similar patterns in the ability of different occupations to work from home were detailed in our Which jobs can be done from home? article .

Those employed in professional occupations saw the largest increase in homeworking (30.5 percentage points), rising from 12.9% in October to December 2019 to 43.4% in January to March 2022. Those employed as process, plant and machine operatives and in elementary occupations were the only groups that saw a decrease in the percentage of homeworking between the two periods (1.3 and 1.1 percentage points respectively). This could be because of seasonality.

Figure 7: The largest percentage increase in homeworking was in professional occupations

Change in percentage of homeworking, by occupation, october to december 2019 and january to march 2022, uk, not seasonally adjusted embed code embed this interactive " id="embed-33a-4919-b08a-c697ce84a96f" name="embed-33a-4919-b08a-c697ce84a96f" readonly /> copy.

Breaking this down by region, we find Scotland saw the largest percentage point increase in homeworking for two occupations. This was in professional occupations (36.7 percentage points), and process, plant and machine operatives (7.4 percentage points).

In January to March 2022, Northern Ireland had the lowest percentage homeworking in all occupations other than sales and customer services. In the same period, the South East had the highest percentage of homeworking in five occupations.

9. Demographic breakdowns

In the UK, 16.5% of men worked from home compared with 12.3% of women in October to December 2019. Although men still worked from home more in January to March 2022, the gap had narrowed with 31.2% of men homeworking compared with 29.9% of women. Whilst men work from home more than women overall, our previous analysis found that men were overrepresented in roles which were unable to work from home. For more information, see our Which jobs can be done from home? article .

Both men and women saw an increase in homeworking in all UK regions between October to December 2019 and January to March 2022. The largest increase overall was seen by women in London (24.9 percentage points), and the smallest increase overall was seen by men in Northern Ireland (4.2 percentage points).

In October to December 2019, men worked from home more than women in every UK region, but in January to March 2022 more women worked from home than men in London, Wales, and the East of England.

Figure 8: The percentage increase in homeworking was greater for women than men in every UK region except the North East

Change in homeworking percentage, by sex, october to december 2019 and january to march 2022, uk, not seasonally adjusted embed code embed this interactive " id="embed-96b-4bdc-ab32-ba8cd13eb87b" name="embed-96b-4bdc-ab32-ba8cd13eb87b" readonly /> copy.

Younger age groups were, in general, less likely to work from home in the UK in the period October to December 2019. Those aged 16 to 29 years had the lowest percentage of homeworkers (6.3%), followed by those aged 30 to 39 years (12%). The highest percentage of homeworkers was for those aged 60 years and over (27.3%), followed by those aged 50 to 59 years (17.9%).

In January to March 2022, the percentage of homeworkers was higher in all age groups than in October to December 2019. For the UK, the highest increase in homeworking was in the aged 30 to 39 years group (20.1 percentage points). Those in the aged 60 years and over group remained the most likely to be working from home, even though the group saw a relatively small increase (7.6 percentage points).

Figure 9: Those aged 30 to 39 years saw the largest percentage point increase in homeworking

Percentage point change in homeworking, by age group, october to december 2019 and january to march 2022, uk, not seasonally adjusted.

Download this chart Figure 9: Those aged 30 to 39 years saw the largest percentage point increase in homeworking

Changes between the two periods varied by both region and age group. Among those aged 16 to 29 years, the largest increase in homeworking was in London (28.4 percentage points), nearly double the next highest increase (Scotland, 15.4 percentage points).

In January to March 2022, those aged 60 years and over in Wales were the most likely age group in the UK to be working from home (43.8%). Only those aged 60 years and over saw a fall in the percentage of home workers between the two periods. There was also only a percentage points decrease in Northern Ireland (0.3 percentage points) and Yorkshire and The Humber (0.2 percentage points).

10. Homeworking in the UK – regional patterns: 2019 to 2022 data

Homeworking in the UK – regional patterns Dataset | Released 11 July 2022 Homeworking data for the UK from the Labout Force Survey in October to Decmber 2019 and January to March 2022.

11. Glossary

Regional workers.

This is the number of individuals working in a region, this is made up of homeworkers, non-homeworkers and regional commuters into the region. This figure is therefore associated with the region an individual works in rather than the region in which they live. It should not be interpreted as official employment statistics.

Homeworking and homeworkers

This is defined as those who report their main place of work being their own home, same grounds or building, or different locations with home as a base.

Non-homeworking and non-homeworkers

This is defined as those who report their main place of work being separate from home. However, they remain within the same region when travelling to their main place of work.

Regional commuting and regional commuters

This is defined as those who report their main place of work being separate from home. However, they travel to a different region from their region of residence to get to their main place of work.

12. Data sources and quality

This article uses data collected from the Labour Force Survey (LFS), the largest household survey in the UK. The sample is made up of approximately 40,000 responding UK households and 100,000 individuals per quarter. Respondents are interviewed for five successive waves at three-monthly intervals, and 20% of the sample is replaced every quarter. 

Quality and methodology information on strengths, limitations and appropriate uses is available in our Labour Force Survey (LFS) Quality and Methodology Information (QMI ). Our LFS performance and quality monitoring reports provide data on response rates and quality-related issues.

Data for Northern Ireland are available in full in the Northern Ireland Labour Market Report on the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) website . You can view local area statistics on the Nomis website.

LFS and APS reweighting

LFS estimates published from 14 June 2022 have been reweighted for periods from January to March 2020, using updated Pay As You Earn (PAYE) Real Time Information (RTI) data . The non-response bias adjustment, previously implemented for England, Wales and Scotland data, has now also been applied to Northern Ireland data.

Our Impact of reweighting on Labour Force Survey key indicators: 2022 article explains the impact and gives a more detailed reweighting timeline. Our Dataset X08: Impact of LFS reweighting on key Labour Force Survey indicators includes estimates of key LFS indicators using both old and new weighting methodology, and the revisions between the two series.

13. Related links

Is hybrid work here to stay? Digital content article| Released 23 May 2022 Almost half of working adults were working from home at times during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, but what will business as usual look like with restrictions lifted?

Homeworking and spending during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Great Britain: April 2020 to January 2022 Digital content article | Released 14 February 2022 Analysis of how working from home has affected individuals' spending, how this differs by characteristics, and how consumer spending has been affected.

Which jobs can be done from home? Article | Released 21 July 2020 During the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, government advice has said that people in the UK should work from home if possible. This is easier for some workers than others, and jobs that pay more are more likely to be done remotely.

Technology intensity and homeworking in the UK Article | Released 1 May 2020 Recent trends and insights into technology as an enabler for homeworking. Analysis considers differences in technology usage across industries.

Contact details for this Article

The Power Of Homework

Homework is loved by some, loathed by others (and that’s just the teachers). History teacher, Emily Folorunsho, makes the case for homework and how it could be implemented in your department too.

In some schools, there has been a decline in homework being set, due to the increased workload it brings in terms of marking, chasing students and setting detentions. However, there are tremendous benefits that homework can bring and there are ways to work around some of the issues it can have on teachers’ workloads.

When I think of my own education and the most effective teachers that I had, they all set regular homework and ensured it was done. To master anything in life we need hours of practice therefore I am here to make a case for homework as it ensures that students get the opportunity to further practice what they learnt in school.

What does research say about homework? Inner Drive stated that ‘ Students who were set regular homework by their teacher performed significantly better than those who were set it occasionally.’ It also found that ‘ The frequency that homework was set was found to be more important than the amount of time students spent on it. ’

Research has also shown that doing homework independently encourages autonomy, which has been linked to developing self-regulation. The Education Endowment Foundation has also found that homework has a positive impact (on average +5 months) particularly with pupils in secondary schools. It was also found that homework that is linked to classroom work tends to be more effective.

In particular, studies that included feedback on homework had higher impacts on learning. This is why at KS4 & 5 we set students exam questions to do for homework, as they see it as worthwhile due to further practice and the feedback they know they will receive, as it provides students with further practice in terms of exam technique and structure, as well as application of knowledge. (It is important to note that students also have the opportunity to practice writing in exam conditions during in-class assessments which act as our summative assessments.)

The EEF also found that ‘ The quality of the task set appears to be more important than the quantity of work required from the pupil’. There is some evidence that the impact of homework diminishes as the amount of time pupils spend on it increases. The studies reviewed with the highest impacts set homework twice a week in a particular subject. ’

As we can see above, homework is important. Tom Sherrington writes ‘ homework is a vital element in the learning process; reinforcing the interaction between teacher and student: between home and school and paving the way to students being independent autonomous learners. ’

What is our intent for setting homework in my department?

We want to use homework to enrich, consolidate and give students the opportunity to practice knowledge & skills they have gained in lessons. We plan homework into the design of our curriculum. We also want to use homework as a means to nurture a love for History.

Particularly at KS3, we want homework to build discipline among our students so that by the time they reach their examination years they have developed the skills and characteristics required for learning independently at home.

Furthermore, the building of students’ historical frameworks and their sense of period, to enable access to future learning has been disrupted due to covid; therefore, our hope is that our homework booklets at KS3 will fill in those gaps and strengthen students ’ sense of period.

Implementation: How does my History department set homework?

Homework booklets which compromise of the following tasks for the whole year for each unit:

• Scholarship Reading
• Meanwhile elsewhere tasks

3. Revisit tasks: Quizzes

4. Improving assessments

5. Revision tasks/explicit practice of study skills

We set a variety of tasks within the homework booklet as research has stated that ‘ pupils… want interesting, challenging, and varied tasks that are clearly defined and have adequate deadlines. ’

KS4 & KS5:

1. Show My Homework quizzes

2. Exam questions

How have some of the issues of homework been combatted?

Many teachers are less inclined to set homework due to the problems that are commonly associated with it. However, I have identified some of those issues below and provided ways in which I have attempted to combat these issues in my own classroom.

Issue 1 – The disadvantage gap

It is common knowledge that pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds are less likely to have a quiet working space, are less likely to have access to a device suitable for learning or a stable internet connection and may receive less parental support to complete homework and develop effective learning habits.

These difficulties may increase pupils ’ abilities to do homework and do it well. As a result, these are the ways in which we have tried to combat the issue and close the disadvantage gap in our department:

KS3: Students with a physical booklet do not require a computer or the internet as all the information they need to be able to do the tasks are within that booklet.

KS4/5: Show My Homework quizzes need an electronic device and a reliable internet connection. However, students know they can come up at break, during lunch or after school to the History rooms to use either a device or facilities in the school library.

Furthermore, when writing exam answers we enforce that all answers should be handwritten therefore a device is not required.

Issue 2 – Marking

Another reason why some are hesitant to set homework is due to the marking load implication. However, there are ways in which we can work around this as we can   see below:

KS3: Homework is commonly self or peer-marked at the beginning of the lesson. However, if I do not have time for this, I would live mark students ’ homework whilst they are working independently on the main task.

KS4/5: Quizzes are marked by Show My Homework and students get to see what score they achieved automatically, accessing immediate feedback. I always check who got the highest in the class and then I reward them accordingly the following lesson.

Nevertheless, Exam questions are marked by teachers to provide detailed feedback on their application skills of the knowledge. I work in a school whereby departments get to set their own marking policy under the three pillars of quality presentation, feedback and response.

In my department, as HOD I have banned the marking of classwork but what must be marked is all exam questions and assessments. As a result of a workload-friendly policy, marking exam questions done as part of homework does not act as an additional load.

Issue 3 – Chasing students up & setting detentions

Chasing students that have not done homework is my biggest bugbear however there are ways we can minimise the chasing and the consequence implication of not doing the homework.

In my school we have centralised detentions, which means individual teachers do not need to use their own time to conduct a detention. If your school does not have a centralised detention system maybe have a departmental centralised detention, whereby each person each week conducts the detention.

We used to have departmental detentions before our school adopted centralised detentions, which work perfectly.

Issue 4 – Lack of motivation & discipline

If we can deal with the problem of lack of motivation, then issue 3 almost becomes non-existent. Being able to do work at home is a key skill students need to develop, there will be times in their career whereby they will need to finish off work at home.

However, they will be more inclined to do this due to the reward of pay at the end of the month as well as having greater maturity. Nevertheless, at this present time students need to be able to practice delayed gratification and know that the feeling of motivation may not always be present but that is when discipline kicks in.

Discipline is doing what you know you should do in the absence of feeling motivated. But how can we help students become more disciplined & motivated to do homework? I believe it is in helping students build good habits. Here are a few tips that I got from Harry Fletcher ’ s book: Habits of success:

How to encourage students to start?

• Give clear instructions that make starting sound easy
• Help students commit to a plan of doing homework by planning WHEN and HOW they will act e.g. I will do homework immediately after school. I will study alone in the school library or join homework club. If I am invited to go out and see my friends, I will wait until have finished my homework. I will share this plan with my parents to keep me accountable.
• Share models e.g first examine the model, then see if you can do the similar task.
• Set a default e.g if you are unsure about what to do then use your how to guide.
• Revisit past successes e.g your homework task is almost identical to what we did in class today, the one where you got all the questions right.

Once you get them started how can you keep them going?

• Highlight intrinsic rewards e.g what has been satisfying in completing your homework
• Surprise students with rewards e.g giving students merits/points for the habit of completing homework.
• Build a community through collective activity e.g celebrating when 100% of the class has completed the homework.
• Empathise students success and its significance e.g asking students what they achieved this term as a result of completing homework and how its increased their progress in your subject
• Check what the barriers are to give a more targeted form of solution

In conclusion, although there are recognisable barriers in the setting, completing, and following up on homework there are ways we can dismantle these barriers. Homework is worth setting, reflecting upon & refining and is a vital component in every curriculum.

Emily Folorunsho is Head of History in an inner-city 12 form entry school in London and is also a Lead Practitioner, SLE and governor. Emily co-authored the Collins Black British History Teacher Resources and is passionate about promoting diversity in the curriculum and making History meaningful and relevant to students.

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• Is Google's Gemini With Research the Ultimate Homework Killer?

Gemini with Research promises to go beyond a typical chatbot by producing in-depth reports that'll extensively cite from the web.

Google’s Gemini can already produce an essay or article for you in seconds. But in the coming months, the chatbot will be able to take things further and publish in-depth research reports. 

“What used to take you hours now takes minutes,” Google SVP Rick Osterloh said at today's Pixel 9 event. The company is calling the feature “Research with Gemini,” and it’s designed to answer more complex questions when a regular Gemini response won’t do. 

“Soon, Gemini will be able to assist you as your researcher, saving you tons of time by using information from across the web to create a research report that’s tailored to your exact questions,” Osterloh added.

The questions might include finding out the right scholarship programs to pursue or how to open a cafe in a city. Although the normal Gemini chatbot can provide a answer, sometimes the responses are too general. Research with Gemini, on the other hand, promises to produce lengthy, comprehensives reports that can spell out all the details you would like to know. 

The resulting feature essentially sounds like a beefed-up version of the normal Gemini. For example, when the chatbot enters research mode, it’ll spend several minutes, not just seconds, crawling the web—including subpages and drop-down menus—and analyzing relevant content. 

“It then synthesizes all that information into a well-organized research report into a Google Doc,” Osterloh said. Importantly, the finished report will also cite sources through clickable links. In a demo after Tuesday's event, the company showed that research function can analyze 30 websites to help create a step-by-step guide on opening a sidewalk cafe in Seattle.

The company is hyping up Research with Gemini when Google's chatbot is competing against OpenAI’s ChatGPT. It’s certainly not hard to imagine the feature making it easier for students to complete their research assignments. Research with Gemini might also become a useful way to pick financial stocks or even shop for a laptop —making it potential threat to third-party sites.

But a key challenge facing the technology is whether it can produce research reports with accurate information, or if Gemini will hallucinate the wrong facts. 

As a safeguard, Research with Gemini is designed to cite sources, so users can verify a report's accuracy, Google tells told PCMag. The same sourcing can also help redirect user traffic to third-party sites to prevent publishers from losing exposure. In addition, Google is "red-teaming" the chatbot to ensure it won't produce reports about sensitive topics or illegal activities.

For now, Research with Gemini will be limited to paid subscribers of Gemini Advanced, which costs $19.99 per month. 

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About Michael Kan

I've been with PCMag since October 2017, covering a wide range of topics, including consumer electronics, cybersecurity, social media, networking, and gaming. Prior to working at PCMag, I was a foreign correspondent in Beijing for over five years, covering the tech scene in Asia.

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UK recruitment falters as Asian students enrol closer to home

Uk advised to invest in transnational education as more east asian students opt to study in nearby countries.

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The number of students enrolling in British universities from parts of Asia is declining as more choose to study closer to home, according to a new report from the British Council.

Researchers found that between 2013 and 2020, the mobility of students within east Asia grew faster than that of students from the region to major English-speaking destination countries. 

Now, nations including Indonesia, Japan, South Korea and Thailand send more students to China than to any English-speaking destinations, as Asian  countries continue to invest in attracting international students . 

The British Council report, published on 13 August, warns that this trend could “depress” demand for UK education. 

A significant shift in mobility from the region emerged around eight years ago, when the number of students from Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand enrolled in British institutions began to decline. 

While the global growth in outbound mobility from east Asia accelerated in the latter half of the 2010s, between 2015 and 2019, UK enrolments from South-east Asia began to fall.  

The number of students from north-east Asia, excluding China, has also “plateaued” since 2015, as students increasingly choose to study in non-English-speaking destinations. 

While overall outbound mobility from east Asia to the UK did grow during this period, this was largely driven by a “meteoric” rise from China, the report says. 

Researchers attribute this shift in part to new education policies in many east Asian countries focused on developing higher education hubs, internationalising universities and offering scholarships to entice international students.

Many governments in the region have set  ambitious international student targets  in recent years, with mainland China, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia and Hong Kong emerging as the top host regions. 

East Asian countries also benefit from competitive fees and a lower cost of living than traditional English-speaking destinations, researchers say. 

“Continued investment” in east Asia is key to upholding the UK’s reputation in the region, they advise. 

“While the growth in intra-regional mobility in east Asia could depress student mobility to the UK, the UK stands to benefit from increased demand for transnational education in the region,” authors of the report write. 

“New and innovative partnerships could attract these students to the UK part way through their studies or in the next phase of their studies, complementing their education in the region and contributing to the formation of truly global citizens.”

Jazreel Goh, Malaysia director at the British Council, said the study showed “there is work to be done to uphold UK higher education’s position as a preferred destination for east Asia students”. 

Charley Robinson, head of global mobility policy at Universities UK International, added: “Whilst the UK and other English-speaking destinations remain popular among South-east Asian students and families, this report details the growing interest in regional alternatives, and signals the need to clearly demonstrate the quality, diversity and strong return on investment of a UK education, as well as ensuring a safe and welcoming environment for all international students. As a leader in transnational education, the UK has an opportunity to harness some demand for regional study through our high quality and innovative TNE partnerships.”

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