TRADE secretary Liam Fox MP was one of the witnesses when Malvern College signed an agreement to open its latest overseas venture.

Mr Fox was on a trade visit to China along with prime minister Theresa May, when he attended the signing of the landmark deal between Chinese officials and representatives of the school.

The agreement is that the college will open up a new campus in Chengdu, China, the school's sixth international opening in seven years.

Head Antony Clark said: "This is extremely exciting for Malvern College International and puts us right at the forefront of UK providers opening schools internationally.

“We are delighted to have this opportunity to further expand the Malvern College family of schools through this exciting development in Chengdu.

“We are proud of our record in providing a British-style independent education with its emphasis on the holistic development of pupils and a focus on values, whilst working closely with our international partners to adapt the educational provision to the needs of the local context.”

The state-of-the-art campus is due to open in 2019 and will eventually, together with the College’s existing campus in Chengdu, which opened in 2015, provide education for more than 1,000 children between the ages of 3 and 18.

In the meantime, this September will see the opening of Malvern College Hong Kong, following on from Malvern College Pre-School Hong Kong which opened in 2017. The boarding school also has campuses in Qingdao, China, and Cairo, Egypt.

Malvern College International’s schools in mainland China are predominantly for Chinese nationals, with around 35 per cent of leavers going on to study at UK universities, thus contributing directly to the rapid international growth in the UK higher education sector.

Allan Walker, the college’s director of international schools, said: "The success of these schools overseas has a direct positive impact on a wide range of UK manufacturers and suppliers ranging from examination boards, architects and engineers through to furniture and textbook suppliers.

“The opening of schools overseas also supports the development of educational opportunities available for children in the UK, both through enhancing our facilities and by widening access.”