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  3. To foreigners, few things seem as peculiarly British as the habit of sending young children away from home to school. At first g

To foreigners, few things seem as peculiarly British as the habit of sending young children away from home to school. At first g

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问题     To foreigners, few things seem as peculiarly British as the habit of sending young children away from home to school. At first glance, boarding schools are thriving, with almost 70,000 children within their walls. Independent education (both day and boarding) produces better-than-average academic results: they teach only 7% of English pupils but supply 38% of those gaining three or more A grades in the A-level exams taken at age 18.
    Yet some boarding schools are struggling. While the demand for private schools has increased over the past 20 years, the number of children at boarding schools has dropped sharply—from 112,135 in 1985 to 68,255 in 2005. The decline leveled off four years ago, thanks, say some, to the popularity of the Harry Potter books. But the only numbers that have risen significantly are those of students whose parents live abroad.
    One reason why boarding schools have lost some of their appeal is high fees—the average is around ￡18,830 ($35,470) a year. Lurid stories of children who harm themselves or take drugs, far from parental eyes, have not helped. Some schools are in trouble financially: three mergers have taken place this year; one school in Buckinghamshire will close in August; and another, in Sussex, was recently rescued by parents.
    Yet Adrian Underwood, national director of the Boarding Schools’ Association, describes the future as "rosy". His optimism stems partly from renewed political interest in taking children from foster care and children’s homes and sending them to boarding schools instead. Only 6% of those in care in 2004 got five good grades in their GCSE exams (taken at about 16 years of age), compared with 53% of children overall. Boarding schools can offer small classes and good discipline, helping pupils to counter the low expectations that prevent them from achieving all they could.
    The idea has been around for a while. A handful of charities as well as some local authorities already pay for a few hundred children to board, many of them in the state sector’s 36 excellent boarding schools. But the thinking has become more ambitious.
    A working party in the Department for Education and Skills has spent months looking at ways to expand the programme. Pilot projects are due to start in September 2007. Among the 80 or so schools that are interested are Wellington, an independent senior school in Somerset, and the Dragon School, a preparatory school in Oxford. John Walker, speaking for Britain’s prep schools (which educate children from ages seven to 13), says they could take pupils as young as five years old.
    Local authorities are less enthusiastic. Schools want full responsibility for the children they accept, while councils and social workers want to be able to check up on them. Some think that removing children from any version of parenting could have damaging long-term effects. Holidays are also problematic: the Fostering Network, which represents foster-carers, says that many foster parents are unwilling to have children only for the holidays.
    Those who think boarding schools could work magic on many vulnerable children chafe at the slow pace of progress. Lady (Mary) Richardson, head of the HSBC Education Trust, which now sponsors some 90 specialist schools and is considering taking part in this scheme, calls the plight of these children "immoral". Another charity, the Royal Wanstead Children’s Foundation, already pays for some children to board. It wants the government to spread its new grants more widely, to include poor children who are not in care.
    For boarding schools, both those with an idealistic streak and the financially strapped, the appeal of increasing numbers is clear, as long as other parents don’t squawk. They have another reason to be keen. New laws will soon require charities to justify their tax breaks by proving that they benefit society at large. Independent schools, 80% of which have charitable status, reaped ￡88 million in tax rebates in 2004. Accepting a few needy children might well safeguard that status.
What is the main problem of boarding schools in Britain? And what is the reason according to the author?
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答案The main problem of boarding school is the declination of number of students, especially those whose parents also live in England. There are mainly two reasons for this: the high tuition and the appalling news for bad companions.
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