A census for the Independent Schools Council (ISC) has revealed that one in four pupils at independent schools in the UK is from an ethnic minority background.

Some 74.5 per cent are from white British backgrounds and 25.5 per cent are from minority backgrounds, the new figures show.

Furthermore, the data confirms that 5.2 per cent of the overall student population is comprised of overseas pupils.

Rudolf Eliott Lockhart, the ISC's head of research, commented: "The picture I get from this is that the proportion of ethnic minority pupils in our schools reflects their proportion across the whole of the UK.

"I think it reflects wider British society - this is the ethnic mix we see in the UK and it's as true in independent schools as maintained schools."

Additionally, the figures confirmed that there was a 0.1 per cent rise in pupil numbers on last year. And over the next three years it is expected that there will be a significant surge in the student population, especially for people in teaching jobs at primary school level.

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