Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what estimate his Department has made of the number of English Language Teaching centres that have closed permanently since the pandemic began.

This Department has not made an estimate of the number of English Language Teaching (ELT) centres that have closed permanently since the pandemic began, but is aware of data published by English UK which states that one in six of the UK's 415 language schools, 69 in total, closed in the first year of the pandemic.

This Department works closely with English UK and have provided support for their English with Confidence campaign, including through the production of promotional material and hosting ELT agents during familiarisation visits. We will continue to ensure that the ELT sector’s recovery and ambition is captured in the Government’s International Education Strategy and via the English Language Teaching Action Group. DBT will be supporting English UK’s Study World event in the UK and in China and will support the sector at ICEF (International Consultants for Education and Fairs) Berlin, alongside considering ELT mission destinations for the next 12 months.