Like Oxford’s spires, British fee-paying schools evoke notions of educational perfection. For many affluent non-Britons, names such as Eton and Harrow share a pedigree with buildings such as Buckingham Palace and St Paul’s cathedral: traditional British institutions that cannot be outsourced to China.

Thus many overseas parents move to the UK, be it as non-domiciled aliens or re locators, as buyers or renters, full or part-time. Their search for British schooling for their children helps fuel demand for housing in prime areas, especially in London.