Q1 2026 data shows softer start, with continued divergence between adult and junior segments
The first set of 2026 quarterly student week data provides an early indication of how the year is developing for the UK English language teaching (ELT) sector. It points to a softer start overall, alongside familiar seasonal patterns and an increasingly clear divergence between adult and junior demand.
Softer start to 2026
The latest data from our Quarterly Intelligence Cohort (QUIC) shows overall student weeks at 99,689 in Q1 2026, based on returns from 116 member centres (around 40% of membership). This represents a 7% year-on-year decrease on a like-for-like basis.
The decline was driven by weaker adult demand, with adult student weeks down 10%, while the junior segment recorded 7% growth.
Seasonal patterns remain consistent
As in previous years, Q1 remains predominantly adult-led, with 85% of student weeks attributed to adult learners and 15% to juniors. This reflects established seasonal patterns, with the January to March period traditionally dominated by adult enrolments.
However, the junior segment continues to show relatively stronger performance within this context.
Emerging trend: stronger junior performance
The Q1 data builds on patterns seen in late 2025. Junior student weeks have now recorded year-on-year growth for a second consecutive quarter, rather than simply declining more slowly than the adult segment.
This suggests a potential shift in the relative resilience of junior demand, even though it remains a smaller proportion of overall activity.
Market structure remains stable
Despite being subject to external pressures and fluctuations in demand, the overall structure of the market remains largely unchanged:
- Q1 demand continues to be concentrated in a relatively small number of core source markets, including Saudi Arabia, Türkiye, Italy and Brazil
- Agency-led bookings remain dominant, with 74% of student weeks commissionable
- The balance between individual and group bookings (74% vs 26%) is consistent with typical seasonal patterns
These findings highlight a sector operating in a challenging environment, and underscore the need for members to remain responsive to both short-term fluctuations and longer-term structural characteristics.
Supporting insight through QUIC
QUIC provides in-year data to help member centres track seasonal performance, monitor short-term shifts in demand, and benchmark against peers and the wider sector.
The quarterly snapshot offers a high-level view of national trends, while the full QUIC outputs, available only to participating centres, enable more detailed analysis by source market, age group, course type and region. This complements English UK's annual student statistics, which provide a comprehensive retrospective picture of the sector.
Q1 2026 at a glance
The overall data shows:
- 110 of the cohort's 221 advertised teaching premises were open, 2% down on Q1 2025
- 99.7k student weeks delivered collectively: 85% adult and 15% junior
- 7% overall decline vs Q1 2025; adult weeks fell by 10%, but juniors were up 7%
- Top five adult source markets: Saudi Arabia, Türkiye, Japan, Brazil and Italy, with Italy as a new entry
- Top five junior source markets: Italy, Spain, Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay, with Uruguay replacing Chile
- The top 10 source markets generated 71% of all student weeks, 2% higher concentration than in Q1 2025
- The top three regions London, South & South East, and Northern England remained unchanged, together hosting ~75% of all student weeks
(n = 116 English UK member centres with 221 advertised teaching premises)
> Download the Q1 snapshot
Further analysis, including detailed source market breakdowns, is available in the full QUIC reports, datasets, and webinar, which ares provided only to participating centres.
Further reading
> Find out more about the QUIC statistics scheme
> More facts and figures on UK ELT
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