MEMBER FEATURE
Mount Kelly making a big splash with 50m Olympic pool
In light of the uncertainty surrounding the future of independent schools, Mount Kelly outlines how it has adapted to survive
There have been considerable misgivings about the future of the independent education sector with anxieties regarding affordability and the place of independent education in a rapidly changing social and political context. With independent education further and further beyond the reach of its traditional domestic market, schools which fall outside the magic circle of the M25 must adapt fast if they are to survive. The identification of, and
investment in, a clear USP; a forensic focus on the quality of teaching and learning; the maximisation of a broad range of income streams, and a market- oriented approach, hold the key to success in challenging times. The experience of Mount Kelly
since its formation in 2014, following the merger of three schools which had experienced significant decline in recent years and faced a highly uncertain future, is a case in point. Over the past two years Mount Kelly has seen a 30% increase in pupil numbers
from Years 9 – 13, a new £5.5m 50m Olympic pool recently opened, and boarding houses now full to capacity. Central also to this success has
been a strategic re-direction towards boarding, and a critical connection with the wider UK boarding market. The £5.5m Olympic Legacy 50m pool has been central to this. A successful track record in producing high achieving elite swimmers provided an immediately apparent USP which would extend the School’s appeal both nationally and internationally. Mount Kelly is now attracting elite swimmers from across the UK, both in terms of boarding pupils but also as a commercial operation attracting swimming clubs from across the UK for residential swim camps and a significant local and regional following for swimming lessons, recreational swimming and other aquatic activities. In common with many other UK independent schools, Mount Kelly has also been pursuing
18 Chamber Profile January/February 2018
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