Edmond, Vice Principal, Head of Enterprise and Strategic Partnerships at Norland, Bath. “Government and schools in the Gulf Cooperative
Council (GCC) are ahead of many other places in the world in having such a strong focus on early childhood and getting it right for our youngest children” she says. “In UAE and Saudi Arabia, it is recognised that one of the best ways to make the world and society a better place is to support families and make sure that the people around our youngest children are able to meet their needs effectively by being knowledgeable, skilled and attuned to their needs. “There has been a real focus on the family unit as a
the window is closing for new brands. Yet opportunities continue to emerge globally, and while some markets become more difficult, others open up. “For example, Korea has not fully taken off because
of regulatory challenges,” he says. “Taiwan remains largely untapped and Cambodia has seen both successful openings and school closures. British education continues to hold strong brand value across Asia, and with the right investment partners there remain significant opportunities.” The key difficulty in Korea is that schools cannot
operate as profit-making entities. As a result, the Korean government requires a British charitable institution to stand behind any Korean branch operation. This creates additional complexity for schools considering entry into the market. He says one of the most important lessons is that
British schools need strong local partners and networks. “If schools are to provide something that is authentically British, they must understand local conditions and work closely with local operators. Some UK brands have become highly involved in overseas operations, ensuring genuine links to the home institution. Others have historically taken a lighter-touch approach, effectively licensing the brand and allowing overseas operators significant autonomy. Today there is much greater understanding that authenticity matters.” Schools increasingly recognise that they must be
active participants in overseas operations rather than simply selling their name. “Schools that have been successful have concentrated
on creating closer links between the home institution and partner schools abroad, ensuring consistency, quality and authenticity across the network.”
EMERGING TRENDS IN THE MIDDLE EAST The preference for schools that maintain the local culture, language and values of the home country is particularly visible in the Middle East, says Mandy
result of the desire of the leadership to put families front and centre of their policymaking. You can see in Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 and the Dubai Economic Agenda 2033 that the leadership is taking a really holistic approach to changing society. In Saudi Arabia there are plans to build around 1,200
new private schools by 2030 so supply and demand is going to be key. The challenge will be managing the quality of all of this new provision in order to meet that demand. There is a willingness to bring in international expertise, and find partners who can share expertise and knowledge, but it is important that international partners understand the context and cultural requirements. Partners will need to ensure that they enable important factors such as the Arabic language, the Islamic values and national identity to carried through in all the work, the training and in the school settings.
“ SCHOOLS THAT HAVE BEEN SUCCESSFUL HAVE CONCENTRATED ON CREATING CLOSER LINKS BETWEEN THE HOME INSTITUTION AND PARTNER SCHOOLS ABROAD, ENSURING CONSISTENCY, QUALITY AND AUTHENTICITY ACROSS THE NETWORK.”
ALEX MCGRATH, OWNER & FOUNDER, CASTLEGATE EDUCATION
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GUIDE TO INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION & SCHOOLS INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION MARKET ASIA & MIDDLE EAST
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