THINK GLOBAL PEOPLE
EDUCATION : MIDDLE EA ST
Kings InterHigh UAE
“Saudi is pretty insatiable for us, it’s a real growth
market,” says Anita Gleave, founder and CEO of Chatsworth Schools, which has 15 schools in the UK as well as in Dubai and now Riyadh. Gleave also champions the SEND provision her schools provide: “We offer an inclusive education and there’s a hunger for that in the region. It’s something that people will now finally talk about.” Reigate Grammar also opened in Riyadh in 2022, a
rebrand of an existing school. “The demand was there from day one,” says Sean Davey, managing director of the school’s international interests. “The market is huge – in the last 18 months the student numbers have gone from about 350 to over 1,000.” The newcomers join a raft of other premium British
schools which have opened in the last two years, part of the Royal Commission Riyadh City’s International School Attraction Programme. These include Downe House, Saudi’s first British premium all-girls school, Aldenham Prep and King’s College Riyadh, a K-12 branch of the Wimbledon school. Other curricula are well represented. An offshoot of
Singapore’s One World School opened following the American curriculum and SEK International School, which opened in 2021, brings the IB to Saudi and is part of an international group with schools in Spain, France, Qatar and Ireland. “Saudi has moved from being an inward-looking
society into an outward-looking one, inviting western investment and education,” says Dr Steffen Sommer, director of Misk Schools and ex-director of Doha college. The challenges of establishing a school in the region
include concerns around human rights. “Schools have to be ready for the arguments that will come,” says Pam Mundy, consultant director of schools and education for NEOM, the new Saudi giga city. “My tip is to visit and see for yourself.” Elsewhere in the region, Qatar is predicted to see
major growth over the next decade and is committed to attracting international schools as part of its National Vision 2030. According to the Boston Consulting Group, Qatar’s private education market is expected to grow to $2.4 billion by end of 2023. The country currently has over 140 international schools, most in Doha. There were 338 international curriculum private schools operating in Qatar in 2020-2021 academic year.
“ SAUDI HAS MOVED FROM BEING AN INWARD-LOOKING SOCIETY INTO AN OUTWARD-LOOKING ONE, INVITING WESTERN INVESTMENT AND EDUCATION.”
DR STEFFEN SOMMER, DIRECTOR OF MISK SCHOOLS AND EX-DIRECTOR OF DOHA COLLEGE
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