from The Telegraph Independent Schools Supplement, 19th September 2009
mtmconsulting is referenced in this article on how commercial chains of schools are shaping the independent education sector, and how pupil recruitment might be affected by the for-profit segment.
The article, by the Telegraph’s education journalist Graem Paton, uses Newlands School in Seaford as a case study, illustrating how the school has “been on the brink of disappearing” twice in the past three years, but has now found a new buyer in the form of Beaconhouse, a Pakistan-based education group, who made the announcement to a number of schools media experts in June that Newlands had become its first major UK acquisition.
Beaconhouse plan to bring the school “back to its former glory”, with investment in buildings, teachers, and facilities, as well as working to restore parental support.
The article goes on to suggest that education chains are increasingly taking over UK schools, citing the mtmconsulting Independent Education Sector Report 2010, which found that chains including Alpha Plus, CfBT, Civitas, Cognita, Girls’ Day School Trust (GDST) and Woodard, now educate 11% of pupils in the UK.
The article also alludes to the potential problems in chain schools’ marketing and appeal to parents, saying “parents often buy into their local school because they see it as something like the corner shop; it’s a local landmark so they want to support it.”
Commercial school business strategies, however, are swayed by the notion that “people are looking for good money-making opportunities and this is an attractive area for those with business backgrounds rather than sentimental education brains.”
The mtm Independent Education Sector Report 2010 also found that “between 2002 and 2009 the number of schools owned by commercial chains more than doubled… they have three major advantages that may prove irresistable in the long-term: a lower cost base; the ability to charge lower fees; and, for the moment at least, a fresh outlook.”
The article is not available on line, but please click here to view the Telegraph website’s education area.
For more information on the <em>mtmconsulting Independent Education Sector Website 2010 </em> please click here. To discuss mtmconsulting’s independent school marketing and educational research services please contact us.
