Page 12 - ELG2009 Sep Issue 472

BUSINESS NEWS . NEWS

How Inspired Education beat the Closures keep coming as UK ELT reopens

curse of Covid-19 and won By Melanie Butler These British Council-

In mid-August, Thompkins accredited centres
Education Group announced that OXFORD HOUSE COLLEGE have ceased trading:
By Melanie Butler all five of its TEG English centres,
including the recently opened •Berlitz Edinburgh
At the end of June, picture- Birmingham centre, had ceased •BLC Bristol
perfect British boarding school trading. Another chain, British •English Studio
King’s College St Michaels in Study Centres has gone into •Globe Exeter
Tenbury Wells closed, making all administration, but most of its •Insight Greenwich
the staff redundant. The story centres are expected to be rescued OHC Central London is re-opening in September •Kings College St
behind its closure reveals the and three, London, Manchester Michaels
impact of the pandemic not only and York, are currently UK centres have not been neighbour, the Gazette has •Kheiron Schools of
on the UK’s independent schools, WILLJ / ST MICHAEL'S COLLEGE, TENBURY / WIKIMEDIA COMMONS operational. finalised, the Gazette was told. established that ten language English Oxford
but on English-medium So, is the effect of the Covid-19 With so many UK language schools and one boarding school, •London School of
international schools worldwide. pandemic on chain schools still the centres currently shut, it is hard to King’s College St. Michaels (see
According to a terse Wikipedia story? It is too soon to tell. Berlitz establish which have actually opposite page), have ceased English Canterbury
entry, the school, which enrolled Edinburgh has ceased offering closed down. Since January, a trading and been removed from •Oscars Summer School
only international students, face-to-face English, but the other total of 24 accredited centres are the list. •Oxford House College
provided no reasons for the three UK franchises are open, no longer listed on the British The TEG schools are still listed Oxford
closure. The school was owned by though operating largely online. Council website. However, only on the Council website, which has •St Albans School of
Inspired Education, a chain of 64 Oxford House College (OHC), 17 are language centres for whom not been updated since July. The English
international schools spread Oxford has been closed down. accreditation is vital and two of website of one other BC-listed •TEG Bristol
across five continents. Oxford English Centre, owned by those, Northumbria School of school, Totnes European, has •TEG Cardiff
However, a spokesperson for the same Australian company, is English and Mercator, have left disappeared, as has its entry on •TEG Southampton
the group provided the Gazette still trading but not yet sure when the BC scheme but are reportedly English UK course finder. As with •TEG Portsmouth
with an undated official statement it will open. OHC Central considering other options. many schools, it remains unclear •TEG Birmingham
issued at the time of the closure, London is re-opening on 7 Leaving aside LTC Eastbourne, if it has ceased trading or if it, too, (unaccredited)
which makes the reasons September. Plans for its other two which has been merged with a is simply considering its options.
abundantly clear. King’s College St Michaels in Tenbury Wells
“As a result of the Covid-19
crisis, international borders are was first established in 627 AD. boarding schools have bowed to defunct Embassy chain of
likely to remain closed, leaving Another ten small, independent parental pressure and reduced language schools.
students unable to travel,” the schools have closed, and a further their fees. Eton lead the way, with In 2013, convinced by the
statement reads. “This makes the 20 are rumoured to be at risk. a 34 per cent cut. Such cuts in fee educational philosophy of Graeme
recruitment of international Most UK boarding schools income means that, across the Crawford, founder of the four
students incredibly difficult. As a specialising in international world, private schools have Reddam House schools in South
result, we expect student numbers students, however, are intending struggled to pay property costs Africa, Nsouli bought the chain,
to drop significantly to the point to open in September. and teachers’ salaries, which make renaming it Inspired and keeping
where we cannot operate the Worldwide, few international up 80 per cent of costs, according Crawford as group president.
school to the standards expected schools have been forced to close to the Financial Times. With the backing of Oakley
of us.” down due to the novel International schools have Capital, they began to expand the
It goes on to make clear that coronavirus, although we found survived financial disruptions group, starting new schools and
they were working with parents reports of two closing in Dubai. before. A recent report by ISC acquiring existing ones.
and hoped, “students will take up Parents across the world, however, Research shows that the sector School chains which are
places in our other Inspired have demanded a reduction in survived the 2008 crash and other backed by private equity are more
boarding schools.” fees, as children have switched to recent market disruptions by likely to be sold on in the medium
As well as offering boarding in learning online at home. replacing disappearing expatriates term. They are also typically
four countries in continental Inspired has not been immune with local families, and by cutting funded by debt, and sudden falls
Europe and two in Africa, the from the pressure. Parents in their the budgets for admissions in fee income can affect their
group owns another UK school, Vietnam schools threatened legal marketing. Indeed, it is perhaps ability to service the interest
Reddam House, which also enrols action, according to VN Express because it catered only to non- payments from cashflow.
local British students. website. However, “all matters British students that King’s In 2019, the Daily Telegraph
King’s College St Michaels, have now been resolved College St Michaels was a prime reported that Inspired Education
which became part of Inspired last amicably,” a spokesperson for the candidate for closure. was seeking funding for further
year, as part of its acquisition of group told the Gazette. Inspired founder Nadim M expansion.
the Spain-based King’s College In Kenya, a court ordered the Nsouli comes from a private Inspired Education may have
group, is not the only UK group’s Brookehouse school in equity background, but is been lucky. Deal-making activity
independent school to close its Kahawa to cut its fees by fifty per reportedly serious about in the education sector has slowed
doors during the pandemic. Two cent after a case brought by a education. Previously head of the during the Covid-19 era,
historic prep schools, as private group of parents. An education portfolio in Europe and according to EdWeek. “The
primary schools are called, have accompanying order to cease the Middle East at Providence overall dip in the number of FOLLOW US: www.expresspublishing.co.uk
folded: Ashdown House, whose online learning for younger Equity, he was involved with mergers and acquisitions during
former pupils include Prime students was rescinded when Study Group, which runs the first half of 2020,” it reports, inquiries@expresspublishing.co.uk
Minister Boris Johnson, and the parents complained. boarding schools, pathway “was marked by a steep decline in EXCITE | EXPLORE | EXCEL
Minster School in York, which Even the UK’s most famous programmes and the now largely private-equity backed deals.”

12 September 2020 editorial@elgazette.com 13