You may recall in previous correspondence, that the Head Master announced that Governors were taking a long-term strategic view of the future of the school and, with that in mind, would start to explore partnership opportunities in setting up a family of global schools abroad. Several of our competitors have already setup overseas, so there is useful precedent. The benefits of this strategy will be seen way beyond our own time at the school, in terms of both overseas partnerships (staff and pupils) and diversification of income streams (for bursaries, etc).
This is an exciting initiative for Bedford, and we have recently appointed Alister Bartholomew (see Alister’s biography below) as the school’s International Development Director. Alister has a great deal of experience in setting up and running international schools spanning over 17 years, after a lengthy career in UK independent schools.
We have an open view about geographic location, but clearly, some countries/cities would be more favourable than others, and some may already be a little saturated with international schools.
We are hoping that some of you in the Bedfordian community will be interested in supporting this development, either in terms of being a part of the sponsorship or in linking us with potential sponsors/developers who might be able to work with us to move such a project forward.
There are many different forms of partnership involved in setting up named international schools and we would be happy to talk to any of you in more detail about this.
Alister Bartholomew has over 40 years of experience in education, during which he has served in a variety of senior roles in some of the UK’s most prestigious schools. For the last 17 years, his career has taken him into the world of strategic development both within the UK and in the world of international education, leading projects to establish branded school partnerships, expanding School Group operations and establishing university department links abroad. This includes serving as CEO, COO, Regional Director, Director of Education, Headmaster and Chairman of Governors for the Haileybury brand in Central Asia and the GEMS, Dulwich, Beaconhouse and Tenby Groups in China, Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand and in other countries in S.E Asia (ASEAN). He has also acted in a consultancy capacity for several schools including Marlborough and with universities such as Yale.
Having studied and worked in the UK, the USA and Australia, and following more extensive experience internationally, in both educational and commercial operations, Alister is well placed to understand and respond to the demands of a variety of educational systems and curricula, and to the wide range of development/business opportunities around the world. He has worked with several Governments and Education Ministries (Singapore EDB, Malaysia, Kazakhstan and Malta). He has led projects from concept to reality and established the educational structures required to make new schools and university links and partnerships successful. Installing the right systems, developing PR and HR strategies, preparing the appropriate contractual arrangements and appointing the right Heads, Principals, Bursars and Financial/Admin staff have been key to this.
Alister also has a strong background in the academic/pastoral care of students and understands what makes for the right choice for young people (and their parents) in selecting the right school or university appropriate to their individual academic potential and ultimate career path.
For more information, please do get in touch with Alister at abartholomew@bedfordschool.org.uk or +44 (0)7904 664699.