Value for money private schools
Recent problems at Global Education Management Services (GEMS) are a clear illustration of the challenges faced by companies trying to succeed in the UK’s private education market. GEM’s problems initially started when a group of 250 parents at Bury Lawn School began campaigning against the company as the result of ongoing problems at the school.
In response the new head teacher, Dr Shelia Kaye, wrote an open letter to on the school website, Dr Kaye wrote; ‘Bury Lawn School is not for sale. GEMS now owns and/or manages over 50 schools worldwide and is a most influential and accomplished provider of independent education. It has no history of asset stripping schools for property values’.
As the fourth head teacher in two years, Dr Kaye’s comments may not placate parents, many of whom are claimed to be waiting for the results of an urgent inspection by the Independent Schools Council. In 2002 the ISC inspection report noted that ‘Bury Lawn gives a good education in much of its provision and is a happy school’. Fallout from the problems at Bury Lawn may be behind GEMS recent announcement that they have withdrawn their offer to sponsor two of the governments flagship Academy schools due to be built in Milton Keynes. David Gamble, the Milton Keyne’s joint head of education was quoted in the Guardian as saying; ‘Recent events in Milton Keynes have led us to reconsider whether it is tenable to move forward with GEMS’. A GEMS spokesman said the company had withdrawn, so that any adverse publicity would not impact on the potential success of the Academy bid. Bury Lawn’s problems highlight just how difficult it is going to be for new private school operators like GEMS and Cognita, to meet parental expectations using their value-based business models.