Bellevue Education Explained

Type:Education
Founded:2003
Founder:Mark Malley
Location City:London
Location Country:United Kingdom
Locations:21 schools across the UK, France and in Switzerland
Key People:Mark Malley (CEO), Steven Wade (Schools Director), Jay Varkey (Board)
Industry:Independent schools and colleges
Homepage:www.blvue.com
Parent:Bellevue Education International Limited

Bellevue Education is an international private schools group founded in 2003 and based in London, UK.[1] By 2019 it has grown to consist of 19 schools in the UK and 1 each in France and Switzerland.[2] [3] The Group also provides educational support to Bellevue Place Group,[4] a group of Free Schools to which Bellevue's CEO, Mark Malley, and its Group Schools Director, Steve Wade, are Trustees.[5] Bellevue Education was acquired by GEMS Education in 2018, and is a UK and European subsidiary of the Group.[6] In 2019, CVC acquired a 30% stake in GEMS Education, which also includes its stake in Bellevue Education.[7]

History

Bellevue Education was founded under the name House Education by Mark Malley in 2003, when he bought Norfolk House preparatory school in London.[8] [9] He also became the headteacher, and when the school was inspected in 2007 it was reported to be significantly improved from its previous inspection.[10]

In 2008 House Education was renamed The Really Great Education Company Limited (EDCO) and purchased Weston Green School in Surrey.[11] It also purchased Skippers Hill Manor Preparatory School in East Sussex in 2010.[12] [13]

The company adopted the name Bellevue Education Group in 2011, prior to acquiring three more independent schools: Edenhurst Preparatory School in Staffordshire, Brabyns Preparatory School in Cheshire, and Gateway School in Buckinghamshire.

In 2012, Bellevue Education Group was reported to be jointly owned by Mark Malley, with a 35% stake, and its chairman Marwan Naja, owner of Plato One Ltd and Plato Two Ltd. Further investment in that year by Plato Two Ltd coincided with the establishment of Bellevue Education International Limited, of which Bellevue Education Group became a wholly owned subsidiary.[14] [15] The parent company completed the acquisition of a Swiss boarding school, Surval Mont-Fleuri, subsequently renamed as Surval Montreux.[16] The group's early growth was driven by funding derived largely from Tarek Obaid, the founder of the oil company PetroSaudi, which has been implicated in the 1MDB scandal.[17]

Bellevue Education formed a joint venture with Place Group, the Bellevue Place Education Trust (BPET), which operates seven, state funded, primary "Free Schools" across London and the South-East.[18] [19] The Group's CEO, Mark Malley, and School Director, Steve Wade, form part of the Trustees of Bellevue Place.[20]

Bellevue Education was acquired by GEMS Education in 2018, and is a UK and European subsidiary of the Group. In 2019, the private equity group CVC Capital Partners acquired a 30% stake in GEMS Education, which also includes its stake in Bellevue Education. Khazanah Nasional, Malaysia's sovereign fund, owns a 3% stake.

The Group has continued its growth with its new shareholders, and acquired Farlington School in September 2019.[21]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Company House. Company House.
  2. News: Bellevue Education continues empire building. 9 November 2014. Education Investor Website. Education Investor. 22 October 2012. 10 November 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20141110002450/http://www.educationinvestor.co.uk/ShowArticle.aspx?ID=3012. dead.
  3. Web site: Bellevue Schools. Our Schools. dead. 3 January 2016. 23 January 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160123011334/http://www.blvue.com/our-schools.
  4. Web site: Bellevue Place Trust. Bellevue Place Trust.
  5. Web site: Bellevue Place Trustees. Our Trustees. 8 September 2019. 15 January 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210115181156/https://www.bpet.co.uk/about-us/trustees/. dead.
  6. Web site: GEMS Global completes acquisition of a controlling stake in Bellevue Education. Assignment Report.
  7. Web site: CVC-led consortium to take 30% stake in Dubai's GEMS Education. Financial Times.
  8. Web site: BELLEVUE EDUCATION GROUP LIMITED. Dellam Corporate Information Limited. 9 November 2014.
  9. Web site: Mark William Malley: Director Summary. Company Check. 9 November 2014.
  10. Web site: 2007 Inspection Report on Norfolk House School. Independent Schools Inspectorate. Independent Schools Inspectorate. 23 January 2016.
  11. Web site: EDCO. The Agency for Education. 9 November 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20141109213100/http://www.theagencyforeducation.co.uk/work.php?item=edco&sub=2. 9 November 2014. dead.
  12. Web site: EMC brokers a bright new future for Skippers Hill Manor School. EMC. 9 November 2014.
  13. Web site: Croft. James. Profit-Making Free Schools: Unlocking the Potential of England's Proprietorial Schools Sector. Adam Smith Institute. 9 November 2014.
  14. Web site: Bellevue Education Limited – Annual Accounts. Companies in the UK. Bellevue Education Group Limited. 9 November 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20141110003623/https://www.companiesintheuk.co.uk/company/documentextract/56750437. 10 November 2014. dead.
  15. Web site: Bellevue Education International Limited: Shareholders. Company Check. 9 November 2014. 11 June 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160611051108/https://companycheck.co.uk/company/08028529/BELLEVUE-EDUCATION-INTERNATIONAL-LIMITED/group-structure. dead.
  16. News: Bellevue Education continues empire building. 22 October 2012. Education Investor Website. Education Investor. 9 November 2014. 10 November 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20141110002450/http://www.educationinvestor.co.uk/ShowArticle.aspx?ID=3012. dead.
  17. Jon Ungoed-Thomas and Josh Boswell for the Sunday Times 10 April 2016 Saudi oil tycoon revealed as investor in schools company
  18. Web site: Bellevue Place Education Trust Free Schools: Master Funding Agreement. Department for Education: School Performance Tables. Department for Education. 10 November 2014.
  19. Web site: Bellevue Place Education Trust: Director's Report and Financial Statements for the year ending 31st August 2013. School Performance Tables. Department for Education. 10 November 2014.
  20. Web site: Bellevue Place. Our Trustees. 8 September 2019. 15 January 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210115181156/https://www.bpet.co.uk/about-us/trustees/. dead.
  21. Web site: Bellevue acquires UK school. Education Investor.