Nord Anglia Education added campuses across Latin America and the Gulf — including a third school in Qatar and its first in Colombia, with the acquisition of Rochester School taking its footprint to some 36 countries. It follows the group’s acquisition by a consortium led by EQT, with Neuberger Berman and CPP Investments, in a deal valuing it at about $14.5bn.
Cognita grew its Spanish network to ten schools and announced partnerships with schools in Saudi Arabia, Oman and Qatar, while Inspired Education and International Schools Partnership each announced further acquisitions of their own.
Scale and its trade-offs
ISC Research estimates around 40% of international schools are now group-affiliated. Scale brings purchasing power, teacher pipelines, professional development and brand recognition. It also concentrates decisions further from the classroom, and raises questions boards are increasingly being asked: how much local character survives, who governs, and where a school’s surplus ultimately goes.
Sources
TES — Nord Anglia enters Colombia · TES — Cognita boosts Spain presence to 10 schools · TES — Two international school groups announce more acquisitions
