STC’s international business continues to expand. Peers and Susan Carter have just come back from seeing a school in Malta: the next itinerary includes Spain, Switzerland and Ireland. We are currently also selling schools in Slovakia, two in South Africa and the USA …
Buyers come to STC, largely through recommendation we are pleased to learn, from all corners of the globe.
Some food for thought . . . I heard an astonishing statistic recently and I still am not quite sure I can believe it! Here it is . . .
In the UK, a quarter of all 11-year-olds left their primary school in 2008 without managing to attain even the BASIC standards set for English and Maths.
By contrast, the standard of primary school education in Sweden is very high – but despite this, approximately 10-15% of Swedish schools have left the state sector to be run by the parents of the pupils.
The Conservative Party believe that a similar percentage of primary schools in the UK (including many in rural areas) would leave the state sector to set up parent-run schools.
It’s not diffiult to see why parents are looking for alternatives when the statistics for passing even the basic standards in the essential subjects are so poor.
It is true that a financial crisis also throws up new opportunities for those with money to invest – and that now ‘cash is king’.
We have found that there is a strong wave of new interest in independent schools and educational businesses not only in the UK and Europe but also worldwide – from major cash buyers. The reasons? Interest rates are incredibly low, the pound sterling is cheap – and, of course, education (and in particular English curriculum education) is now known to be one of the safest, blue-chip investments for the long term.
Schools, which generally make sensible returns of around 10-15% on capital, now look very attractive with the very best financial bonds returning a fraction of that … and some other investments being revealed for the gambles that they often are …
Two small but profitable and easy-to-run businesses have just contacted us.
One is a tutorial company in the South-East which is run in a most ingenious and sensible manner. It produces good profits and, just as important, offers great scope for expansion – perhaps nationally.
The other is a French Language company offering good and authentic tuition to individual pupils after school.
Both companies will sell for little more than £100,000 in our view.
- Peers Carter
In our blog, we will be responding to relevant news as it occurs in the educational, private schools and childcare sectors.
As market leaders in the confidential brokerage of sales of independent schools, colleges and nurseries both in the UK and worldwide we thought it was about time we shared some of our thoughts with you.
We are the first company of our kind to to do this and hope you’ll join us frequently for updates.
We very much look forward to seeing you again!