Bellevue Education

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] 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 1Malaysia Development Berhad scandal.[6][7] Bellevue Education was acquired by GEMS Education in 2018, and is a UK and European subsidiary of the Group.[8] In 2019, CVC acquired a 30% stake in GEMS Education, which also includes its stake in Bellevue Education.[9]

Bellevue Education

Type	Education
Industry	Independent schools and colleges
Founded	2003
Founder	Mark Malley
Headquarters	London , United Kingdom
Number of locations	21 schools across the UK, France and in Switzerland
Key people	Mark Malley (CEO), Steven Wade (Schools Director), Jay Varkey (Board)
Parent	Bellevue Education International Limited
Website	www.blvue.com

History

Bellevue Education was founded under the name House Education by Mark Malley in 2003, when he bought Norfolk House preparatory school in London.[10][11] He also became the headteacher, and when the school was inspected in 2007 it was reported to be significantly improved from its previous inspection.[12]

In 2008 House Education was renamed The Really Great Education Company Limited (EDCO) and purchased Weston Green School in Surrey.[10][13] It also purchased Skippers Hill Manor Preparatory School in East Sussex in 2010.[14][15]

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.[10]

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.[2] 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.[16][17] The parent company completed the acquisition of a Swiss boarding school, Surval Mont-Fleuri, subsequently renamed as Surval Montreux.[18] 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 1Malaysia Development Berhad scandal.[19][7]

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.[20][21] The Group's CEO, Mark Malley, and School Director, Steve Wade, form part of the Trustees of Bellevue Place.[22]

Bellevue Education was acquired by GEMS Education in 2018, and is a UK and European subsidiary of the Group.[8] 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.[9]

The Group has continued its growth with its new shareholders, and recently acquired Farlington School in September 2019.[23]

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References

1. "Company House". Company House. Company address. Check date values in: |date= (help)
2. "Bellevue Education continues empire building". Education Investor Website. Education Investor. 22 October 2012. Retrieved 9 November 2014.
3. "Bellevue Schools". Our Schools.
4. "Bellevue Place Trust". Bellevue Place Trust.
5. "Bellevue Place Trustees". Our Trustees.
6. Jon Ungoed-Thomas and Josh Boswell for the Sunday Times 10 April 2016 Saudi oil tycoon revealed as investor in schools company
7. "How 1MDB's Stolen Money Funded Top UK Private Schools". sarawakreport.org. Sarawak Report. Retrieved 12 April 2016.
8. "GEMS Global completes acquisition of a controlling stake in Bellevue Education". Assignment Report.
9. "CVC-led consortium to take 30% stake in Dubai's GEMS Education". Financial Times.
10. "BELLEVUE EDUCATION GROUP LIMITED". Dellam Corporate Information Limited. Retrieved 9 November 2014.
11. "Mark William Malley: Director Summary". Company Check. Retrieved 9 November 2014.
12. "2007 Inspection Report on Norfolk House School". Independent Schools Inspectorate. Independent Schools Inspectorate. Retrieved 23 January 2016.
13. "EDCO". The Agency for Education. Archived from the original on 9 November 2014. Retrieved 9 November 2014.
14. "EMC brokers a bright new future for Skippers Hill Manor School". EMC. Retrieved 9 November 2014.
15. Croft, James. "Profit-Making Free Schools: Unlocking the Potential of England's Proprietorial Schools Sector" (PDF). Adam Smith Institute. Retrieved 9 November 2014.
16. "Bellevue Education Limited – Annual Accounts". Companies in the UK. Bellevue Education Group Limited. Archived from the original on 10 November 2014. Retrieved 9 November 2014.
17. "Bellevue Education International Limited: Shareholders". Company Check. Retrieved 9 November 2014.
18. "Bellevue Education continues empire building". Education Investor Website. Education Investor. 22 October 2012. Retrieved 9 November 2014.
19. Jon Ungoed-Thomas and Josh Boswell for the Sunday Times 10 April 2016 Saudi oil tycoon revealed as investor in schools company
20. "Bellevue Place Education Trust Free Schools: Master Funding Agreement". Department for Education: School Performance Tables. Department for Education. Retrieved 10 November 2014.
21. "Bellevue Place Education Trust: Director's Report and Financial Statements for the year ending 31st August 2013". School Performance Tables. Department for Education. Retrieved 10 November 2014.
22. "Bellevue Place". Our Trustees.
23. "Bellevue acquires UK school". Education Investor.