Founder Mark Malley Date founded 2003 | Headquarters Surrey, United Kingdom Type Education | |
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Industry Independent Schools and Colleges Number of locations 12 schools across the UK and in Switzerland Key people Mark Malley (CEO), Marwan Naja (Chairman), Steven Wade (Schools Director) Parent Bellevue Education International Limited | ||
Bellevue Education is an international education management company, founded in 2003 and based in Surrey. It now owns ten preparatory schools in the UK and two senior schools, in the UK and in Switzerland.
History
Bellevue Education was founded under the name House Education by Mark Malley in 2003, when he bought Norfolk House preparatory school in London. He also became the headteacher, and when the school was inspected in 2007 it was reported to be significantly improved from its previous inspection, with outstanding leadership.
In 2008 House Education was renamed The Really Great Education Company Limited (EDCO) and purchased Weston Green School in Surrey. It also purchased Skippers Hill Manor Preparatory School in East Sussex in 2010, an expansion which contributed to its identification as an aspirant company in the proprietorial schools sector.
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. The parent company completed the acquisition of a Swiss boarding school, Surval Mont-Fleuri, subsequently renamed as Surval Montreux. The group's 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.
Back in the UK, Bellevue Education Group opened a new independent school, Wandsworth Preparatory School.
Bellevue Education has 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.
During 2013, Bellevue Education Group acquired two more UK independent schools: Montessori House Nursery in Muswell Hill and Elmhurst School in South Croydon.
Bellevue acquired two more UK independent schools in 2014: Forest Preparatory School in Altrincham and Forest Park Preparatory School in Sale, Greater Manchester.
The group's latest acquisition was in March 2015: Ealing Independent College in West London.