BLENHEIM SCHOOLS
We are here to help you.
Chatsworth Schools are delighted to support, assist and fundamentally share with schools outside the group. Over recent times we have been asked to help manage schools or the situations they find themselves in…. we are here to help.
On occasions school find themselves in difficult financial situations. It doesn’t matter whether a school is part of the charitable sector or for profit. At some point a conversation about selling the school will arise. If the school has mounting debt this may pose a problem – certainly the real value of the school may not be realised and whether a school building is owned or leased it will have an impact here.
You may wish to consider Blenheim Schools to help you… we will happily help you, in as many areas as we all agree are useful, to get your school back to profitability / viability. Now this may be systems and policies, it may be marketing, it may be strategy….it can be light touch or in depth and it can take as long as works for all of us. All strictly confidential.
You may think that this is just added cost…..not necessarily!
You may think you are beyond hope…….not necessarily!
You may think you have left it too late…..not necessarily!
Finally, why Blenheim Schools, well if a school chooses to join Chatsworth Schools that’s great, however if they just want our help and support, while equally great you will understand that they are regarded as a distant relative rather than a member of the close family!
We look forward to hearing from you – you have absolutely nothing to lose, but, potentially everything TO GAIN! We have a team in place with years of knowledge and experience ready to help.
CASE STUDY
We were approached by a school with a heavy bank loan, a £250k loss due to Covid expenses, a poor OFSTED report, no marketing, little IT, no recent staff training and a Head approaching retirement. Blenheim Schools worked with the leadership team and owner to draw up a plan and agree targets and a timeline. After several months of the Blenheim Schools team working closely with the school to deliver on all agreed targets, we have seen a complete transformation with black numbers on the balance sheet, growing pupil numbers and happy staff, parents and Governors.
- Definition of the Product – What should a School “X” Education looks like, what is the target market, this would then then lead into the development of a marketing plan and related initiatives.
- Staff audit – of costs, talents, identifying over/understaffed areas, areas where efficiencies could be achieved, or where additional resources would be helpful.
- Audit of management and communication structures.
- Estates – the development of a longer-term refurbishment plan.
SLT
- Structure, role, culture, professional development
- Support with staff and parental communication as required
Staff
- Continuous professional development
- Leadership development
- Opportunities to visit and work with other schools
- Share best practice
Bursar
- Human Resources
- HSE Review, include review of the Risk Register
- Insurance
- Contracts and Policies
- Financial Support and modelling
- Liaison with external agencies as required
- Buildings – maintenance and development
We will be focussing on the following areas for improvement
- Learning (appraisal/ timetabling/use of space/CPD Etc)
- Leadership
- Financial Performance and Management
- Academic Results
- Human Resources
- Health, Safety and the Environment
- Risk Management
- Insurance
- Building and Planning
- Early Years (systems/quality/ development/courses/network)
- SEND (systems/quality/development/courses/network)
- Boarding (as above)
- IT – both to enhance learning and improve business functions. (blended learning and the flipped classroom)
We will also, alongside the Development Plan, be looking to create a marketing strategy both domestic and International;
- Marketing and Recruitment (global and local)
- Public Relations and Communications
Wider Implications
Both parties would also draw together an agreement, providing CS with an option to purchase, at a pre-agreed cost, based on financial performance and anticipated performance, namely agree a formulae as regards the number of pupils both at, as well as soon to be at School as earlier discussed.
Overseas Investors
Blenheim Schools help overseas investors enter the UK education market by guiding them through the process. The UK market is an attractive one and there are many opportunities out there, but it is important to find the best school for your brief. We can help you navigate the system, ensure you find the most appropriate asset and work with you to create a robust business plan that delivers against its objectives to protect your investment and provide opportunities for it to grow.
Once we have identified the right school for you to invest in and the acquisition process is underway, we start the process of working directly with the school. This includes working with a nominated liaison lead at the school, drawing up data sharing agreements and agreeing priorities and timelines. Together with the Senior Leadership Team of the school, we would also work through several key areas to identify where input is needed and what targets we wish/need to set ourselves and a timeline – so as to produce a costed development plan. Liaison leads from the school and Blenheim Schools would report regularly to you as the investor as well as meet monthly with representatives of the School Trustees.
Case Study 2: Independent School with pupils age 3 – 18
We were approached by an overseas investor who had bought a school in the UK and wanted support around the complete relaunch of the school including refurbishment, preparation for Department of Education approval, staff recruitment, rebranding and marketing, Human Resources and Health and Safety. The Blenheim Schools team are currently overseeing the whole process and the school is due to relaunch next year with an outstanding leadership team solid pupil numbers and development plans in place for the next two years.
Areas of Expertise
- Learning
- Leadership
- Management
- Academic results
- Human Resources
- Health and Safety
- Risk Management
- Insurance
- Building and Planning
- Strategic Planning and Development
- Investment
- Finance
- Early Years
- SEND
- Boarding
- Recruitment
- IT – both to enhance learning and improve business functions.
- Marketing and Recruitment (global and local)
- Governance
- Public Relations