Issue 6: A Briefing on the Business of Education and Creative Thinking
Tracking Market Change, New AI Courses Launching 2026, Wu on The Age of Extraction, and Exhibition Yellow.
INSIGHT / Independent Sector Update
💭 Jonathan Lloyd
As we approach the half way point of term, I’ve updated market activity again since September. This briefing covers mergers, strategic partnerships, acquisitions, appointments, investments and closures in independent education. Thank you to colleagues who have added me to mailing lists or shared developments, your input is invaluable and continues to reveal the scale of change in a sector that is so important.
My aim in collating and presenting this information is to highlight the sector’s significance socially, economically, culturally and philosophically. After all, ‘parents have a prior right to choose the kind of education that shall be given to their children’ (Article 26 of The Universal Declaration of Human Rights). Before Christmas, I plan to review the data and share ideas on how schools can adapt. If there is something you are piloting or running, please do let me know.
Highlights
The pace of change is striking: activity has now exceeded 100 market entries in the Class Futures Tracker, with more expected. How should schools approach 2026? Here are the key developments:
Radley Schools Group acquires Kitebrook, Mowden Hall, Cothill, Barfield, Beeston Hall, West Hill Park and Chandlings
Dumpton School merges into the Canford Schools Group
Orwell Park School joins the Benenden Family of Schools
St Neot’s Prep School merges with Lord Wandsworth College
Bilton Grange opens a new co-educational boarding house
Ryan Group partners with RGS Guildford
Westminster School announces full co-education and new pre-prep; girls to join Under School (2026) and Fifth Form (2028), supported by two new buildings
Inspired Education opens Wetherby Pembridge, a new co-educational senior school in Kensington Olympia for Years 7–9
Brighton College to launch three new European schools in Madrid, Rome and Lisbon from September 2027
Cognita and Alleyn’s open Alleyn’s Regent’s Park in London, expanding premium primary provision for ages 4–11
Oxbridge Online College enters administration
Prestfelde School merges with Shrewsbury School
Inspired Learning Group (ILG) acquires Royal Hospital School
CVC takes a 20% stake in International Schools Partnership at triple its 2021 valuation
GEDU Group announces £200m investment to become India’s largest foreign education investor, strengthening UK–India ties and creating 1,500 jobs
Dan Clark appointed founding principal of Queen Elizabeth’s School, Dubai Sports City, ahead of its August 2026 opening
Formation of the St Paul’s School Group, rebranding St Paul’s Junior as St Paul’s Prep and merging with Durston House and Shrewsbury House
ILG acquires Shrewsbury High School from GDST
PeopleCert acquires City & Guilds’ awarding and skills businesses
Sector Outlook
With 44 significant transactions logged since September, structural change is accelerating. The rise in M&A and international franchising points to a splitting of the market: large groups are insulating themselves through scale and global revenue streams, while standalone schools face growing vulnerability.
On the supply side, the restructuring of UK independent education narrows choice and raises ethical and philosophical questions about the short and long term consequences. What is the impact on reduced choice for parents and families? Speculation over higher inspection fees and VAT on Fees in Advance (FIAs) suggests operational pressures will only intensify in 2026. The data signals not just flux, as noted in Issue 5, but a fundamental shift in business models for survival.
LEARN / New AI Courses from Class Futures – Starting January 2026
Class Futures is introducing two new programmes for pupils who want to build informed, clear sighted understanding of artificial intelligence (AI). Each course is designed to encourage careful thinking, independent ideas and a grounded approach to AI in everyday life.
The Geography of AI
A super-curricular course exploring how artificial intelligence shapes and interacts with geography.
This course examines AI through geographical themes - place, space, power, resources, climate, and global systems. Pupils explore how AI influences economies, environments, and societies, and how geographical thinking can help them interpret these changes with confidence and clarity.
Who it’s for:
Learners in Years 9–14 who want to think independently about the world they live in and the systems shaping it.
Understanding AI – Level 2 Award
An Ofqual-regulated introduction to the fundamentals of artificial intelligence.
This 5-credit, Level 2 qualification provides a structured, accessible introduction to how AI works, where it is used, and the ethical and social questions it raises. It supports digital awareness, responsibility, and careful decision-making.
Who is it for?
Learners aged 14–18
Those interested in the ethical, societal, and practical implications of AI
No formal entry requirements (basic digital literacy recommended)
Learners will be able to:
Understand the basic concepts of artificial intelligence
Recognise how AI impacts individuals and society
Use basic AI tools to solve simple problems
Reflect on ethical and responsible AI use
Developed with support from centres and mapped to UNESCO’s AI Competency Framework for Learners, this qualification can be delivered online, in school, or through blended learning.
Register Your Interest
We are gathering interest before releasing cohort dates.
Parents, pupils, and schools can sign up to join or host these programmes online or in school.
Cohorts begin January 2026.
BOOKS / AI
The Age of Extraction (Tim Wu, 2025)
Tim Wu, who coined the term net neutrality, argues that today’s tech and AI giants extract money, data and attention on an unprecedented scale, worsening inequality and shaping a two-tier economy.
He traces how the internet’s early promise of democracy shifted toward concentration and control, and outlines practical steps to rebalance markets so AI benefits everyone, not just platforms. Clear, sharp and hopeful, it’s an important reminder to reclaim a fair digital future.
Praise: Financial Times, Cory Doctorow, Karen Hao, Daron Acemoglu, Matt Stoller.
Available to order from independent booksellers P&G Wells, Winchester / 01962 852016
ART / Yellow. Beyond Van Gogh’s Colour
The Van Gogh Museum presents ‘Yellow. Beyond Van Gogh’s Colour,’ an original exhibition running from February 13 to May 17, 2026. The show explores the complex nature of the colour yellow, from its representation of warmth and radiance to its association with illness and daring, through works by Vincent van Gogh (including his famous Sunflowers) and contemporaries like Turner and Kandinsky.
The history of yellow as a symbol of modernity and spiritualism is also explored. A major highlight is the contemporary light installation by artist Olafur Eliasson. The exhibition offers a fully loaded sensory experience! It is brought to life through creative using sound, scent, and design.
Tickets are now available until 1 March 2026.
“One can never study nature too much and too hard”
Explore the business of education and creative thinking.
Enjoyed this briefing? Share it with colleagues.
Forward this email or invite them to subscribe to their own weekly briefings.
The Geography of AI course sounds promisin. Connecting AI with geographical themes like resources and global systems could help students grasp its wider impact. Looking forward to seing how these programmes develop.