Bellevue Place Education Trust

Last updated

Bellevue Place Education Trust
TypeEducation Trust
IndustryFree Schools
Founded2012
Number of locations
Seven preparatory Free Schools across London and the South-East
Key people
Mark Greatrex (CEO), Simon Ward (Operations Director)
Website Official website

Bellevue Place Education Trust (BPET) is a British organisation formed in 2012 to operate primary Free Schools in London and South East. It is jointly operated by Bellevue Education and Place Group. [1] [2] The Free Schools are financed on a non-profit basis via a master funding agreement with the Department for Education. [3] [4]

Contents

History

In 2012, Bellevue Place Education Trust was formed as a partnership between Bellevue Education and Place Group. [1] [2] It is a "private company limited by guarantee"

The following year the trust opened its first state-funded free school, Rutherford House in Balham. [5] It was reported to be partnering with philosopher AC Grayling on another free school project, [6] but that bid was unsuccessful. [7]

The trust opened two more free schools in 2014: Braywick Court School in Maidenhead and Whitehall Park School in Islington. [8]

Later in 2014 the Bellevue Place Education Trust obtained Government "pre-approval" to open four more free schools in London in 2015: Richmond Bridge Primary, [9] Kilburn Grange, [10] Halley House, [11] and Watling Park. [12] However, the trust was unable to secure a site in the Richmond Bridge area, so the proposed Richmond Bridge Primary School was renamed to Deer Park School. [13]

Controversies regarding sites

The establishment of Whitehall Park on the former site of Ashmount School was controversial, being opposed by the local council and some local residents, [14] [15] [16] [17] and criticised over the cost of refurbishing the school building. [18]

The proposed location of Deer Park School led to opposition from some local residents who question the suitability of the chosen site. [19]

The site chosen for Braywick Court School was also controversial with some of its local residents. [20]

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Bellevue Education is an international private schools group founded in 2003 and based in London, UK. By 2019 it has grown to consist of 19 schools in the UK and 1 each in France and Switzerland. The Group also provides educational support to Bellevue Place Group, a group of Free Schools to which Bellevue's CEO, Mark Malley, and its Group Schools Director, Steve Wade, are Trustees. 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 1MDB scandal. Bellevue Education was acquired by GEMS Education in 2018, and is a UK and European subsidiary of the Group. In 2019, CVC acquired a 30% stake in GEMS Education, which also includes its stake in Bellevue Education.

References

  1. 1 2 "About Bellevue Place Education Trust". Data Log. Retrieved 9 November 2014.
  2. 1 2 "Support for Free Schools". Place Group. Archived from the original on 2 September 2014. Retrieved 9 November 2014.
  3. "BELLEVUE PLACE EDUCATION TRUST FREE SCHOOLS: Master Funding Agreement". Department for Education: School Performance Tables. Department for Education. Retrieved 10 November 2014.
  4. "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.
  5. "About Us". Rutherford House School. Retrieved 9 November 2014.
  6. "AC Grayling seeks to open free school in north London". 19 January 2013. Retrieved 9 November 2014.
  7. Osley, Richard (15 August 2013). "AC GRAYLING ADMITS FREE SCHOOL BID IN CAMDEN IS OVER". Camden New Journal. Archived from the original on 10 November 2014. Retrieved 9 November 2014.
  8. "Braywick Court School opens with first 28 pupils". Maidenhead Advertiser. 5 September 2014. Retrieved 9 November 2014.
  9. "Two free primary schools In Richmond get Department for Education approval". Richmond and Twickenham Times. 23 June 2014. Retrieved 9 November 2014.
  10. Proctor, Ian (19 June 2014). "The 420-place Kilburn Free Primary School approved by education secretary Michael Gove". Get West London. Retrieved 9 November 2014.
  11. Winny, Annalies (4 July 2014). "Critics slam cash for free schools as education budget faces the axe". Hackney Citizen. Retrieved 9 November 2014.
  12. Caven, James. "Watling Park School in Burnt Oak moves closer to opening". Barnet and Potters Bar Times. Retrieved 10 November 2014.
  13. "Richmond Bridge School update". Richmond Bridge Primary. Bellevue Place Education trust. Retrieved 23 January 2015.
  14. Arnold, Steve (18 October 2013). "islington Free School a solution in search of a problem". Local Schools Network. Retrieved 25 April 2016.
  15. Roberts, Alison (24 February 2014). "The middle-class parent's dream school and a battle for an asbestos-riddled site". The Evening Standard. Retrieved 9 November 2014.
  16. Daventry, Michael (29 October 2013). "Free school protest: 'We don't want schools run to just make a profit'". Haringey Independent. Retrieved 9 November 2014.
  17. "New housing proposal for former Ashmount School site". Islington Council. Archived from the original on 9 November 2014. Retrieved 9 November 2014.
  18. "Bill for Archway 'free' school set to top £10m". Islington Tribune. 16 May 2014. Archived from the original on 9 November 2014. Retrieved 9 November 2014.
  19. "Deer Park School site a "rotten idea", meeting hears".
  20. "Home". savebraywickpark.org.