The ten decisions that set up a new school, in the order they need making, with the GSE articles that go deeper on each one.
A new school is a long chain of decisions, and the early ones close off options for the later ones: the site limits the building, and the brand and curriculum shape the design, the staffing and the fee. An early decision made on the wrong assumptions gets inherited by every step that follows.
The ten steps below follow that order. Each one says what the step decides and where projects tend to go wrong, and links to the GSE articles that cover it in depth. In practice several steps run in parallel. What matters is the order in which the project commits to each decision. For the patterns that most often derail a project, see What Most School Development Projects Get Wrong.
1. Decide what the school is for
Before the site, the brand or the budget, the founders need to agree what the school is for: who it serves and what it should be known for in twenty years. That purpose becomes the test every later decision is held against, from the curriculum to the budget lines, and it is the first thing parents and teachers will look for.
Founders who skip this step tend to discover their differences in year two, when they show up as arguments about fees, admissions or staffing.
Read: Open a School, Leave a Legacy, with a short video from Greg Parry, and Vision and Mission Integrity.
2. Test the market before committing to a site
A market study tests whether enough families in the catchment want this school at this fee, and which established schools they would leave for it. It should be done before land is bought or leased, because its findings often change the location, the size or the fee.
The most common error is commissioning the study to confirm a decision already made.
Read: Market Research and Feasibility Study, with a short video on market research and business planning, How to Conduct a Feasibility Study for a New School and the GSE TELOS Feasibility Framework.
3. Build the financial model and the funding structure
A school takes years to fill, so the model needs to run for at least ten years and be stress tested on the early ones: slower enrolment, a delayed licence, a fee that is approved lower than planned. The funding has to carry the school through those years, which is why the structure matters as much as the amount.
Many investors separate the property from the operating school, so each can be financed and valued on its own terms. Whatever the structure, the question to answer before committing is whether the project survives its weakest plausible year.
Read: How School Projects Are Financed, Why Most New School Projects Fail Financially and The PropCo / OpCo Model in School Development Explained.
4. Choose the brand route
The choice is between a new brand, a brand licence and a franchise. A new brand gives full control and takes longest to earn trust. A brand licence borrows an established name while the owner keeps control of the school. A franchise brings a full system and a larger say for the brand owner in how the school runs.
The choice affects fees, the curriculum, the design brief and who the school can recruit, so it belongs early. A brand licence also does not run the school. Delivery is a separate job, and someone has to be appointed to do it.
Read: Brand Licence, Franchise or a New Brand, International School Franchise: How It Works and Comparing School Franchises, Management Contracts and Direct Ownership.
5. Choose the curriculum
No curriculum is best in general. The right one is the one the families in the catchment want, that the regulator will approve, and that the school can staff. British, American, IB and national programmes each carry their own philosophy, assessment, university pathways and teacher market.
A curriculum picked mainly because it suits the financial model is a common cause of slow enrolment.
Read: International Curriculum Options.
6. Design the building around the curriculum
An IB school, a British school and a Finnish-model school need different spaces. Science, arts, sport, early years and specialist teaching rooms all follow from the curriculum and the school’s eventual size. An educator needs to be in the room with the architect from the first brief, because spaces designed without one tend to be expensive to correct once the school is open.
The design brief should also set the phasing, so the school can open on part of the site and grow without disrupting students already enrolled.
Read: Designing a School and The School Design and Specifications Brief.
7. Set up governance and the operating model
Someone has to run the school, and someone has to hold them to account. Owners choose between running it themselves, appointing an operator under a management contract, or working with an education management organisation. The governance structure then sets who decides what, how the board sees performance and how the owner’s interest is protected.
Investors look closely at this step. A clear line between ownership and management makes a school easier to fund and, later, to sell.
Read: Education Management, Governance Structures That Attract Education Investors and What is a School Management Contract?
8. Appoint the head, then build the team
The founding head is the most important appointment a new school makes. The head recruits the first teachers, meets the first families and sets the culture that later inspections will judge. Most international teachers sign for September early in the calendar year, so the head needs to be in post well before then.
Teaching salaries are the largest cost in a good school, and teachers leave poorly led schools faster than well-led ones. Getting the head right protects both quality and cost.
Read: Appointing a Head of School and Teacher Recruitment and Managing HR.
9. Market the school and build the first enrolment
A new school has no results or inspection rating yet, so its first families are buying a promise. Marketing in the pre-opening year carries a large share of the start-up budget, and it works best when it shows parents the people and the education they will actually get.
Enrolment in the first two years sets the trajectory for the next ten, so the plan needs targets by year group and a clear view of where each family will come from.
Read: Marketing Plan.
10. Plan accreditation and measure quality from day one
Accreditation verifies that a school delivers what it says it delivers. It takes years, so the pathway should be chosen before opening and the school built to meet it from the start. Retrofitting standards later is slower and more expensive.
The same applies to quality data. An owner should see a small set of indicators every month, covering academic progress as well as money, so problems are visible while they can still be fixed.
Read: International School Accreditation, How to Get International School Accreditation, Quality Assurance, Driven by Data and The School Dashboard: What an Owner Should See Every Month.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to set up a new school?
Most projects take two to four years from the first feasibility study to opening day. Licensing, land and construction usually set the pace.
What is the first step in opening a school?
Agreeing what the school is for, then testing that idea against the market with a feasibility study before any land is committed.
How much does it cost to open a new school?
It depends on scale, location and whether the building is purpose-built, converted or leased. Costs range from a few million dollars for a small school in an existing building to tens of millions for a large purpose-built campus.
What is the biggest risk in a new school project?
Overestimating how quickly the school will fill, and underestimating the leadership it needs to fill it.
About GSE
Global Services in Education (GSE) develops and operates international schools for investors, developers and school owners, and has delivered more than 60 school and education projects across 28 countries since 2011. GSE works on new schools from the first feasibility study through to opening and long-term management. If you are planning a school, talk to us at the feasibility stage.
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