A prestigious British private school will not attempt to produce a carbon copy of itself when it opens a branch in Dubai.
Oundle School in Northamptonshire, England, said it would not have a boarding school in Dubai because it wanted to do what was “appropriate” for the region.
Repton School, a British private school that is already operating in Dubai, will accept its first boarding students at the start of the academic year in September.
Another of England’s top private schools, Dulwich College in south-east London, is also considering setting up a school in Dubai.
Philip Couzens, the director of educational development for Oundle, said the school was in talks with a local partner.
The school, which is open to male and female pupils, was founded in 1556.
“Independent schools have been successful for a long time in the UK, so they must be doing quite a lot right,” he said.
“We want to tap into the DNA of that experience, but I think it’s wrong to try to replicate because that’s inappropriate.
“We’re talking about core values and ethos but not replicating. It must be appropriate for the people and the place.
“In Dubai, it will probably just be a day school because it’s to do with what we think is appropriate in the place and what we think fits with the location.”
Oundle had been looking at setting up in Dubai for several years, Mr Couzens said.
“These are big projects and they need to be done well and planned very thoroughly.
“Also, the location of the school is important and we need to have the right place.”
He said confirmation of the plans was expected later this year.
Mr Couzens said there would be “day-to-day links” between the original Oundle School in England and the Dubai branch, which could include exchanges for the children.
While the local partner would pay a fee to Oundle, Mr Couzens said the project was not only motivated by financial reasons.
“In the UK, there’s a bit of a frenzy of companies approaching schools and schools wanting to be approached [about opening an overseas branch],” he said.
“I would like to think schools are thinking about more than just bringing in the revenue.
“In the end, I want schools to be partnered on an equal basis. You cannot do that if one school is producing funds for the other.
“You have to [charge a fee] because the school back home is a charitable organisation. It’s not-for-profit, so we need to cover our costs.
“We’re doing this because it’s something we believe in.”
Meanwhile, Graham Able, the headmaster of Dulwich College, said there had been “no decision” on whether to open a Dubai branch.
The school’s Shanghai-based commercial arm, Dulwich Management International, is preparing a report for the school board on the possibility of opening in Dubai.
“They are doing their research and we won’t get their decision until July,” he said.
“They’re looking into all sorts of possibilities.”
Dulwich College, which was founded in 1619, has three branches in China.
Mr Able said the college had “a close relationship” with these branches and would develop similar links if a school was built in Dubai.
“I spent four weeks of my holiday time visiting the schools in China. We have regular liaisons and regular inspections,” he said.