Dentons has advised Reigate Grammar School International Limited on a landmark collaboration with Bright Capital Investment to establish a group of premium British curriculum schools across the UAE.
Reigate Grammar School is a leading independent UK school and its launch in the UAE follows a growing trend for UK school brands to be operated by local and international investment companies and education groups, enhancing the stature of premium UK curriculum schools in the UAE, and aligning with the goals of the UAE Vision National Agenda.
The collaboration is part of Bright Capital Investment’s commitment to becoming one of the largest educational platforms in the UAE and the partnership is set to enhance educational opportunities and foster global learning experiences. The Reigate Grammar Schools in the UAE will be co-educational all-through schools and will follow the National Curriculum of England and Wales.
The Dentons team in the UAE was led by partner Ross Barfoot with support from senior associate Karolina Cotronei. Ross is regarded as the “go-to” lawyer for the education sector in the UAE and Middle East. He stated: “Dentons is proud to be at the forefront of this landmark collaboration. The synergy between Reigate Grammar School’s educational excellence and heritage and Bright Capital Investment’s strategic vision will have a profound impact on the educational landscape in the UAE and sets a new standard for international educational collaborations.”
Sean Davey, international director of Reigate Grammar School International Limited, stated: “Ross and the team at Dentons are the best in market, and have guided us through the negotiation and finalisation of this exciting collaboration with Bright Capital. They are responsive, commercially astute and know the education sector and the intricacies of these transactions inside and out.”
About Reigate Grammar School
Reigate Grammar School (Reigate Grammar School-UK) was founded by Alderman Henry Smith in 1675. For 350 years, young people have been educated on the same site, in the heart of Reigate, a historic market town 15 miles south of the City of London. Reigate Grammar School UK is recognised as one of the premier co-educational independent day schools in the UK, offering the very best academic education with equal prominence placed on the arts, sport and a rich extra-curricular programme. It is ranked in the top 20 for academic performance in the UK with 98% of students receiving offers from top universities. In 2021, Reigate Grammar School-UK was awarded School of the Year by Tatler and in 2019 the school received the prestigious UK Independent School of the Year award for Wellbeing and Pastoral Care. Also in 2021, Reigate Grammar School was named School of the Year at the UK Social Mobility Awards. The school is a prominent HMC school and Headmaster, Shaun Fenton OBE, was the Chairman of HMC in 2018. The first line of one of the school’s most recent ISI reports asserts that “the quality of the students’ achievements and learning is exceptional”. The school is one of a small number of world-class schools to have been a global pioneer in High Performance Learning (HPL), focusing on the development of global citizens, advanced performers and enterprising learners. The Good Schools Guide gave Reigate the compliment “happy kids, great results”. Reigate Grammar School International is wholly owned by Reigate Grammar School and licenses, oversees and manages the international Reigate Grammar Schools currently operating in Saudi Arabia, China and Vietnam.
About Bright Capital Investment
Bright Capital Investment is a school operator and an investment company, which aims to create one of the largest educational platforms in the UAE. Its target is to cover the complete education spectrum from pre-primary to secondary levels. Bright Capital Investment prides itself on the operation and expansion support it delivers to school developers and the education sector in general. Currently, Bright Capital has investments in Bright Learners Private School and three campuses of Star International Schools in Dubai.
