Who owns St George's Schools?
Is it important to know who owns a school?
I think yes, because onwers have certain interests and will make them the priority.
If the decision is to spend more on the quality of the school in general or to pay a higher dividend the decision will depend on who the owners are.
Some owners may provide a school because they feel a good education is something they want to leave to society to do something beneficial for the world. Their motives may be altruistic.
We have some good examples for this in people like Bill & Melinda Gates with their Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Or Sir Richard Branson who was prepared to run the UK lottery without profit and to give all to charity. These people can afford to do something for the greater good and it is significant that these are individuals. There are numerous less colourful, less high profile people doing the same thing - giving something back to society for the benefit of others - teachers, nurses, doctors, peace keepers, children, .....
A company of various shareholders will have a very diverse interests to satisfy and paying dividends or increasing equity value is always a or the key objective.
St George's Schools are owned by Montealto -
http://www.montealtocapitalriesgo.es/
and
http://www.montealtocapitalriesgo.es/eng/.
So what is the objective of Montealto in providing these schools? How do they achieve their objectives and how do schools fit into their portfolio?
And who owns Montealto? Who are the real people behind the company and what are their motives of investing into schools?
Have a look at how the top British Schools such as
Eton - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eton_College
Dulwich College - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dulwich_College and
Harrow - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harrow_School
and so on are funded. Are they for profit or for the pupils whose family can afford the fees?
Most of these schools will tell you, there is no profit in education.
Well, for Britain exporting education is a billion €uro business ...
So, is it relevant who owns a school? What do you think?
Yes, it does matter - "The one who pays the piper....
"The one who pays the piper calls the tune."
This is a great little phrase. Parents of private schools often believe because they are paying for the school a fee they can tell the school how to do things and the truth is that many schools especially in Spain do what the parents want. Next on the list are the owners. Which teacher is going to stand up to the owners if they cut back on cost and reduce essential elements of what is needed for good teaching.
And the parents will never know unless they are teachers themselves and understand what is going on.
This happens hardly ever in schools that are owned and run by the parents or a not-for-profit foundation. Such foundations may have other objectives in some cases. But those that are run for the benefit of the pupils by the parents are usually much better than any privately owned, profit making schools.