At the IPSEF 2026 conference, speakers already opening schools in India – or seriously eyeing the market – shared what they’ve learned about taking British K‑12 brands into the world’s fastest‑rising education hotspot.
1. India is “the long, very long game” – and parents move slowly
Iwan Lloyd, international development director, Bedford School warned that India is a “long, very long game”: parents may visit a campus five or six times and often want it to be operating for at least a year before enrolling. They drill into detail on teacher backgrounds and ongoing training, so UK schools must be ready for parental scrutiny and a slow build.
2. Demand is huge – and India already does elite boarding very well
Maghin Tamilarasan, director of domestic and international partnerships at Haileybury, pointed out that India isn’t a blank slate: there are “excellent Indian boarding schools” that are often “massively oversubscribed”. UK brands coming in have to genuinely add something to a system where aspirational families already know what high-quality looks like.
3. Co‑branding is not “second best” – it’s a strategic choice
John Chisholm, director of international education at Whitgift School, explained that Whitgift’s Hyderabad project, Sagebrook International School ‘in association with Whitgift School’, is a deliberate co‑branding move. For a first foray into India, sharing the front‑of‑house name with a strong local partner is a safer way to “dip our toes and learn a lot” while still exporting educational DNA.
4. The right Indian partner is about values as much as scale
Alastair Morrison, managing director, RGS Guildford International, said RGS chose Ryan Group – one of the largest privately managed groups in India, which runs over 150 schools – because of a “very strong alignment of values” and a real “meeting of minds”. Values-based trust can be crucial to getting through the inevitable bumps.
5. Cultural intelligence is non‑negotiable for school leaders
Haileybury’s Tamilarasan stressed that heads in India must have “cultural intelligence” and be able to embrace an “exciting, energetic, sometimes a frenetic” environment. He advised that heads should undertake repeated, in‑person visits and spend “a good deal of time in situ” with prospective partners – arguing that, in India, cultural fit and first‑hand experience on the ground are as important as the strength of a school’s brand.
