Wycombe Abbey is coming to Egypt: British private school Wycombe Abbey is establishing a branch in the diplomatic district of Egypt’s new administrative capital as part of wider plans to expand into the MENA region, marking the school’s fifth foray overseas and first overseas expansion outside East Asia.

We caught up with the international director of Wycombe Abbey, Jason Gregory(LinkedIn), to discuss why they decided to set up shop in the new capital, the process of setting up an international school in Egypt, and what other plans they have for the country and wider region. Edited excerpts from our conversation:

We want to expand our global family of schools in the Middle East region, and so we’re really excited to start that journey by establishing a school in Egypt. Egyptian society truly values education and we can see that there is a demand for high-quality education.

We were impressed by the scale and ambition of the development of the new capital. We saw that there is a need for a high-quality international school to serve the growing residential community, as well as business and administrative communities.

We will be looking for other locations in Egypt once we have gotten the first school up and running. Potential locations could be in and around Cairo, but also other cities like Alexandria.

Wycombe Abbey has developed an excellent reputation for world-class education since the school was established over a century ago in 1896. It is regarded as a leading independent school in the UK and we were twice named independent school of the year by a number of organizations. We want to ensure that we apply those quality standards to our first school in the Middle East.

The quality of the teachers is the most important aspect to help us deliver quality education. From a recent recruitment campaign, we have received great demand and interest from teachers, both within Egypt and globally. I think this is down to the reputation of Wycombe Abbey, the chance to be part of a global family of schools where staff members benefit from that best practice and that professional development, and the excitement around being part of the development of this new capital.

It has been a great benefit to work with our local partner WMC Education Foundation and the Administrative Capital for Urban Development to design the school from scratch according to the needs of the pupils.

We have also been working closely with the Egyptian Education Ministry to ensure that we can secure the school’s license and that we meet the regulatory requirements for the school.

Wycombe Abbey schools are accredited by the Council of British International Schools, and the new capital branch will be no different. We will be applying for that same accreditation for the new capital branch soon.

As for tuition fees? We’re still finalizing whether tuition fees may differ based on the exchange rate.

We see ourselves as a values-based institution. Trust, encouragement, mutual respect, excellence, innovation, dynamism, service, and balance — we ensure that these values are integrated in everything we do. This includes the curriculum, the way we deliver our teaching and learning, and how we engage with our pupils, the staff, and the parents in the community.

Whilst Wycombe is based on academic excellence, it's not just about the exam results.It's also about broader curricular activities and excellent pastoral care to ensure that we can develop our pupils into rounded individuals and prepare them to become future leaders. It’s this holistic approach to education that sets us apart.

Your top education story for the week- Higher education revamp: Efforts to improve higher education in Egypt were reviewed during a meeting between President Abdel Fattah El Sisi, Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouly, and Higher Education Minister Ayman Ashour. (Ittihadiya statement)

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