Exclusive:Glenalmond Group to open first international campus as staff at Scots prep school strike over pay

Glenalmond College plans to open in Phuket in September, marking the first school to carry the institution’s branding outside the UK.

The announcement of its international expansion came on the same day staff at Glenalmond’s associated prep school walked out on strike over pay.

READ MORE: Staff at Craigclowan prep school walk out in dispute over pension scheme

Last year the school announced it was partnering with an organisation called 35 Education and had accepted a large investment from a Qatari with links to the royal family.

35 Education is a joint venture between Professor Basak Akdemir, a Turkish academic and businesswoman, and Khalid bin Mohammed al-Attiyah, who served as deputy prime minister and foreign affairs minister and has links to Qatar’s royal family.

At the time, Ms Akdemir said her plan for the Episcopalian boarding school, which was founded in 1847, was to open a chain of Glenalmond Colleges across the world.

In a social media post, the school said it was “delighted” by the “exciting news”.

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“This landmark development marks the first school to bear the Glenalmond name outside the UK and represents a significant step in building our international community,” it added.

“More details will be shared in due course as plans progress, and we look forward to this exciting new chapter for the Glenalmond family.”

On Monday and Tuesday, staff at Craigclowan prep school went on strike over management plans to remove teachers from the Scottish Teachers’ Pension Scheme.

EIS Area Officer Dan Thompson said EIS members had endeavoured to enter talks with their employer but the school had “refused to engage”.

Staff at the fee-paying school are already paid 15 per cent less than state school primary teachers, according to Scotland’s largest teaching union.

Craigclowan, in Perthshire, said it had been undertaking “prudent financial management” following Labour’s introduction of VAT on independent school fees.

Teachers also planned a walkout in November last year, although the prep school does not formally recognise the union.

However, in a previous briefing to The Scotsman, the school said it had been looking for areas to control costs at a “challenging time” for the sector.

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Meanwhile, the University of Aberdeen has said it will open a campus in India later this year.

The university said last year it had been granted permission by the Indian government to take forward proposals and will now open in Mumbai.

It aims to open the facility in the suburb of Powai in August, with teaching beginning in September.

Prof Peter Edwards, the University of Aberdeen's new principal, said entry into India reflected "global engagement" being a key theme for the institution.

He said: ”As we prepare to welcome our first cohort, we look forward to building a globally connected academic community and working to foster meaningful collaborations that support India's education and innovation ambitions.”

Glenalmond College has been approached for comment.