Established nearly 150 years ago in 1873, Gabbitas, originally called Gabbitas and Thring, began life as a pioneering agency recruiting teachers for top schools both here in the UK and overseas. A few years later they added tutors to their range of activities. Amongst the more illustrious tutor alumni there are several well known authors and composers including Evelyn Waugh, HG Wells, CS Lewis and Edward Elgar plus many other outstanding figures from the arts and sciences. Over the years, Gabbitas has worked with crowned heads of Europe, celebrities from stage and screen together with families from all walks of life looking to find the best education solutions for their children, using the independent sector.

Today whilst no longer recruiting teachers, Gabbitas provides a full range of education services from nursery to higher education covering every stage of a child’s educational journey. With offices in the Middle East, China and a Russian language desk in our London office Gabbitas is uniquely positioned to help families in the UK and overseas find the right school for their children.

From finding the right school to preparing for it through tuition, assessment, the application process and pastoral care using our dedicated guardianship services. Help is available too for students applying to University, from selecting the right courses to completing the application process so that they can make the best choices to meet their potential.

School search services

Our school search services can best be broken down into three categories. There are clients for whom we provide a long-term plan to take their children through the whole journey, advising at every stage from pre-prep through to senior school and very often beyond to higher education choices. Our more tactical service helps families deal with the choices around specific stages in the journey such as prep, 11+, 13+, sixth form and HE choices. And, for those who need immediate help due to a change in family circumstances or a move, there is expert advice on hand from our very experienced consultants to fulfil that requirement.

The internationally recognised assessment product, Ukiset, delivered by Gabbitas, identifies not only a student’s potential but helps ensure that the choice of schools matches their abilities. The Ukiset test is used around the world helping to simplify the schools admissions process for overseas students. Our expert team of professional tutors can help students to reach the standards required if there are gaps that are identified following assessment.

The Gabbitas tutors also provide invaluable subject tuition for students and has provided tutoring to everyone from the young actors in the Harry Potter films to members of the Royal Family. We only work with tutors who have a passion for education and a strong academic background, often already qualified teachers or Oxbridge graduates.

In addition to our work with families Gabbitas also helps organisations deliver the best in education worldwide. We have consulted on projects in the UK and overseas to help investors, education companies, schools and senior management teams achieve success in establishing and improving schools. We have consulted on projects in the UAE, UK and further afield. We also work with a team of highly skilled and experienced school development and improvement advisers to enhance and improve educational provision in schools on a worldwide basis.

The importance of the British Independent Education

We are very aware of the importance of British Independent Education not only for the pupils it serves but also for the important part they play in the economy of this country. International students in our schools contribute £1.8 billion to GDP and support not only half a billion in tax revenues, their fees also support free bursaries for children across Britain. We work with families all over the world seeking British education for their children in our schools and Universities. For those who chose to keep their children closer to home there is a burgeoning growth of new international schools that primarily follow the British education template. Over 60% of international schools around the world are British curriculum or British backed and the British education system is revered around the world and for very good reason – it is considered as one of the best systems of education in the world and is the benchmark for measuring the standard of education practices.

A British Education is seen as a passport for life, our independent schools are some of the academically highest achieving schools in the world and their successful franchises overseas are reaching a new generation and providing revenue to support educating more children in their UK campuses.

Our British Independent sector remains the envy of the world. Gabbitas unsurprisingly is a strong supporter of the many merits that UK independent schools offer parents with students of wide-ranging interests and abilities. Great education is never achieved by sinking towards the lowest common denominator and we are confident as trusted education consultants that the British independent schools we work closely with will continue to not only survive but thrive, given the appetite that has never been stronger for our younger generations.

The Chairman of the Independent Schools Council in the UK, Barnaby Lenon, had this to say in a recent Times newspaper interview: “Independent schools provide excellence, capacity and innovation. They support science and arts subjects, which are vital to productivity; foreign languages as we enter a post-Brexit world; qualifications such as the International Baccalaureate, which provide a rounded curriculum; and through their focus on sport, 43 per cent of our new cricketing world champions.”

 

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This article from Vanessa Miner, Managing Director of London-based education consultant, Gabbitas, first appeared in the January 2020 edition of Conference & Common Room

Haifa Al Khaifi approached the Gabbitas Dubai office looking for support for finding the right school in the UK for her son, Joud. Below we share how we help their family every step of the way.

Haifa was extremely busy with work, so was looking for an organisation that could take care of everything and help them make the right decision.

Joud had already been identified as dyslexic, so they were looking for boarding school that could provide specialist support whilst allowing Joud to pursue his passions.

Gabbitas were delighted to be able to help, providing a comprehensive itinerary of accompanied school visits in the UK and impartial advice on finding the right school in the UK.

What were they looking for?

With Joud’s dyslexia, they were looking for a school that could provide expert learning support surrounding his organisation skills and in English and maths.

But alongside this, his interests lay within creative media and notably digital games production. So they were looking for a school where he could thrive and pursue his passions.

With Haifa often travelling with work, they were looking for a school near an airport where both Haifa and Joud could easily fly in and out of Germany and Oman.

Finally with Joud looking for a Y10 entry place, it was always going to be more challenging. However, with our unrivalled relationships with schools in the UK we knew we could help.

How did we help?

Firstly, we assessed Jude’s strengths using the UKiset and Student Profiling tools. His results were undeniable; he should pursue his passions within computers.

Next we gave them lots of information on the different types of British schools in the UK and their different characteristics.

It can often be overwhelming for International families to get their head around the different timetables, exams and general ethos within different schools so we were delighted to make it easy to digest for Haifa and Joud.

Haifa had raised concerns about high profile cases in the news around the lack of effective pastoral care within boarding schools. However, due to our excellent relationships with the schools in the UK we were able to reassure her that Joud would be safe and happy.

The family were already so impressed with the service Gabbitas offered them, so they opted for an accompanied itinerary of school visits in the UK.

Based on their criteria, we set up schools visits traversing from the top to the bottom of the UK: starting at Merchiston Castle, then Strathallan School, next Bloxham School, Clayesmore School and finally Milton Abbey.

Milton Abbey was a late addition as Haifa wasn’t initially that keen. But through conversations with our Senior Consultant, we persuaded her to give it a try.

So despite being initially reluctant about Milton Abbey, after seeing the school they both knew it was the right place for Joud.

As a small school with strong support for dyslexia, they felt confident that his needs would be met.

Moreover, the fact they offered BTEC Creative Media (including modules on Digital Games Production) it was a no-brainer for them and would allow Joud to pursue his passions in games design.

Haifa was delighted with the in-depth professional knowledge that Gabbitas gave her and, especially as a busy person, the fact that we took care of everything.

Joud is now thriving at Milton Abbey and we are excited to see where his career in games design takes him!

 

“We are all aligned that Milton Abbey is most definitely the right school for Joud. I can’t thank you enough for including it on the list of schools to visit; you certainly saved the best for last!”

The best way to get a feel for a school is to pay it a visit.  Websites and prospectuses are well and good and in many cases have to suffice, but if you have a chance to visit, then snap it up.  To get the best value out of your trip these are the top 10 things you should be looking out for.

1. Do the children look happy and engaged?

How are children responding in class – do they look happy, are they engaged in the activity, how do they react to teachers and fellow pupils?

 

2. Talk to the teachers and ask them real questions

Taking time to research the right school and education for your child is not the moment to hold back on difficult questions. Ask real questions to teachers such as what is the staff turnover rate? Would you send your child to this school?

 

3. Take time to engage with the pupils

Speaking to teachers is important, but what you really want to know in choosing a school for your child, is what experience their peers are having. Take some time to talk to the pupils, ask them what their favourite (and not so favourite!) things about the school are.

 

4. Ask about the leadership in the school

How long has the Principal or Head been there, what was their previous experience, how involved are they in the day to day activities and how accessible are they to parents?

 

5. Find out about the pastoral systems in place

Having lots of children together in one environment can be a dynamic and exciting place to be, but it can also be overwhelming for some kids and friendship issues through the teenage years can present challenges.  Are there plenty of adults readily available to offer children support when the going gets tough?

 

6. Explore the extra-curricular environment

While academic success is a key factor in choosing a school, extra-curricular activities are just as important in helping your child to become as well rounded as possible. If you child is a budding sports star, find out about the range of sports on offer, and how much time is spent on physical activity. If your child prefers the arts, understand the facilities that are on offer and how children are encouraged to explore their creative side.

 

7. What are the facilities like?

Most schools out here have stunning facilities but parents should not be overwhelmed by this  – the most important thing  is what goes on inside these facilities not how shiny and new they are.

 

8. Speak to other parents

No one will be able to give you better insight and answer your questions as honestly as parents who currently have children in the school. Ask around, the chances are if you’re looking into a particular school, that you or some of your friends know parents with children there. And ask them everything and anything.

 

9. School fees

Make sure you find out what is included in the fees.  Several of the new schools in Dubai are offering an all inclusive fee which covers extra curricular activities, outing and school uniform and others are offering a discount for founding families which can last for up to 4 years. Shop around for different price points for school fees and compare what you get for your money.

 

10. Are the school’s values a good fit?

The key thing is making sure that the values of the school are ones that you and your family can subscribe too and that these values are clearly articulated and demonstrated – that they are not just a posted on the wall.