Struggling to hear him through the shuddering London December rain, my colleague Andrew gleefully reminded me that he was about to tee-off for nine holes under floodlights.
He was pretty certain that he wouldn’t have to worry too much about sunburn.
But the lure of an exquisite climate, an exotic, heritage-rich culture and a blossoming economy can be rather appealing for those of us jaded by the woes of inflation and the struggles of leading and working in independent education at such uncertain times.
With one child completing his A-levels and about to leave for university, and with two others at the very start of their prep school careers, the timing is ideal for our family to enjoy a real lifestyle change for a few years.
My recent appointment as founding principal of Cranleigh Bahrain, starting in February, will give my family and me a wonderful opportunity to access one of the greatest educational privileges available: to travel abroad and be immersed in a different culture, language and way of life.
“The timing is ideal for our family to enjoy a real lifestyle change for a few years.”
But my motivation is deeper than these compelling reasons alone. It is an honour to be asked to lead any school, but to be invited to establish a school, particularly one intrinsically connected to such an eminent and prestigious institution in the UK, is truly exhilarating.
I am hugely excited by the prospect of being part of a team whose remit will be to present the extraordinary depth and vitality of Cranleigh’s world-class curriculum to the families of the beautiful island of Bahrain. I’m also looking forward to recruiting staff to the new school.
There is obvious security in joining an international school directly connected to an established setting in the UK. Over the last decade, Cranleigh has set exceptional standards at its first international setting in Abu Dhabi, and the experiences gleaned from this venture have been profoundly helpful in the design and realisation of the new school.
“There is security in joining an international school directly connected to an established UK setting .”
Furthermore, Aldar Education, the owners and investors of Cranleigh Abu Dhabi and the new school in Bahrain, have a remarkable track record in developing and running exceptional schools throughout the Gulf region. To be able to rely on two global powerhouses of education at the highest level is a benefit open to very few heads.
Other than an appreciation of, and experience in, setting and delivering the British model of independent education, senior leaders looking to relocate abroad would benefit massively from developing an extensive and relevant understanding of, and exposure to, financial and commercial management. Heads and principals are increasingly de facto chief executives of their schools and this skill set is not just desirable but increasingly essential.
Of course, we will miss the immediacy and vibrancy of our haunts in London, we will miss the definite rhythm of the seasons with their carpets of bluebells and snowdrops in early spring, and of course we will miss easy access to our family and dear friends.
Instead, we will invest our energies and passions in connecting with new colleagues and families in a unique setting, with brand-new, purpose-built, state of the art facilities. This, in a country whose keenness to extend access to educational excellence is matched by its desire to welcome professionals from around the world to help achieve its ambitions.
“We genuinely cannot wait for this new chapter.”
We might only have spent a just a few days in Bahrain before we committed, but we instantly took to its contradictions: bewilderingly modern and breathtakingly ancient; strikingly unfamiliar and inherently homely.
We do have some trepidation, and there are several uncertainties and unfamiliarities that we will need to confront, but we genuinely cannot wait for this new chapter and the chance to be revitalised and ensconced in something very different.
And perhaps play a lot more golf.