NST was established seven years ago by Patrick Carter and Keith Boulter to provide a high quality service at a reasonable price to both those wishing to sell a school and those wishing to buy one. It was apparent that there was a gap in the market for such a service after Keith bought his school a year previously. We saw that there was, in particular, a need to provide more help for buyers in their search for a school.
Confidentiality
The nature of the business of selling schools is such that confidentiality is of the highest importance. This is invariably the case on the part of sellers, for whom public knowledge of their intention to sell could damage the business, but also, on occasion, the buyer needs to maintain confidentiality as well.
Our method is to progressively reveal information to you about schools on our books until you either realise that it is not for you or until we arrange for you to visit it. This protects the identity of the school until the last possible moment, and we always obtain the consent of the sellers before we provide information that could identify them. While this procedure may sound long-winded it is necessary for the peace of mind of our sellers.
Registration
Because of the importance of confidentiality to the seller, we ask all our buyers to register with us. We will send you the full registration pack, including:
A brief synopsis of National SchoolTransfer, the background of the partners and the services offered.
A registration proforma to be completed by yourself and returned to us. This gives us the profile of school that you wish to purchase and details about yourself. We ask you for two character referees and to sign a declaration of confidentiality - both in the interests of confidentiality. We also ask you for a CV. If you are working for a corporate body or other organisation then you must provide us with information concerning that body that permits our seller to know with whom he is dealing.
An Outline List of Schools available for purchase. Our current list features about 50 schools, covering the entire spectrum from Nursery to Secondary. We also have several Special Schools on our books and a section for schools on the Continent. Included as part of this information pack is a brief extract from this outline list.
There is a small fee of ú10 to cover the initial administration costs. Thereafter all our services to you, as a buyer, are free (the only exception is for buyers looking for empty premises, when a search fee of 1% is payable on completion of a purchase). These services include:
Detailed assessments of each school on the Outline List that fits your declared profile of interest.
Regular updates of the Outline List as schools come onto our books throughout the year. When a new school that meets your declared profile comes onto the market we advise you of this and send you the details.
Advice on how to proceed through any negotiations: having found the school that you want, you will need to put in an offer for it; once an offer has been accepted you will need to negotiate the contract; sometimes negotiations can become protracted and difficult. We will provide advice to you throughout this entire process.
Free Seminars on the "School Buying Process" - see that screen.
A ú5 discount voucher for the CD-Rom: "ISBI - The Database". This database of all independent, fee-paying and residential special needs schools in the British Isles is produced by our sister company, Which School Ltd.
We hope that we can be of assistance to you and look forward to hearing from you.
To Register: To register as a buyer with National SchoolTransfer please send a cheque or postal order for ú10, with your name, address, and telephone/fax number, to:
Pat Carter
National SchoolTransfer
Tilshead House
Tilshead, Salisbury
Wiltshire SP3 4RX
Seminars on 'The School Buying Process'
The free seminars run by National SchoolTransfer, available to you once registered with NST as a buyer.
We are aware, from our own experience and from what others have told us, that there are many people who want to buy their own school but who do not know how to go about it. There are others, already highly knowledgeable, who simply want the opportunity of discussing the subject in order to clarify their thinking on particular issues of importance to them.
In order to satisfy this need, every year National SchoolTransfer runs four free seminars on "The School Buying Process". These are held throughout the year on a Saturday, typically starting at 11 o'clock and ending by about 4 o'clock in the afternoon.
The seminars are held at Keith Boulter's own school, Barnardiston Hall Preparatory School, near Haverhill in Suffolk, and part of the day consists of a conducted tour of the school. Keith, an IAPS headmaster, has transformed what was a preparatory school of nearly 60 day girls when he bought it into a co-educational nursery, pre-prep and preparatory school of some 260 children, 50 of whom are full time boarders. His experience can be of great benefit to those on the seminar and what he has achieved is often a source of inspiration to those who attend.
PROGRAMME
Coffee and introduction
An overview of school ownership
Why buy your own school?
School transfer agencies
The Buying Process: Method; Business Plan; Finance; Valuing Schools; Legal Issues
Luncheon
The right time to buy
Pitfalls, potential and pleasures
Available schools
Handover/takeover procedures
Tour of Keith's school to see what has been achieved in seven years
Individual discussions with either of the partners, if requested prior to a seminar
The seminar ends with final questions and suggestions for future seminars. Over the years a far higher proportion of successful school purchases has resulted from those of our registered buyers who have attended these seminars, and so we make no charge for attending the seminar, which includes an excellent lunch and refreshments. It is in this way that our seminars have paid for themselves.
