Forfar Education pauses Middle East expansion, founder John Forsyth says

Forfar Education has paused plans to expand into the Middle East, its founder and chief executive John Forsyth told Tes in an interview published on 3 November 2026.

"There's a sort of a pause, I would say," Forsyth said. He questioned whether a company should send employees, some with young families, to the region at present, and called that "pretty difficult". He expects the market to recover, but said "no one really knows how that's going to shake out". Tes linked the pause to the war in the region earlier in 2026 and to recent violence in Saudi Arabia.

The UK-based group runs 18 schools: 10 in England and eight abroad, in Portugal, Spain, Andorra and Greece. Its first school outside England was a nursery and prep school in Lisbon in 2024. Greece has since become its biggest overseas push, with both bought and newly built schools:

• Rodion Pedia, an all-through school in Rhodes, bought in January 2026
• Pagkrition School in Crete, founded in 1963, bought in June 2026
• The British School of Thessaloniki, a new school with an early years focus, due to open in September 2026

With the Gulf on hold, Forsyth named Eastern Europe and North America as markets the group is studying, along with Norway, Sweden and Finland, where he described the private school market as small. "In every city there is a private school probably worth having as part of our portfolio," he said.

Leadership

Forsyth said he will stay on as chief executive but expects to "step back quite a bit from the business". The group is recruiting more senior executives to take over day-to-day operations, so that he can concentrate on strategy and further growth. It has already hired Fiona Carter from Wellington College as group director of education.

Forsyth served in the army, with tours in Iraq, and later ran the healthcare division of a Singapore-based investment group before founding Forfar. He said 183 investors turned the business down before the 184th agreed to back it.

He also takes a different line on artificial intelligence from Inspired Education and GEMS Education, both of which are moving towards AI-led teaching. "I actually think that education is one of those industries which AI is unlikely to revolutionise," Forsyth said. Forfar is adding a life skills course to its schools, covering subjects such as financial literacy and cooking.