With British schools continuing to expand overseas, Repton School has announced plans to open a brand new campus in Bahrain next August, making it the first UK independent school brand to establish a campus in the country. Tes explores how growing international demand for a British education is driving expansion plans as schools seek new sources of income amid increasing financial pressures in the UK, including the VAT on fees policy. Ian McIntyre, managing director of the Repton Family of Schools, tells the paper there is a seemingly "insatiable" appetite for British education abroad. "It's soft skills, critical thinking, building character, helping young people become good at life so they are interesting people with things to talk about, as well as having wonderful exam grades", he explains. The article also mentions Harrow School and Rugby School, which both recently opened schools in Dubai, and Epsom College, set to open a school in Abu Dhabi in 2028 followed by a second campus in Dubai in 2030. By Emma Seith.

Writing in School Management Plus, Julie Taylor, executive principal of The Belvedere Academy GDST, a state-funded all-girls comprehensive school in Liverpool, highlights the importance of helping girls build confidence through taking risks, learning from mistakes and overcoming challenges. Encouraging schools and families to work together to foster resilience and self-belief, she says: "For girls to thrive at school and beyond, the aim should not be to clear every obstacle from a girl's path. It should be to equip her with the confidence to navigate the obstacles herself."

In our first Friday Feature of November, we celebrate a brand new cross-sector partnership. Lord Wandsworth College (LWC) and its neighbour, Long Sutton Church of England Primary School, have formed an alliance that will involve the sharing of resources, expertise, and opportunities. The exciting new collaboration will give Long Sutton's pupils a minimum of 100 hours of access to specialist facilities within LWC's 1200-acre campus. This includes state-of-the-art science laboratories, art and design studios, theatres and world-class sports spaces. Through the college's Peer Mentoring Programme, LWC students will also support younger pupils at Long Sutton while developing their own leadership and coaching skills.

Commenting on the new alliance, Adam Williams, head of the college, said: "LWC was founded on a belief in widening worlds and this partnership gives us a powerful opportunity to bring that spirit to life even further. This is about more than shared facilities. It is about shared ambition: broadening horizons, building relationships and thinking differently about what schools can achieve when they work together."

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