Internationella Engelska Skolan Applies to Open New Schools

STOCKHOLM, Feb 01, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

Internationella Engelska Skolan i Sverige AB (IES) has applied to the Swedish Schools Inspectorate (Skolinspektionen) for permission to establish and run five new schools. Each application is for permission to open from 2019 or later and to educate students from pre-school until the end of middle school. The applications relate to plans to open schools for grades F-9 in Österåker, Östersund, Skellefteå, Huddinge (Länna) and Ekerö. These applications are the first step in the process and allow for decisions to be made at a later stage about whether to go ahead with each school and which year-groups to open. IES has also applied for permission to expand two current schools by introducing grades F-3 in Halmstad and Huddinge from 2019 onwards.

Jörgen Stenquist, Vice CEO of Internationella Engelska Skolan, is responsible for the expansion of the organisation.

He said: "These applications for permission to open are the first important step in the development of any planned schools. There is plenty for us still to consider when it comes to finding appropriate buildings, securing planning permission, and the work required to turn any buildings we do take into first-class educational facilities."

IES works to create good working relationships with municipalities to ensure favorable conditions for long-term partnerships.

Mr Stenquist said: "In each case we aim to open a school which compliments the existing municipal schools, offering families who choose to study with Internationella Engelska Skolan an alternative when it comes to education. Half of the education at IES schools is carried out in English and half in Swedish, while the schools follow the Swedish national curriculum.

"When it comes to Österåker, Ekerö and Länna we know there is a high level of interest from parents and students, as large numbers of students from those municipalities already attend our existing nearby schools. Opening new schools in these places would take pressure off some very oversubscribed schools. Students also won't have to travel as far to attend one of our schools.

"We have previously announced our plan to open a new school in Länna and there is a already an expression of interest queue on our website where parents can register their desire for a place at the school. We also have a conditional agreement, which is subject to planning permission and permission from the Swedish Schools Inspectorate.

"There is great interest from parents in Östersund and Skellefteå for a school with our profile to compliment the other great schools in the municipality and therefore we have initiated a dialogue with municipalities and landlords in both areas"

From the start in 1993, the organization's founder, Mrs. Barbara Bergstrom, articulated three major convictions, which still characterize Internationella Engelska Skolan:

Command of English. English has become the world's common language, "the key to the world". Children should learn to command the English language, not just know it, at an early age. Fluency is best achieved through language immersion, instructed by native English-speaking teachers in an international atmosphere.

A safe and orderly school environment where teachers can teach and students learn. Order, structure and safety are necessary prerequisites for learning. A school characterized by discipline and calm learning conditions also signals respect for the value of education. "Tough love" became the motto for a school which is strict in norms for behavior, but simultaneously conveys love for the students and a strong will to help each child succeed. Practicing good manners and proper behavior in a workplace combined with an appreciation of the positive results of hard work prepares students for success in adult life.

High academic expectations and aspirations. Our conviction is that every child can achieve success irrespective of social background. This ambition to support every student to realize his or her own potential applies to those requiring special support to meet standards as well as the most gifted learners.

Internationella Engelska Skolan is dedicated to supporting students of all backgrounds to become productive and responsible citizens, and to acquire the confidence and ambition to do the most with their talents.

For more information, please contact:

Johan Hähnel,
IES's IR Manager
Tel: +46 (0)70-605-6334
E-mail: johan.hahnel@engelska.se

This information is such that Internationella Engelska Skolan i Sverige Holdings II AB (publ) is obliged to publish pursuant to the EU Market Abuse Regulation. The information was submitted for publication, through the agency of the above contact, at 11:30 a.m. CET on 1 February 2017. 

About IES

Internationella Engelska Skolan, IES, is one of the leading free school operators in Sweden with some 21,400 students in 30 schools in the academic year 2016/17. IES provides schooling from year 1 of grade schooling up to and including the third year of senior high school. Its main focus is on grades 4 - 9, known internationally as middle school. Within the compulsory school system in Sweden, IES is the leading independent provider with nine of the ten largest independent schools. IES school's results in the grade nine national tests are consistently well above average compared to schools in Sweden each year.

Internationella Engelska Skolan was founded in 1993 and is currently in its 24thfinancial year. During all these years, the schools have featured the three central pillars of what we offer students, as set out by the organization's founder Barbara Bergström:

• To command the English language – the key to the world. Up to half of our teaching is in English, performed by certified native English-speaking teachers.
• A safe and orderly environment, where teachers can teach and students learn.
• High academic expectations.

Up to half of education is conducted in English, by teachers whose native language is English. Over 600 teachers qualified in foreign countries—mainly Canada, the US, the UK and South Africa—teach in IES schools.

The student body has expanded strongly. Revenue received has traced yearly organic growth averaging 19% in the past 10 years. In the most recent financial year 2015-2016 that concluded on 30 June 2016, revenue received was SEK 1,807 m, an increase of some 17% on the previous year. As of 30 September 2016, there were approximately 122,000 applications in the waiting list to secure a place for the forthcoming year.

Internationella Engelska Skolan has been listed on Nasdaq Stockholm Mid Cap with the ticker ENG since the end of September 2016. The largest shareholders of IES are TA Associates of the US, which has close affiliations to leading universities and foundations in the US, and IES's founder Barbara Bergström. Other major shareholders include Swedbank Robur Funds, investment company Öresund, Norron Asset Management, the Third Swedish National Pension Fund and AMF Pension (owned jointly by LO, The Swedish Trade Union Confederation and the Confederation of Swedish Enterprise).

Contact:

Johan Hähnel,
IES's IR Manager, 
Tel: +46 (0)70-605-6334 
E-mail: johan.hahnel@engelska.se

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