Acquisition 'highlights goal of building global premium school network'

Bright Scholar's recent acquisition of CATS Colleges demonstrates the Chinese international school operator's ambition to build a global network of premium schools, according to an industry insider.

David Newton, chief executive of CATS, said the acquisition is very different to Bright Scholar's previous purchases.

The largest operator of international and bilingual schools in China, Bright Scholar acquired CATS Colleges in a 150 million pound ($185 million) transaction in July. It had previously bought the Bournemouth Collegiate School, St. Michael's School in Llanelli and Bosworth Independent College in Northampton.