After 30 years in the Gulf, Abu Dhabi head teacher of BSAK to leave UAE

After three decades in the region and 12 years leading The British School Al Khubairat, Abu Dhabi head teacher Mark Leppard will leave the UAE next August. He will take up a new role as chief executive of Singapore’s Tanglin Trust School, founded in 1925.

Mr Leppard, 57, will be succeeded at BSAK by Robin Macpherson, currently head of college at Robert Gordon’s College in Aberdeen, Scotland, who has previously worked at Repton School Dubai.

“I’ve been here for 12 years, in the region for 30 years,” Mr Leppard told The National. “I consider this as home for me. My children have grown up here. I’ve had a fantastic life.

“It wasn’t an easy decision, leaving the UAE, but an opportunity to test myself in another environment [arose].”

Mr Leppard began his teaching career in the Gulf region in 1996, when he joined Doha College in Qatar. He worked as a physical education teacher and head of year, before becoming assistant principal, and then, for the last nine years, principal. Similar to BSAK, Doha College is a non-profit institution.

The Gulf region, and the UAE in particular, have always been “very ambitious for education”, Mr Leppard said.

“It’s really changed, but for the positive,” he said. “There’s more focus on education. There’s more focus on AI, there’s more focus on physical literacy.”

He expects artificial intelligence to have a far greater impact on education in the coming year. He also noted the flurry of well-known British schools opening branches in the UAE.

These schools were “providing very good service”, Mr Leppard said, adding that the sector was well regulated and offered quality education,.

However, not-for-profit schools such as BSAK have a “unique selling point” because they reinvest “every single dirham” in the school. This includes investments in staff training.

“We retain quality staff, and they want to come here and stay here,” he said, adding that the school’s staff retention rate, between 92 and 96 per cent, was “incredible”.

BSAK has also expanded during his tenure, growing from about 1,600 pupils when he arrived to around 2,030 pupils today. The school caters to children aged 3 to 18.

“We’ve worked hard on academic results, which have improved year-on-year,” he said.

In addition to strong academic outcomes, Mr Leppard said BSAK was “a community school” and had as many as 100 co-curricular or extra-curricular activities a week.

His contribution to education was recognised in 2015, when he was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE).

BSAK, established in 1968, was founded on land donated by the UAE’s Founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. Mr Leppard said he hoped to contribute positively to the school’s history.

“I generally think I’m just a cog, hopefully a positive cog, in its history,” he said.

His move to Singapore reflects a desire to experience a different culture and challenge himself in a new environment.

“If you’re in an institution for a period of time, you need a fresh challenge,” he said.

“I’ve been challenged every day at BSAK. It would be good to stretch myself and try it in a different context.”

Mr Macpherson will take over as BSAK head teacher in August, shortly before the start of the 2027-28 academic year. He has led Robert Gordon’s College as head of college since 2020. The independent school has more than 1,400 pupils aged three to 18.

He previously worked at Repton School Dubai between 2008 and 2011, giving him experience of the UAE’s education landscape.

In a statement, BSAK said Mr Macpherson “brings valuable regional experience and an understanding of the cultural context and relationships that underpin a thriving international school community”.

Show caption: Robin Macpherson will take over as BSAK headteacher in Augus…

Mr Macpherson has written books on educational theory and practice, including co-authoring The Teaching Life: Professional Learning and Career Progression. He has also written history textbooks.

Faisal Raja, chairman of BSAK’s board of governors, said the board was particularly impressed by Mr Macpherson’s educational vision, values-led leadership and commitment to academic excellence, inclusion and community.

“His belief in creating an environment where pupils and staff are supported, challenged and inspired to thrive aligns closely with BSAK’s ethos,” he said.