The Challenge
The challenge began in 1991 when two former teachers with no financial background, Maria and Edward Gardener, approached Warrener Stewart to help them open a co-educational, non-selective independent preparatory school in west London - from a standing start and with no external investment.
The Solution
“The benefit of good advice”
Warrener Stewart worked with the Gardeners from the outset to establish a successful blueprint for opening a privately funded school, Ravenscourt Park Preparatory School. A strong relationship was forged between Warrener Stewart and the Gardeners, which has served as the cornerstone for a long-lasting partnership now spanning over three decades.
The Result
The Gardeners used the Ravenscourt Park Preparatory School model to open a second school in 2004 - Kew Green Preparatory School.
The business has since continued to expand under the leadership of the Gardener’s son, Theo Brehony. Kew House School, the Group’s first senior school, opened in September 2013, with Maida Vale School following suit in 2020. Most recently, in 2022, the Group opened Kew Green Nursery to support Kew Green Preparatory School in providing education for children aged 2-11 years.
Over the past 30+ years Warrener Stewart has helped Gardener Schools Group grow from a start-up family business with nil income, to a £35 million business employing nearly 350 people and educating around 1,500 children.
Theo Brehony credits Warrener Stewart’s intimate knowledge of the finer details of their business as being instrumental in helping them grow and manage the business through its rapid expansion.
Client's View
“Warrener Stewart has consistently given good advice. They have always been supportive of the business and kept up with the pace of change as it has grown and developed, frequently going above and beyond their remit.”