Media Release

Scotch College Adelaide will become the first South Australian school to licence its brand to an international educational organisation in Vietnam, when Scotch College Australian Grammar School opens in Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam in July 2022.

The school will teach students in Years 10, 11 and 12. They will study an Australian senior secondary program, including the South Australian Certificate of Education (SACE). 

The partnership is being managed by Scotch International Education (SIE), a separate commercial subsidiary established to explore overseas opportunities without distracting from the day-to-day core operations of the school in South Australia.

Scotch College Adelaide Principal Dr John Newton said SIE will be partnering with SACE and Bella Education Joint Stock Company in Vietnam. Bella will utilise the Scotch brand, intellectual property, education consultancy services and the delivery of the SACE, leveraging the reputation of one of Australia’s most prestigious schools. 

Dr Newton said the development of SIE and the opening of Scotch College Australian Grammar School will secure an exciting future for Scotch, create a global brand and build invaluable international connections and partnerships. 

“We already enjoy a strong relationship with Bella Education who, like us, are an ambitious and forward-looking organisation. As part of the commercial agreement they will use our brand and be able to leverage our reputation and expertise,” Dr Newton said. 

“As leaders in wellbeing and curriculum innovation, we are proud to enhance our global standing in education. At the same time, the lived experience on our Adelaide campuses will not change and remains our absolute focus, to ensure our young people have a wonderful experience here.” 

“In the medium term, such commercial partnerships will ensure we can continue to invest in, and enhance yet further, our unique and impressive educational provision.” 

Scotch International Education Director of Operations Dr Kelly Sharp will travel to Vietnam and spend more than two months working with Scotch College Australian Grammar School staff prior to the campus opening.

Dr Sharp said the campus would include a mix of expatriate and local teachers who will deliver the SACE. 

“Our first project is a senior secondary school which will be co-branded with Scotch, where we build relationships, share our ethos and high standards of education and wellbeing, and exclusively deliver the SACE through our partnership in Vietnam,” Dr Sharp said. 

“We will be looking to establish a second school in July 2023, which will be for students from Foundation to Year 9. We are also in discussions with other partners in South East Asia. Our due diligence processes will ensure that any partnership will be an ideal fit. Those who work with us must share the values and ethos of the College.” 

SACE Chief Executive Professor Martin Westwell was looking forward to developing the partnership between SACE International and Scotch College to deliver high quality education outcomes to students in Vietnam this year. 

“We are proud Scotch College will become part of SACE International’s global community. Our innovative and dynamic curriculum is designed to unlock every student’s potential, teaching them how to be an effective learner and helping them to reach their goals,” Professor Westwell said. 

With the completion of the SACE qualification, graduates gain an international passport that opens doors to top universities around the world, including those located in Australia, United Kingdom, United States, Canada, Malaysia and Singapore. 

More than 40,000 students have graduated from the globally recognised SACE International program since it was established in 1982.