Paul Friend Quits NLCS Singapore After FT Bullying Probe 2026

Key Points

• Paul Friend, the founding principal of the Singapore branch of North London Collegiate School (NLCS Singapore), is stepping down after helping establish the campus and overseeing its growth from 2020.
• Friend’s exit comes in the wake of a December investigation by the Financial Times (FT) that alleged bullying by several senior leaders, safeguarding lapses, and health and safety breaches at NLCS Singapore.
• The FT’s probe drew on testimony from five former staff members who claimed concerns were repeatedly raised with senior NLCS leadership, with little meaningful remedial action.
• The announcement of Friend’s departure follows the resignation in December of Ian Callender, chief executive of NLCS International— the entity overseeing NLCS’s overseas operations—and his departure as a director from several NLCS‑linked companies.
• The school has placed Friend into a “transition role” effective next week to ease a handover, and he will move to a broader advisory position inside the NLCS group from August, according to a letter cited by the FT.
• NLCS Singapore last month abandoned unilateral plans to expand within the city‑state, a signal of internal deliberation over growth amid mounting scrutiny.
• The Singapore campus will now be run by the two principals of its senior and junior schools, while the founding principal’s replacement has not yet been publicly identified.

North London Collegiate School’s Singapore‑born founding principal quits amid culture probe

(North London News) February 11, 2026 The founding principal of the Singapore arm of the elite North London Collegiate School is set to step down from his leadership role, a decision that comes after a Financial Times investigation exposed allegations of toxic workplace behaviour, safeguarding concerns, and health and safety lapses at the international branch. Paul Friend, who led the opening and early development of NLCS Singapore from 2020, will move into a transition and then advisory capacity within the wider NLCS group, as confirmed in an internal memo sent to parents on Tuesday and seen by the FT.

The announcement underlines an already evident leadership overhaul at NLCS International, the UK‑registered entity responsible for managing North London Collegiate’s overseas operations, which earlier saw the departure of then‑chief executive Ian Callender in December. At the same time, senior leadership changes have rippled through the network of NLCS schools abroad, raising questions about how the brand’s closely managed global expansion will be recalibrated amid growing scrutiny in Singapore.

How did the school frame the principal’s departure?

As reported by the Financial Times, the Singapore school described Paul Friend’s forthcoming exit in a memo to parents that emphasised his

“very significant contribution to the establishment and development”

of NLCS Singapore, which it said he “is rightly very proud” of. The document stated that Friend would take on a transition role from the following week to enable an “orderly and professional handover” before moving to a broader advisory post within the NLCS group from August.

In a separate letter to parents, Friend framed his move as a sign that the school had matured to a point where “its next chapter under its established leadership” could proceed without his day‑to‑day management. He also praised what he described as the

“exceptional professionalism, dedication, and moral seriousness of our teachers and support staff,”

according to the FT’s account of his statement.​

What did the FT investigation uncover?

The FT’s December investigation, as later recounted and referenced in the coverage of Friend’s departure, detailed repeated claims from five former staff about a problematic culture within NLCS Singapore. These sources alleged that bullying and misogyny characterised interactions under some senior leaders and said that safeguarding protocols and health and safety practices at times left staff and pupils exposed to avoidable risks.

According to the FT’s reporting, several former employees stated they had raised concerns directly with Gwen Byrom, head of educational strategy at NLCS International and the official overseeing inspection and review processes across the group’s overseas schools. Nevertheless, these individuals told the FT that their reports were met with limited follow‑up, which contributed to a sense among some that leadership structures failed to protect staff.

NLCS International responded to those allegations by asserting that the FT’s depiction presented

“a false, misleading, inaccurate and distorted picture”

of the Singapore campus. The organisation insisted it took any reported concerns seriously and that formal reports were always examined with appropriate rigour, as the FT noted in its description of NLCS International’s rebuttal.​

What leadership changes have already happened in the group?

Alongside Paul Friend’s exit, other top‑level shifts underscore a broader shake‑up at NLCS International. Ian Callender, who was serving as chief executive, ended his tenure at the end of last year; his LinkedIn profile lists December as the month his role concluded. Callender also resigned as a director from several corporate entities associated with NLCS International in the same month, according to corporate‑filings information cited by the FT.

Further signalling a reconfiguration is Gwen Byrom’s move “on to pastures new” by the close of the academic year, details which she posted on her LinkedIn profile, as referenced in the FT piece summarising Friend’s departure. Byrom’s departure is notable in part because of former staff accounts that they had turned to her as the senior figure responsible for safeguarding and inspection‑related oversight across the network.

Why are parents reacting sceptically?

Despite the school’s framing of Friend’s departure as part of a natural next phase, not all parents have been reassured. One parent of a student at NLCS Singapore was quoted by the FT as saying the announcement represented

“too little, too late and provides no genuine comfort,”

reflecting anxiety about whether recent leadership changes genuinely address cultural and governance concerns.​

The same parent’s comment, as rendered in the FT article, pointed to a wider unease among some families over whether the internal overhaul reflects a robust response to educator complaints or simply a cosmetic reshaping of roles while core issues remain unaddressed. As the school now shifts operational control to the dual principals of the senior and junior divisions, under scrutiny will be how quickly and transparently any remaining concerns are investigated and remedied.

What does this mean for NLCS’s international expansion?

NLCS Singapore’s decision last month to drop plans to expand within the city‑state, as highlighted in the FT’s coverage, adds another layer to the story. Market observers and education sector analysts have interpreted that pivot as evidence that the school’s leadership at group level is, at least in part, pausing and reviewing the model under which NLCS international branches are being rolled out.

The FT’s investigation linked the controversies at the Singapore campus not only to workplace culture and oversight but also implicitly to the pressures created by rapid international growth.

As the UK‑parented school navigates reputational fall‑out and internal reorganisation, questions are likely to persist about how far its organisational culture in Singapore reflects group‑wide priorities and whether the advisory‑role transition for Friend is part of a deeper attempt to recalibrate one of its most high‑profile overseas outposts ahead of any potential future expansion.

How are NLCS Singapore and the parent brand seeking to restore trust?

Public‑relations statements from NLCS International, as described by the FT, emphasise that the organisation does not recognise the “characterisation” of NLCS Singapore in the December investigation and underscore its commitment to serious examination of formal reports. The memorandum to parents framing Paul Friend’s transition role and upcoming advisory post was couched in language designed to project continuity and institutional stability rather than crisis or collapse.

Through those internal communications and the decision to hand day‑to‑day leadership to its senior‑ and junior‑school principals, NLCS Singapore is attempting to signal both a responsible handover and an appreciation of stakeholder sensitivities. Yet, as the parent quoted by the FT suggested, whether that narrative translates into tangible improvement in working conditions and safeguarding culture will be critical in determining how the school’s international reputation holds up through its next chapter.