Brighton is one of England’s leading schools. The College comprises the Senior School, educating 1,080 pupils aged 13–18, and the Lower School, educating 100 pupils aged 11–13.
The Brighton College family of schools also includes Brighton College Nursery, Pre-Prep & Prep School, St Christopher’s School and Handcross Park, educating a further 1,150 children aged 3 to 13. Overseas, the College has opened Brighton College Abu Dhabi, Brighton College Al Ain, Brighton College Dubai and Brighton College Bangkok, with Brighton College Singapore the most recent addition, having opened in September 2020.
The College was delighted to receive record-breaking GCSE and A-level results in 2019, the most recent year when public examinations were taken. The Times listed us as their top school for our A-level results, with 97% of grades A*-B. 44% of grades were at A*, which compares to 8% nationally. In The Telegraph, Brighton College shared the top spot in England for the best GCSE results among 2,000 co-educational schools in the country. Our pupils excelled, with 94.49% of grades at 9/8/7. Over 900 9s were achieved in the 2019 GCSE exams, making it the most common grade at Brighton. Not a single paper was failed, with nearly 2,000 GCSEs sat at the school.
The College was recently named ‘United Kingdom School of the Decade’ by The Sunday Times. The award was given on the basis of our exceptional examination results as well as our fundamental emphasis on kindness and social engagement.
The Sunday Times also named Brighton College ‘England’s Independent School of the Year 2019’, the second time in a decade the school has won this accolade. The Week magazine named Brighton College ‘Most forward-thinking school in Britain’ for two years running in 2017 and 2018. Tatler magazine awarded Richard Cairns the title of ‘Head Master of the Year 2012-13’, and Brighton College was named UK ‘Independent School of the Year 2013- 14’ at the Independent Schools Awards. The last full ISI inspection in 2015 awarded the College the top grade in every category including ‘Exceptional’ for teaching and learning.
There has also been major investment in new facilities over the last ten years. This has seen the construction of five major buildings on the main site, including the new £55m School of Science and Sport which opened in January 2020, which includes eighteen state-of-the-art laboratories alongside a new sports hall, 25-metre swimming pool, fitness centre and roof-top running track. Other recent additions include two new boarding houses, a state-of-the-art Music School and the Yeoh Building, a teaching building which includes 22 classrooms for maths, history, economics, politics and EAL, alongside an innovative Creative Learning Centre, opened in 2017.
Above all, Brighton is a very happy place where staff and pupils feel fulfilled and purposeful. We are proud to have taken a progressive stand on diversity, equality and inclusion and we are committed to furthering this agenda through our teaching, and all aspects of the life of the school. We are a member of the School Inclusion Alliance and an important aspect of our vision for education is to increase diversity among our teaching staff to enrich all aspects of the life of the College and provide diverse role models for all pupils. We pride ourselves on being a warm, inclusive and respectful community, where our staff are welcoming and positive and our pupils are intellectually curious and kind.
The College enjoys its location in Brighton, one of Britain’s youngest cities and one of the most vibrant and progressive in Europe. A recent national survey identified Brighton as the ‘happiest city in the UK’ and it regularly features within the top cities for quality of life nationally. With an extensive beach and seafront, and proximity to beautiful rural areas including the South Downs National Park, the opportunities for
recreation and leisure are varied and numerous. Transport links are also excellent, Brighton being
within easy travelling distance of London (50 minutes by train), and 30 minutes from Gatwick Airport.
Brighton is also a university city, and the College has good links with both the University of Sussex and Brighton University. Our annual involvement in the Pride parade has strengthened existing links with the local community.
