Richard Cairns, Head Master, has been instrumental in encouraging Brighton College to look to Thailand for its first school in Asia after two very successful openings in Abu Dhabi: "What strikes me about Bangkok is that there is a huge demand for a school where children are genuinely inspired to be the best that they possibly can be. We have a track record of securing places at top UK and US universities that no other UK curriculum school in Thailand possesses. And we want to replicate that in Thailand for the benefit of both Thai and expatriate children".
The school is set to open in August 2016 at Krungthep Kreetha, fifteen minutes from the centre of the city towards Bangkok International Airport. The 23 acre purpose-built campus will house a pre-prep, a prep school and a senior school and will cater for 1,500 boys and girls across the 2 to 18 age range. Fenn Design of Bangkok have been selected as architects and the aim is to provide iconic, inspirational buildings in keeping with the local environment.
Children who attend the school will receive a thoroughly "Brighton College experience", with the same curriculum as is taught in the UK. Pupils in Bangkok will be accessing the same lessons as their peers in the UK or Abu Dhabi. Brighton College UK has a reputation for possessing a genuinely global outlook. For example, every pupil in the English school studies Mandarin as a core part of the curriculum. As Mr Cairns points out: "We see ourselves preparing children for the global realities of 2030 not 2015".
The Bangkok opening is part of the school's second phase of exporting its educational brand overseas. In 2011, Brighton College Abu Dhabi opened and has already surpassed all expectations, with 1,300 on the roll. A second school in the emirate has now been opened to meet added demand and it too is filling up fast.
Richard Cairns, who will play a key part in interviewing the new Head Master of the school, added: "We have been delighted by the success of our first two schools, which were recently ranked amongst the best in the UAE. We wanted to take time to find the right partner and the right location before making our first move into South East Asia. Brighton College Bangkok promises to become one of South East Asia's leading British schools, on a stunning new campus in the centre of the city."
"I am also delighted that the new Head will spend several months here at Brighton with me before taking up his or her post. We want the new Head to understand and replicate our DNA absolutely".
Brighton College plans to open 10 schools overseas to provide funds for new buildings, bursaries and scholarships.
For the Head Master, the key consequence will be the impact on fees. "I am determined to find alternative sources of income so that we can keep school fees down and better support those here in the UK who would benefit from a Brighton education but cannot currently afford one".