is our feature school for September
Type of school: Co-educational
Age
range: 13+ - 18+
Number
of pupils: 940
Fees
per term: £11,340 - £11,500
Head Master: Mr
Richard J Cairns
Location
Situated at the heart of Brighton's Kemp Town, just a short walk
to the sea front and town centre, with London less than an hour away by train
and easy access to Gatwick and Heathrow airports.
Academic
Brighton
College consistently achieves the best academic results in Sussex and is
regularly the highest achieving co-educational school in England. In 2011-12, Brighton was named ‘England’s School of the Year’ by The
Sunday Times; this is the most prestigious schools award in the United Kingdom. Richard Cairns was then named ‘Headmaster of the Year 2012’ by Tatler
magazine. The school has been transformed in five years from one of middling
academic achievement into one of the powerhouses of the independent sector. Children are encouraged to achieve through
exceptional teaching and pastoral care – and they are pushing the bar ever
higher with the passing of each year.
In 2012, 91.0% of the
pupils achieved A*/A at GCSE, whilst at A Level, 77.8% achieved A*/A and 96.8%
A* - B.
Pastoral
With
outstanding pastoral care, the system in the college is based upon the house
system. Each house is run by a Housemaster or Housemistress with a team of
tutors who are allocated to each year group. They give pupils support and
advice on a whole range of issues, from subject choices to more personal
matters. Additional support is given by matrons and the onsite qualified
doctors and nurses.
Boarding
is very popular at Brighton; they enjoy an exclusive social hub, with a café,
dance floor, outside theatre space and wi-fi study stations. Accommodation is spacious, characterful and
well appointed. With the demand for
boarding increasing each year, a substantial investment has been injected into
the development of an additional girls’ boarding house due to be opened in
2013.
Located
in the beautiful English countryside and a short distance away from Brighton
College’s junior school is Handcross
Park offering boarding from 10+ to 12+.
With an exceptional record of success at Common Entrance, Handcross Park
pupils are prepared for the transition to Brighton.
Community - A Culture of Kindness
The school strongly believes
that young people who are happy are young people who thrive and believe that
the best way of achieving a happy community is to ensure that everyone feels
valued for who they are. They want
pupils to be first class versions of themselves, not second class versions of
someone else and place great emphasis on tolerance and mutual respect.
Sports and
Culture
Major sports are football, tennis and athletics,
with rugby, cricket, girls’ hockey and netball played at national level. Teams compete on a weekly
basis throughout the year, with Saturday fixtures played against
other major independent schools in the south east. Opportunities in sailing,
beach volley ball and more.
Art, photography, music, dance and drama are
offered at Brighton. Pupils of the Arts
at Brighton will be able to work with professional artists, composers,
musicians, actors, directors, choreographers and dancers and through this they
will gain a view of artistic development in the wider world and the heights to
be attained. Departments run academic
and cultural trips, either local or further afield; some are subject related,
eg. field trips and outing days and some are fun activities.
