BRIGHTON COLLEGE

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.