Brighton College's nursery and primary school offers a very British pre-prep and prep education, and is well placed to compete against top tier schools such as Tanglin, Dulwich College (Singapore) and Dover Court.

Brighton College (Singapore) opened in August 2020 to deliver a very British pre-prep and prep (18 months to 13 years) education to a maximum 550 students – and currently has a unique offering of being a standalone primary school with all the facilities of one of Singapore's largest international schools.

The school has just announced its plans to bring the full Brighton College experience to Singapore by developing the College from a Prep School to an all-through school, for pupils from the age of 18 months to 18 years. The new Senior School will open in August 2024 subject to the relevant authorities’ approvals.

This British public-school export, which we have seen thrive in locations across the UAE and in Bangkok, retains major elements of Brighton College UK’s DNA; it limits classes to three per year group with maximum of 22 students per class; and it delivers a strong Mandarin programme. This all comes at price, and the school’s annual tuition fees of $34,000 position it as one of the top 15 most expensive schools in Singapore.

Brighton College (Singapore) is something of a contradiction. While it promises to offer a “nurturing, village-school environment”, the school is located on one of Singapore’s largest campuses. Brighton College’s pre-prep (pre-nursery to Year 1) is spread across a dedicated floor of the Early Learning Village (ELV) currently shared between the Australian International School (AIS) and Stamford American International School (SAIS). The prep school (Years 2 – 8) is in a renovated building next to the Early Learning Village and AIS, both located in Serangoon.

This is made possible as all three schools – AIS, SAIS, and Brighton College (Singapore) – are 100% owned by the Cognita global schools group. Brighton College leads the educational philosophy, school ethos, and National Curriculum of England of the new school, which replicates the authentic Brighton College experience from the academic rigour of its British curriculum through to the traditional house system. Cognita, which operates schools across eight countries – including Singapore, Thailand, Hong Kong, and the UK – will manage the day-to-day operation of the campus.

Brighton College is part of a site that is dominated by the vast AIS school and its 3,000 students. However, a huge benefit of this location is that Brighton College can – and does – share the facilities on the AIS campus, including playing fields, an indoor sports hall, and swimming pool. D

Read more: Our Experience tour of Brighton College (Singapore)

A very British education

Teaching at Brighton College follows the UK’s Early Years Foundation Stages (EYFS) and the National Curriculum for England. It opened in the same year as two other British public-school experts – NLCS (Singapore) and The Perse School, Singapore – and there are already three existing British curriculum schools in Singapore. So what makes Brighton College different?

Founding headmaster Paul Wilson, who moved across from Brighton College UK, described the school as, “an outward-looking school that prioritises emotional well-being and fosters a lifelong love of learning.” 

Mr Wilson left the school in July 2021 and was replaced by Andrew Noakes, formerly the Head of Prep at Brighton College (Abu Dhabi).

Historically, there have always been long waitlists at Singapore’s top tier British schools – Tanglin Trust, Dulwich College (Singapore), and Dover Court. Whereas before, parents looking for a British curriculum school here didn’t have the luxury of choice, they now do. 

The curriculum

Children in pre-prep follow the EYFS from pre-nursery through to reception, before starting their first year of the National Curriculum for England in Year 1. Throughout these years, PE, swimming, music, and art are taught by specialist teachers. Moving up to the prep school, the curriculum covers the core subjects of maths, English, and science, as well as geography, computing, history, PE, swimming, music, and art.

One of the key differences to the curriculum offered by its UK school is Mandarin, which Paul Wilson says is “front and centre” of the curriculum. Brighton College offers a dual language Mandarin programme from pre-nursery through to Year 1, where native Mandarin-speaking teaching assistants will work alongside the classroom teacher to teach the curriculum in two languages.

From Year 1 upwards, daily Mandarin classes are streamed by ability; from Year 3, all children have twice-weekly French classes taught by a native speaker. Brighton College joins a substantial number of international schools offering dual language programmes, where both languages are taught in the same classroom.

Parents looking for a more immersive Mandarin education for their child should consider a school offering a bilingual programme, such as Canadian International School or Singapore American School.

Brighton College’s academic credentials are impressive. Its GCSE and A Level results are consistently high; it was ranked as the Top Co-educational School in England in 2019 and named Independent School of the Year by The Sunday Times. This isn’t enough to guarantee the strength of the primary education offered by Brighton College (Singapore), but it does help to set a high standard for the school to follow.

Will the quality of education be comparable with the original UK ‘brand’ is a question that needs to be asked of any UK school opening internationally. Founding headmaster Paul Wilson was committed to replicating an authentic Brighton College experience, and not only in terms of its academic excellence.

One of Brighton College’s strengths has been that it is purely focused on primary education, which means that all resources, teaching, and facilities within the school are geared towards the five to 10 year age group. News that it will be expanding into an all-through school will change that - but will mean that families do not have to switch schools when their child reaches the secondary years.

Announcing the news, Mr Noakes,said:

“The children who come to Brighton College are given a Britsh Education that instils in them the importance of being kind, confident and curious.

"After many inquiries from parents and clear demand for this offering, we are delighted to be able to bring ‘A Brighton Future’ to Singapore by enabling more children to experience the full benefits of a Brighton College education now, and in the future.”

The school day runs from 9am to 3.30pm, with an option to do extra-curricular activities until 4.30pm, and the academic year is August to June with three terms.

Leadership

Brighton College is the latest addition to the Cognita-run family of schools in Singapore, and it adds a British curriculum choice to Cognita’s existing portfolio of Stamford American International School and the Australian International School (AIS).

We’ve seen the Brighton College model work well internationally. Brighton College Abu Dhabi is a WhichSchoolAdvisor.com Top School, and it has been rated Very Good by the Abu Dhabi Education Council; its sister school in Al Ain is rated Outstanding. We’ve also seen Cognita manage two competing schools in the city-state, and we will be watching to see how a third school will fare.

The school plans to take full advantage of its links with Cognita by taking part in the group’s global initiatives, such as Be Well Day. However, it will also remain true to its Brighton College roots and the links between the two will be upheld through termly visits from the UK school, as “they are really invested in making this something that they are proud of.”

Principal for Brighton College (Singapore) is Andrew Noakes, who joined the school from Brighton College in Abu Dhabi, where he was head of the Prep School.

Deputy head Lois Pugh moved over from NLCS Jeju, bringing with her the experience of an international school, as well as the knowledge of integrating a dual-language programme in NLCS’ infant and junior schools.

School community

Brighton College is promising a nurturing primary school environment that will certainly appeal to British families looking to replicate that village school experience. We are looking for the school to create that intimacy and feel that you do not get in all-through schools, and we would expect there to be a strong and active parent community. 

Brighton College, a very British school, is moving into a space that has a dominant Australian culture. There are kangaroo sculptures, messages of Distinctly Australia on the wall, and an earthy decor of browns and greens across a campus that is well-established and immensely proud of its Aussie heritage. This is changing to a degree as Brighton College has put its own stamp on the site with its logo, school values, and maybe even the Union Jack. But what are the advantages of having a school with such a strong British identity being located next to schools that are so proudly American and Australian?

Admissions and fees

Brighton College is open from pre-nursery (18 months) through to Year 8; after opening up to Year 6, the school received approval from Singapore’s Committee for Private Education (CPE) in 2022 to extend its curriculum to Years 7 and 8. 

It’s a selective school, meaning that, from from Year 1, children “undertake basic testing in English and maths to ensure that they will be able to thrive in our academic environment”.

Fees start at $28,780 for Nursery, $35,350 for Reception through to Year 2, and rise to $36,350 for Years 3 – 6. There’s an application fee of $1,000, enrolment fee of $3,500, one-time development fee of $3,000, as well as an annual facility fee of $3,250. So, for a child joining in 2022 for Year 1, the starting cost would be $46,000.

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