Brighton Reveals Dubai School Details
Last night saw the parent and press launch of Brighton College Dubai. The event, held in the Armani Hotel, Burj Khalifa saw guest speakers including headmaster at Brighton UK, Richard Cairns, newly appointed founding head of the Dubai school, Marco Longmore and Bloom CEO Henning Fries.
The new premium-plus UK curriculum school is set to open in September 2018, and will initially open from FS1 to Year 9, then, “grow organically each year to reach Year 13.”
The 40,000 square metre campus is located in Al Barsha South and will be set adjoining the new premium plus IB curriculum Dwight School, also set to open in 2018.
Brighton College Dubai has appointed Marco Longmore for the position of founding headmaster. Marco arrives from a headship at the AED 62,000 per year, Edinburgh Academy, one of Scotland’s top International schools.
Longmore was keen to put previous ‘super-campus,’ rumours to rest, saying, "Brighton College is a stand-alone and we have near neighbours that we have the opportunity to collaborate with when we choose.”
“Brighton College has its own campus,” he said. “A very large and extensive campus, we have all of our own facilities and we have all of our own operational requirements and more.”
“The added value is that we some common facilities [with Dwight] which add extra value over and above that. So that would be the outdoor athletics track, some of the additional space and fields including the auditorium for music.”
The school also announced the Brighton College Arabic Centre of Excellence which will be located on the campus, although further details of the project remain under wraps for now.
Brighton College UK has collected accolades including; Britain’s Most Forward Thinking School 2017, Outstanding Independent School 2016-17, UK Independent School of the Year 2013/14, Tatler Headmaster of the Year 2012/13 and Sunday Times School of the Year 2011/12.
Unlike many other strong UK brands, Brighton College has only one school in Asia (see our review of Brighton College Bangkok here), instead the school has chosen to concentrate its efforts in the UAE, with schools in Al Ain and Abu Dhabi.
Brighton College Al Ain has secured Outstanding in its first ADEK inspection.
Longmore says of the brand’s influence in the UAE,“I think there’s been a growing strength and confidence in local partners and also with regards to the provisions having made roots in the region, then from those roots have grown success.”
“The driver to come to Dubai now has been a strong interest and demand… the success of the other two schools give us a very competent platform to come into this highly competitive market-place in education.”
The parent school and organisation remains very committed to the success of each of its international schools, even if it does not have direct ownership.
Funding from its overseas schools enable Brighton College in the United Kingdom to invest and strengthen the brand, by offering "bursaries for those otherwise unable to afford fees; to accelerate its building programme and as an endowment fund for future generations,” according to information on its web site.
