Bangkok · History
Brighton College Bangkok: from a standing start to a world top-100 school
Founded in 2016 as a joint venture between Brighton College UK and a Thai family business, the Krungthep Kreetha campus has grown into one of Asia's most decorated British international schools in under a decade.
Origins
Brighton College Bangkok opened its doors in September 2016, becoming the third school in the Brighton College international family. The parent institution, Brighton College UK, was founded in 1845 by William Aldwin Soames as the first independent school in Sussex; by the time Bangkok launched, the group already operated campuses in the UAE. The Bangkok venture was structured as a partnership between Brighton College International Schools and The Ocean Group, a Thai company led by the Assakul family, with Nusara (Assakul) Banyatpiyaphod serving as Chair of the Board of Governors. The Assakul connection to British curriculum schooling in Thailand ran deeper than the 2016 founding: as the Thai.News reported, investor Kris Assakul had first introduced British curriculum education to Thailand in 1998 through St. Stephen's International School, making Brighton College Bangkok a continuation of a family-driven project spanning nearly three decades.
The school did not open all year groups at once. The Pre-Prep School launched first, in September 2016, with the Preparatory and Senior Schools following in September 2017. The campus chosen was a purpose-built, 20-acre (50-rai) site in the Krungthep Kreetha district of eastern Bangkok, roughly 30 minutes by road from the city centre and 15 minutes from Suvarnabhumi International Airport.
Growth and a second campus
Demand at Krungthep Kreetha built steadily through the late 2010s and into the 2020s. By 2024 the school was carrying around 700 pupils and had accumulated a run of strong examination results. That pressure on places, rather than any strategic repositioning, drove the next major decision: a second Bangkok campus.
In late 2024 Brighton College Bangkok announced it would open a sister school on Vibhavadi Road in central Bangkok in August 2025. The Vibhavadi site was not a greenfield project; it occupied the former St. Stephen's International School campus, the same school the Assakul family had founded in 1998. A 1.4-billion-baht investment transformed the site into a purpose-built facility of more than 21,000 square metres. The grand opening, reported by the Bangkok Post, was presided over by British Ambassador Mark Gooding and attended by Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt and Brighton College Group CEO Richard Cairns. Crispian Waterman was appointed Founding Head Master of the Vibhavadi campus.
The Vibhavadi campus extended the Brighton College Bangkok footprint to a new part of the city, sitting adjacent to Vibhavadi Rangsit Road with rail access to three BTS and MRT lines and a 15-minute drive to Don Mueang International Airport, giving the group two complementary sites covering the east and north of Bangkok.
Curriculum and identity
The Krungthep Kreetha campus runs the English National Curriculum from Early Years through to Sixth Form, with pupils sitting Cambridge IGCSE at the end of Year 11 and choosing from 21 A Level subjects in Years 12 and 13. The school is co-educational and takes boys and girls from age 2 to 18, structured as a Preparatory School for ages 2 to 11 and a Senior School incorporating a Sixth Form for ages 11 to 18.
Accreditation came through two bodies simultaneously. In November 2023, inspection teams from the Education Development Trust (EDT) and British Schools Overseas (BSO) conducted a four-day visit: more than 70 lessons observed, 25 meetings held, and every aspect of college life scrutinised. The outcome was the highest awards both bodies can award, EDT Gold and BSO Outstanding, across all inspection categories. Head Master Nick Gallop noted that the result confirmed what staff and pupils already knew about the school's character.
The school joined FOBISIA (the Federation of British International Schools in Asia) in 2020. It is also a member of COBIS, the Council of British International Schools, whose student achievement awards Brighton College Bangkok pupils have entered with success.
Results and recognition
Examination performance at the Krungthep Kreetha campus has been consistent and, by regional standards, exceptional. In 2022, the first full examination cycle since Covid, over 90 percent of A Level grades were awarded at A* or B, with every Year 13 pupil achieving at least one A grade. In 2023, 80 percent of A Level grades were A* or A, with 47 percent at A*. Several pupils received recognition from Cambridge International, Edexcel, and OxfordAQA as the best performers in Thailand or across Southeast Asia in their subjects. By 2024, the four-year rolling average for A* to A at A Level exceeded 70 percent, with that year's cohort reaching 87 percent A* to A.
External recognition followed. In October 2024 Brighton College Bangkok was named British International School of the Year at the Independent Schools of the Year Awards, a competition open to British international schools worldwide. In 2025 it was listed in the Spears' Index of top Asia Pacific private schools. Then in 2026, marking its tenth anniversary, the school was included in the Spear's Schools Index 2026 as one of the 100 leading private schools in the world, one of only two schools in Thailand to receive that distinction. Leavers have gone on to Imperial College London, the London School of Economics, Durham, King's College London, Warwick, Cambridge, Emory, and other leading universities across the UK, US, and Thailand.
Present day
The Krungthep Kreetha campus currently enrols around 700 pupils from age 2 to 18. Facilities on the 20-acre site include a 650-seat theatre, music and drama studios, dance and gymnastics space, an Olympic-standard 400-metre athletics track, two swimming pools, and a full-size pitch. Head Master Nick Gallop leads the school. The Vibhavadi campus, which opened in August 2025 under Head Master Crispian Waterman, serves as the sister school; together they represent Brighton College International's largest presence in any single city outside the United Kingdom.