Singapore · History
From 35 pupils in 2020, Brighton College Singapore is now all-through
Founded in August 2020 as a joint venture between Brighton College UK and Cognita, the school has grown from a single year group in Serangoon into a nursery-to-18 institution, adding its first Sixth Form in 2026.
Brighton College (Singapore) opened its doors on 27 August 2020 with 35 pupils and a single year group. The school had officially launched in October 2019, when it was registered under Singapore's Committee for Private Education. It was founded through a partnership between Brighton College in the UK and the global schools group Cognita. The site chosen was 1 Chuan Lane in Serangoon, a residential neighbourhood in the north-east of the city.
Origins
Brighton College in the UK was founded in 1845 by William Aldwin Soames, making it the first Victorian public school established in Sussex. The Singapore school became the fifth international campus in the Brighton College network, following schools in Abu Dhabi, Al Ain, Bangkok, and Dubai. Under the partnership structure, Brighton College leads the educational philosophy, school ethos, and curricula, while Cognita leads the day-to-day operation, with governance by a joint board.
The school's first head was Paul Wilson, who joined from Brighton College UK, where he had spent eight years leading academic, co-curricular, and pastoral areas. In 2020, Brighton College (Singapore) was awarded EduTrust status by the CPE. The following year it was named Best New School and Best Small School at the HoneyKids Asia Education Awards.
Growth
Founded to offer education from Year 5, the school subsequently expanded to Year 6, then to Years 7 and 8. Initially catering for pupils up to Year 4, it secured permission to expand its provision to Year 8 from August 2023. By that point the school had already outgrown its original identity as a prep-only institution.
In April 2023, Cognita announced plans to develop Brighton College (Singapore) into an all-through school to age 18, citing steady growth since the school's foundation driven by significant parental demand. Year 9 placements followed for an August 2024 start. Nick Davies joined as Head of College in April 2024, arriving from the acting headmastership of Stamford School in Lincolnshire.
In August 2026, Brighton College (Singapore) launched a dedicated Sixth Form, offering a two-year A-level programme for pupils entering Year 12. Year 11 opened the same month, with the Sixth Form to follow on a rolling basis. The Sixth Form opening coincided with the completion of a campus build-out at the Chuan Lane site, giving students access to a 25-metre swimming pool, three sports halls, two large astro-turf pitches, four tennis courts, and a 300-seat theatre.
Curriculum and identity
In Pre-Prep the school follows the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum; from Year 1 onwards pupils transition to an enhanced English National Curriculum, leading into IGCSEs and A levels. English is the main language of instruction, with Mandarin as the official second language; Prep pupils from Year 3 onwards add French.
The school's three stated pillars are curiosity, confidence, and kindness. At Sixth Form, class sizes are capped at 15 and students study three subjects in depth, a structure designed to align with UK university admissions preferences. A dedicated Sixth Form Centre houses a common room, a focused study room, and a Global Futures Centre to support university research and applications.
Brighton College (Singapore) sits within Cognita's Singapore portfolio alongside Stamford American International School and the Australian International School, providing the group's British curriculum pathway. The school joined FOBISIA in June 2024.
Present day
The school has a roll of 504 pupils and occupies its original campus at 1 Chuan Lane, Serangoon. It opened in 2020 with 35 pupils and grew to around 400 within four years, which Head of College Nick Davies described as a clear sign of success. The school has been named in the Spear's Schools Index World Top 100, one of only four Singapore schools to appear on that list alongside Raffles Institution, Tanglin Trust, and Anglo-Chinese School.
Brighton College Singapore's completion of a nursery-to-18 pathway places it among a select group of schools in Singapore capable of taking pupils from early years through to university entrance under a single brand, a proposition that tends to reduce family movement between schools across a child's education. With its 2019 partnership announcement barely seven years old, the school has moved from a single year group to a complete K-18 institution faster than almost any comparable British school in Southeast Asia.