Scotland's Glenalmond College Brings Its Brand to Phuket This August

Phuket is about to gain its newest British-curriculum school. Glenalmond Phuket International School is set to open in August 2026, becoming according to Tes the first school to carry the Glenalmond brand outside the United Kingdom. The campus, purpose-built inside the Thanyapura Sports and Health Resort, will initially welcome Early Years and Primary pupils, following EYFS and the English National Curriculum respectively.

The school is affiliated with Glenalmond College in Perthshire, Scotland, a co-educational boarding school with 178 years of history, and with its sister institution Craigclowan School and Nursery, both members of the Glenalmond Group. The Thai campus is a distinct entity but draws on those long-established academic traditions, with teachers recruited through the parent group's networks.

A curriculum that blends East and West

The school's academic programme is notably hybrid. Pupils will follow the English National Curriculum for most subjects, but Singapore Mathematics is compulsory from Year 1 through Year 9, and Mandarin Chinese is taught throughout the school including in Early Years. The school also has a declared emphasis on digital literacy, including coding, artificial intelligence awareness and robotics, with specialist rooms for each built into the opening-day facilities.

The setting inside Thanyapura, one of Asia's most recognised sports and wellness venues, gives pupils access to facilities that most international primaries in the region cannot replicate: full-sized sports pitches, a swim centre, tennis courts and a health programme designed around student wellbeing. A 450-seat multi-purpose auditorium and dedicated spaces for drama, music, design technology and mindfulness will also be available from day one.

Secondary provision on the horizon

The school is opening at primary level, but secondary expansion appears likely sooner rather than later. Demand from the local community for Key Stage 3 is described as strong, and the school has indicated that secondary provision will be added incrementally, potentially one year group at a time. Whether that acceleration happens in the first or second academic year will depend on enrolment figures at opening.

Phuket now joins Bangkok and Chiang Mai as a Thai city attracting brand-name British school operators. The island's growing community of long-stay international residents and remote-working families has created demand that local and bilingual Thai schools have only partially met. Glenalmond Phuket arrives as the fifth new international school confirmed to open in Thailand in August 2026, alongside Dulwich College Bangkok, Highgate International School Thailand, Wycombe Abbey International School Bangkok and The Jataka School.