NLCS Signs Deal to Bring Premium British Boarding School to Phuket

North London Collegiate School International has agreed to open a new campus in Phuket, marking the latest sign that Thailand's appetite for premium British education is spreading well beyond the capital. NLCS International signed the deal with VLC Group, a Phuket-based hospitality company that owns several Marriott and Merlin hotels in the area, according to the Bangkok Post. The school is expected to open in the third quarter of 2028.

To be built in Cherng Talay, one of Phuket's fastest-growing residential districts, the campus will serve students from Early Years through to Year 13. Boarding will be central to the offer, designed to attract Thai, expatriate and internationally mobile families who want a rigorous British education without sending their children overseas. Initial capacity is planned for around 1,000 students, with scope to grow to approximately 1,500.

A school built around the island's ambitions

Planned facilities include dedicated junior and senior school buildings, a 50-metre swimming pool, sports hall, covered tennis courts and football pitches. VLC Group's managing director, Naruj Chirayus, framed the project in broad terms for Phuket's development: "Top schools create communities around them. We have seen this in places such as Dubai and Jeju, where education has played an important role in shaping internationally minded residential destinations."

NLCS International, which was named Independent Secondary School of the Year in The Sunday Times Parent Power Guide 2026, currently operates schools in Jeju, Dubai, Singapore, Kobe and Hong Kong, with the Phuket campus representing its first Thailand foothold. The network's managing director, Daniel Lewis, described the announcement as "an important new chapter" for the NLCS international family.

A market growing in every direction

The timing reflects a broader shift in Thai international education. Kasikorn Research Centre has projected Thailand's international school sector to grow by 9.7% in 2025, with student numbers rising 8.3%, and identifies Phuket as one of the key provincial markets likely to attract new campuses. The NLCS agreement follows a wave of British school arrivals in Bangkok this August, including Dulwich College, Highgate, Wycombe Abbey and Glenalmond Phuket, all opening for the 2026 to 2027 academic year. With NLCS now committing to the island, the question for families is no longer whether Phuket can support a premium British school; it is how many.