Cheltenham College Brings Its British Curriculum to Kuala Lumpur

Cheltenham College International School Kuala Lumpur opened to its first cohort in January 2026, becoming the Malaysian capital's newest British curriculum day school and the third international franchise of a UK independent school founded nearly 185 years ago. The college takes students through IGCSE and A Levels, representing one of the most recognisable names in English co-educational boarding to enter the Kuala Lumpur market, even if the local version operates purely as a day school for boys and girls aged 6 to 18.

The school is a joint project between Cheltenham College and Malaysian company Edumaax Education Group, founded by Tunku Dato' Yaacob Khyra, an Old Cheltonian and executive chairman of the MAA Group. According to The Star Malaysia, Anne Rajasaikaran serves as chief executive of Edumaax, while Paul Samuel, who brings decades of international school leadership across Europe, North America, the Middle East, and India, leads the campus as founding head.

Curriculum and facilities

The school delivers the British national curriculum across Key Stages 1 to 5, culminating in Cambridge IGCSE and then GCE A Levels. The campus includes purpose-built science laboratories, dance studios, music and art rooms, a library, auditorium, gymnasium, and an ICT centre. The school adopts a 5Cs framework, Curiosity, Creativity, Character, Community, and Continuous Excellence, drawn directly from the parent school's educational philosophy.

One gap for young families is the entry age: CCKL starts at Year 1, meaning parents with children in early years or Nursery need to find a feeder pathway from elsewhere before transitioning into the Cheltenham stream at primary level.

Into a competitive city

Kuala Lumpur already hosts several well-established British curriculum schools, among them Alice Smith, Garden International, and the British International School of Kuala Lumpur, which joined the Nord Anglia network in early 2026. Cheltenham College's name carries weight among families planning a return to the UK for university, where Cheltenham alumni have a track record at Russell Group institutions, but the school is entering a city where brand recognition alone does not guarantee early enrolment.

Cheltenham's international expansion is a deliberate strategy. Its existing partner schools operate in Qatar and Hong Kong, and the KL venture extends the model to Southeast Asia for the first time. That three of the school's four international locations are now in Asia reflects where demand for a British sixth-form credential is growing fastest.

Whether the Kuala Lumpur campus can build the sixth-form cohort that justifies its A Level offering over time will depend partly on how quickly it fills its lower years and partly on whether it can establish a university placement record that gives families a reason to choose it over longer-entrenched alternatives. Those answers will take at least a full exam cycle to emerge.