Dulwich College Bangkok Set to Open as Thailand's Most Ambitious New British School

When Dulwich College International School Bangkok opens its gates in Bang Na this August, it will become the sixth campus in the Education in Motion Dulwich network, joining schools already operating in Singapore, Seoul, Shanghai, Beijing and Suzhou. According to Nation Thailand, the school brings a 400-year heritage and a Thai village-inspired campus design that its operators say sets it apart from Bangkok's existing international provision.

Dulwich's arrival is the most prominent entry in a remarkable surge of new British schools opening in Thailand this term. Wycombe Abbey, Highgate International School Chonburi, Glenalmond Phuket, and The Jataka School are all opening in August as well. Of the five, Dulwich carries perhaps the deepest brand recognition in Asia, which gives it a distinct advantage in attracting families already familiar with the group from other postings.

A campus built for Thailand and beyond

Phase 1 of the Bang Na site accommodates up to 1,000 students aged 3 to 11, with facilities including a 50-metre climate-controlled pool, a FIFA-standard football pitch and dedicated STEAM innovation workshops. The sustainability ambition is considerable: the school is targeting both LEED Gold and WELL Gold certification, a combination that would make it the first international school in Thailand to hold both credentials simultaneously.

The opening year runs from Nursery through to Year 7. Year groups will be added progressively until the school reaches full capacity of 1,800 students across three phases, with a complete Senior School and Sixth Form in place by 2029. Founding Head of College Adam Gibson, who led the prep school at Wellington School in Somerset and held senior roles at Cranleigh Abu Dhabi, has overseen pre-opening preparations since his appointment was announced in early 2025.

What families are weighing

For families embedded in the Dulwich network elsewhere in Asia, Bangkok continuity is straightforward. The curriculum follows the British National Curriculum through to IGCSEs and, in due course, A Levels or the IB Diploma. The pedagogical language, reporting structures and co-curricular ethos will be familiar from Singapore or the China campuses.

The harder question is whether a founding-year Dulwich can compete immediately with Bangkok Patana, Shrewsbury International and ISB, all of which have decades of local track record and established examination results. EiM's answer, at other new campuses across the network, has been to attract experienced staff from its existing schools and to lean on brand recognition among relocating expatriate families. Whether Bangkok proves as receptive as Seoul or Shanghai once did will be among the most closely watched stories in Southeast Asian education over the next two to three years.