Enjoy this short video snippet about Brighton College Singapore from our 2024 Expo.
Transcript
Brighton College
ISTimes Global: (00:00) Hello, we’re here with Mr. Smith at Brighton College Singapore. Welcome.
Brighton College 1: (00:05) Thank you.
ISTimes Global: (00:06) Uh, your your school is uh situated in in in Singapore, but it’s uh originally uh came from the UK. Please, uh please tell us a bit more about your school.
Brighton College 1: (00:18) Yeah, so uh Brighton College Singapore has been in Singapore for five years. Um when we first started, we were a prep school and now we have extended our years up into the senior school. So within uh a very short order, we will have a complete through school from nursery all the way to year 13.
ISTimes Global: (00:37) So, uh how old is your how old is your school now?
Brighton College 1: (00:41) Uh five years. Five years, right? We’re in We’re in our fifth year. Correct. Sorry, yeah.
ISTimes Global: (00:47) Oh, that’s great.
Brighton College 2: (00:48) Which was founded in 1845.
Brighton College 1: (00:50) That’s right.
ISTimes Global: (00:50) 1845. Okay. So, uh that history is a lot longer than five years.
Brighton College 1: (00:55) That’s right. Yes. Yeah. So we um you know, the pedigree of that uh illustrious institution out of the UK carries over into international schools. And so Brighton College uh Brighton Colleges are located in uh in Thailand as well as Vietnam and in Singapore as well.
ISTimes Global: (01:13) Um how does that uh culture um transfer? Um obviously, people are very attracted to the culture of British schools. You know, uh through TV, through media, through books. Um so that’s always a very attractive portion to a school. How does that transfer over to uh Singapore?
Brighton College 1: (01:36) So it really trans- transfers in terms of our values, um you know, that are uh that are brought over from Brighton College uh UK. Um our house system is uh is another big part of uh of the allure and attraction of uh of Brighton College, the fact that we have um uh a really well-established and robust um education that our students um take advantage of. As as you can see, we um we um are the school of the UK school of the decade and and so it’s that commitment to academic excellence that uh um just permeates all of the Brighton Colleges, whether it’s in uh the UK, uh in Singapore, um or any other location that a that a Brighton College uh has uh has been established. So, um we are we are an an extension of that really great tradition of academic excellence.
ISTimes Global: (02:34) Oh, excellent. And by the way, welcome to Osaka. Welcome to uh Japan.
Brighton College 1: (02:38) Thank you. It’s my first time in Japan, so I’m very excited.
ISTimes Global: (02:40) Oh, good, good. I uh hope you get to enjoy the food here.
Brighton College 1: (02:44) Yes. We we we did. We we went and had some noodles last night and some Gyoza, so yes.
ISTimes Global: (02:50) Oh, excellent. Excellent. Well, I mean, one of the things that I find very interesting about your school and I find unusual is actually the Japanese population that’s already present in your school, which is not um something that I typically find in schools uh outside of uh Japan much. Can uh you please talk about that?
Brighton College 1: (03:11) Yeah, so um as the head of EAL, um part of my duties and responsibilities is leading a brand new program called the Preparatory Course for Primary. And it is a very unique academic English program that helps uh young people achieve their their dreams of uh going into a British curriculum school and being successful. And so in our uh drive to launch this program, um we were very fortunate to see a a pretty sizable uptick in uh in Japanese families seeking this type of uh format for their children to attend school. And uh so we’re we’re about 25%, between 25, 30% of our pupils currently in the PCP program, preparatory course for primary, um are are are Japanese nationals. And in speaking with uh those families, the the moms and dads, um many of them highlight the fact that our unique structure is a really big selling point for them. It’s small classroom sizes. It is a a tripod of teacher approach where three teachers uh working together create a uh a really robust lattice work of support for their for each of our people’s wellbeing. Um we have a very rigorous academic program that honors their uh their native language. So we we we really try to use a translanguaging approach. Um we use a lot of bilingual approaches in order for um our pupils no matter where they’re coming from, whether it’s uh uh Japan, uh China or or Russia, they get to use their mother tongue as they’re developing their uh their English language proficiency on their way to uh going into the mainstream.
ISTimes Global: (04:54) Oh, I see. I see. So, uh I’m I’m sure that after your time here, I believe that your Japanese population will grow more perhaps.
Brighton College 1: (05:03) Well, we are very hopeful of that because um you know, they have uh they’ve really found a uh amazing community in in Brighton College Singapore as well as in the PCP program. And they highlight the fact that it feels like a family and uh it feels like a real tight-knit community and that’s uh that’s another uh great selling point and appeal of uh what we offer at Brighton College Singapore as well as the PCP program.
ISTimes Global: (05:27) I see. Now, uh your school in Singapore itself has has only been around for five years. So I suppose then the majority of your population is quite young.
Brighton College 1: (05:37) That’s right. That’s right. Because we did start out as a as a prep school. So, um I the the majority of our kids are still in that younger age group, but we are we’re growing leaps and bounds in our in our uh senior school. And uh you know, we’re very hopeful that we will have uh you know, senior school age uh uh pupils that that would like to join us uh during our time here in in Japan.
ISTimes Global: (06:01) Excellent. So when when do you see your first graduates from uh the senior schools?
Brighton College 1: (06:07) That’s a really good question. Is it? We’re looking at
Brighton College 2: (06:09) We’re opening year 10 to GCSE this August.
Brighton College 1: (06:12) Okay.
Brighton College 2: (06:12) And it’s a two-year course.
Brighton College 1: (06:14) Okay.
Brighton College 2: (06:14) So 2027 will be our first.
Brighton College 1: (06:15) 2027. That’s right.
ISTimes Global: (06:17) 2027, that’ll be very exciting. A wonderful milestone for
Brighton College 1: (06:21) Exactly. Yeah, watch that space because uh you know, once we start having our graduates, you know, walking across that stage, then uh you know, that’s going to be a really exciting moment for uh for Brighton College, Singapore as well as Brighton College International.
ISTimes Global: (06:34) And for your first graduates, what do you hope that they’ll be taking away from the school, remembering or uh kind of stamped in their minds? What is something that you think they’ll be walking away with?
Brighton College 1: (06:46) Well, just a a real strong commitment to our values, a real strong commitment to um kindness, a strong commitment to uh focusing on on academic excellence, um but wellbeing as well, you know, making sure that they they have an international mindset and uh are are ready for all the challenges uh that the that the world uh will will be throwing at them as they as they move through their lives. And that’s what Brighton College Singapore will will provide them with all the tools to be successful.
ISTimes Global: (07:20) Well, that’s well that uh graduating class will be a certainly a time to celebrate.
Brighton College 1: (07:24) Absolutely. Yes.
ISTimes Global: (07:25) Thank you so much.
Brighton College 1: (07:26) Thank you very much. Yes, thank you.
About Brighton College Singapore
- British International School in Singapore, founded in 2020 with 36 pupils
- Currently, nearly 500 pupils, expanding to a full K-12 school
- Part of the Brighton College UK network (founded 1845)
- Strong academic focus – UK school sends 43+ pupils to Oxbridge annually
- Core values: curiosity, confidence, and kindness
- 120 co-curricular activities, including sports, arts, and coding
- Member ofthe global Brighton College network (7 schools worldwide)
- The first senior school cohort started in August 2024
- Community-focused, smaller than other international schools in Singapore
- Preparing the first graduating class for top global universities
