Announcing Brighton College Prep Kensington

We are delighted to announce that Brighton College and leading education provider Cognita are joining forces to establish an exciting preparatory school in Kensington for boys and girls aged 2 to 13, opening in September 2023. The beautiful campus, currently Princes Garden’s Preparatory School, will be known as Brighton College Prep Kensington. This exciting venture builds upon the terrific success of Brighton College Prep Singapore, a similar partnership between Brighton College and Cognita.

Brighton College, recently named ‘United Kingdom School of the Decade’ by The Sunday Times, has eight prep schools in the Brighton College family of schools, bringing significant experience established over almost two centuries. Brighton educates children from 3 to 18 and is consistently one of the highest achieving schools in the country. Each year, dozens of London children join Brighton College at the age of 13. Renowned for its focus on kindness, Brighton College also excels in art, music, dance, drama and sporting achievements. In the last two years alone, it has produced former pupils who have won an Oscar for Best Director and played rugby for England.

This is the first time a leading independent school outside London has established a prep school in the capital. Richard Cairns, Head Master of Brighton College, believes that it offers something totally unique:

“Brighton College has demonstrated that children can get superb results without hot-housing, in an environment that values kindness and mutual respect above all else. Parents want their children to be curious, to be confident and, above all, to be kind. It is an approach that convinced The Sunday Times to name Brighton as its School of the Decade, and it is one we know will resonate with London parents. As we have shown in Singapore, we can also draw on the expertise and experience of Cognita, an outstanding provider of education globally.”

Lois Gaffney, formerly Deputy Head of Brighton College Prep Singapore, will continue in her role as Head when the school formally becomes Brighton College Prep Kensington, and says the following of the partnership:

“The coming together of two great educational organisations is truly exciting for our children. All the values we hold dear – kindness, nurturing a child’s natural curiosity and developing their confidence to grow and make a difference in the world – will only be strengthened by becoming part of the Brighton College family of schools.

Having previously been Senior Deputy Head at the award-winning Brighton College Singapore, I witnessed first-hand the tremendous impact of this partnership. I am delighted now to be the Head of Brighton College Prep Kensington, a school that not only continues to build a community of academic excellence, but one that develops a love of learning and provides our pupils with the greatest opportunities to become the best version of themselves. I am also delighted to welcome Phil Ward, previously Headmaster of Thomas’s Clapham, to our Board of Governors.”

The school will continue to be part of the Cognita schools’ group, an extraordinary family of diverse yet connected schools that share one common purpose: to create an inspiring world of education that builds self-belief and empowers individuals to succeed. With 100+ schools in Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, North America and Asia, Cognita employs some 15,000 teaching and support staff in the care and education of more than 75,000 students.

To enquire about a place at Brighton College Prep Kensington please email: admissions@brightoncollegeprepkensington.co.uk