Brighton College wins the triple crown in the Oscars of the educational world

Brighton College has received an unprecedented three accolades in The Sunday Times Parent Power Schools Guide – UK Boarding School of the Year 2025, Top School of the Year for A-levels 2025 and Top Academic School in South East England 2025. The Sunday Times rankings also place Brighton as Top co-educational school in the UK.

These prestigious awards are revealed in The Sunday Times’ annual Parent Power supplement, published on 8th December. Uniquely combining both GCSE and A-level results, as well as schools’ wider educational offerings, these awards are the Oscars of the educational world.

Brighton College was recently named ‘UK School of the Decade’ by The Sunday Times in 2021 – the only school ever to have received this accolade. Richard Cairns, the Principal, is also the only UK Head to have been awarded Tatler’s Head of the Year award twice.

The College has been on a remarkable journey over the last 20 years. When Richard Cairns became Head in 2006, Brighton ranked 147th in The Sunday Times ranking. It has risen every year since, and this year outperformed every other school in the UK at A-level, as well as every other co-educational school and every other boarding school in the UK. In addition, these A-level results have translated into stellar university destinations – Cambridge University remains the single most common destination.

The Principal, Richard Cairns is also responsible for the wider family of Brighton College schools including branches as far flung as Abu Dhabi, Bangkok, Dubai, Hanoi, Singapore and Kensington. “This is a wonderful accolade for Brighton College and also very exciting for our new and emerging schools across the world, as we work with them to replicate the Brighton magic across the globe for the benefit of thousands more children.”

A particular delight for Cairns is the UK Boarding School of the Year award. Back in 2006, there were only 120 boarders at Brighton College. That number is now close to 500, with plans for a further 150 spaces from 2027. Particularly popular is weekly boarding from London. Boys and girls spend Monday to Thursday nights at home, returning to their families on Friday after school. The four nights at school, three nights at home is a gamechanger for working families.

Closer to home, it is impressive to see Brighton College ahead of so many ferociously selective London schools. Brighton takes a different approach to supporting its pupils to find success. As Richard Cairns emphasises: “It has always been obvious to us that pupils perform better if they are happy. And what makes them happiest at school is to be valued and celebrated for who they are. If they prefer robotics to rugby, that is to be celebrated. And the other way round.” (England rugby star Marcus Smith is a recent former pupil of Brighton College). In its most recent inspection, the College’s focus on kindness was held up for particular praise.

Pupils also do a huge amount outside the classroom. As Cairns puts it: “Great schools are places where children are inspired outside the classroom as well as in it. Brighton College has a very strong sporting reputation and a great drama tradition (Chloé Zhao 2021 Oscar winner, director of Nomadland), as well as music (Dave Gilmour of Pink Floyd performed at the opening of Brighton’s new music school) and dance (which includes more than 100 boys dancing and a Sixth Form boys show team – ‘possibly the best example of a school where boys and girls can be themselves’). In addition, at a time of growing intolerance in society, Brighton now takes every single Sixth Former to Auschwitz-Birkenau – not just those studying history. It is the most powerful way of explaining to young people that small, seemingly trivial acts of discrimination, if allowed to go unchecked, can have the most terrible consequences.”