Founded in 1845 by William Aldwin Soames, who collected a group of likeminded local citizens to join him in the task, Brighton College was the first independent school to be founded in Sussex.The school occupies a significant niche in the development of English secondary education during the nineteenth century: it helped to promote the use of individual classrooms for teaching small groups; it was an early pioneer in teaching both modern languages and science, and later erected the first purpose-built science laboratory (1871); it invented the school magazine (1852) and set up the first gymnasium (1859).Now one of the leading schools in England, Brighton College achieved the best A-Level results of any co-educational school in England in 2008, 2009 and 2010, with over 50 ex-pupils currently studying at Oxford and Cambridge.Brighton College UK has a well deserved reputation for innovation. It was the first independent school to introduce compulsory Mandarin from the age of 13 and the first public school in the UK to sign a deal with Chinese government to encourage teaching of Mandarin and Chinese culture.The school is developing apace; recently, the new state-of-the-art Design and Technology Suite in the Skidelsky Building was opened, soon to be followed by improved boarding facilities, more classrooms and a Sports Pavilion.Brighton College Abu Dhabi is another exciting step in the development of Brighton College. The success, innovation and momentum of Brighton College UK will provide the foundation for a world class school in the Middle East.BCAD is the realisation of a joint venture between Brighton College UK and Bloom Properties, the property and lifestyle development arm of National Holding of Abu Dhabi.
