Independent School News: January 2026

Considering independent education? Find the best school for your child here. Otherwise, read on for the latest independent school news (January 2026).

Brighton College Soars High With University Offers

A total of 45 upper sixth pupils at Brighton College have received offers to Oxbridge next year – a record-breaking number for the school. Working out to almost 20 percent of the cohort, these offers cover a wide range of subjects including architecture, medicine, history of art and maths. Other destinations include Russell Group universities as well as US institutions such as Princeton and Stanford.

Discover Brighton College: countryandtownhouse.com/schools/brighton-college

The British School of Lisbon, now part of Dukes Education

Dukes Education Expands To Lisbon

Independent schools group Dukes Education has added The British School of Lisbon (BSL) to its global family of schools. BSL, founded in 2019, educates girls and boys from nursery to year ten and plans to offer A levels from September 2027. It is Dukes Education’s fifth school in Portugal, with other global Dukes schools including London Park Schools (UK), the International School of Athens (Greece) and Verbier International School (Switzerland).

Highfield and Brookham now offers rugby for girls

Highfield and Brookham Launch Girls’ Rugby

Girls at Highfield and Brookham School now have the opportunity to play rugby as the school has extended its provision for older students. The sport is now being taught to all girls in years seven to eight, who are preparing for their first ever fixture in March. ‘It’s exciting to think that this could be the start of a journey that leads one of our pupils all the way to the 2033 Women’s Rubgy World Cup,’ said head Suzannah Cryer.

Discover Highfield and Brookham School: countryandtownhouse.com/schools/highfield-and-brookham

Berkhamsted Named Top School For Cricket

Berkhamsted School has been selected as one of the best UK senior schools for cricket for 2026 by the world’s oldest cricket magazine. The Cricketer’s Schools Guide 2026 features the top 100 senior schools, top 25 state schools, top 20 all-girls schools and top 50 junior/prep schools for the sport, with judging based on each school’s curricular offering, facilities, coaching and outreach programmes. ‘This feels like a pivotal time for school cricket,’ said The Cricketer editor Huw Turbervill. ‘It is arguably more important than it has ever been.’

Discover Berkhamsted: countryandtownhouse.com/schools/berkhamsted-schools-group

The Leys Smashes Annual Bursary Fundraising Target

The Leys School has announced that in 2025, it raised a staggering £312,824 towards bursaries – its highest number yet. To celebrate its 150th year, the school set a target of £150,000; the school community not only beat this target by £12,000 through a host of fundraising activities, but an alumni donor also matched the target, taking the total to more than £300,000. ‘It was an ambitious number but, with the Leysian community behind us, I had faith we could pull it off,’ said director of development Sarah Proud. ‘This campaign will have a profound and enduring impact.’

Discover The Leys School: countryandtownhouse.com/schools/the-leys-school

St James Senior Boys’ plans to become fully coed by 2032

St James Senior Boys’ To Become Coed

From September 2027, girls will be welcomed into year seven and 12 at St James Senior Boys School. The move to coeducation is driven by ‘strong parental interest’, said chair of trustees Jeremy Sinclair, ‘and a shared belief that coeducation will open new opportunities for pupils academically, socially and in preparing them for life beyond school’. After turning the prep school coed in 2022, the plan is for the senior school to become fully coed by the 2031/32 academic year.

King Edward’s Bath Announces Major Campus Development

A development project at King Edward’s School Bath will bring its pre-prep and junior schools together on a single site by September 2027. The current pre-prep site on Weston Lane will close in favour of a single, purpose-built school for all primary-age pupils located on the current junior school site across the city. Children aged three to 11 will benefit from an outdoor education area, dedicated early years area and new STEM hub as part of the £3m redevelopment.

Discover King Edward’s School Bath: countryandtownhouse.com/schools/king-edwards-school-bath

Queen Anne’s ranked seventh out of 344 independent schools for pupil progress at GCSE

Queen Anne’s Ranked High For GCSE Progress

Queen Anne’s School, Caversham has been placed in the top ten independent schools for GCSE pupil progress as part of a ranking by the University of Cambridge. The Yellis value-added data assessment measures how much progress students make from the beginning of secondary school through to GCSE, with Queen Anne’s ranking seventh out of 344 independent schools across the UK. This places it in the top two percent, highlighting the all-girls school’s focus on academic excellence and support from teachers.

Discover Queen Anne’s School, Caversham: countryandtownhouse.com/schools/queen-annes-school-caversham

Pennthorpe Joins The Hurst Family

In the 2026 spring term, Pennthorpe School will join the Hurst family of schools through a partnership led by Hurstpierpoint College. While Pennthorpe will retain its individual identity and operations, it will benefit from the financial stability of being part of a larger schools group. Pennthorpe and Hurstpierpoint College have a longstanding relationship, with many prep pupils progressing to the college for senior school.

Discover Pennthorpe: countryandtownhouse.com/schools/pennthorpe