Oxford International College Brighton opened its gates to students from over 20 different countries in August 2023 and has had a successful first year since opening.

Named after its sister school in Oxford, which was ranked last year as England’s highest performing A Level school, Oxford International College Brighton (OICB) is nestled in the village of Ovingdean, where the historical Ovingdean Hall campus has been refurbished to meet the needs of 21st century students.

The approach is a rigorously academic one, with a breadth of academic subjects taught at IGCSE and A Level, and weekly assessments to track students’ progress. The resulting data-rich environment enables students at OIC Brighton to make rapid progress and achieve their ambitions.

This is supported by OIC’s Global Strategic Pathways Programme, an informed approach to career and university preparation which focuses students’ minds on their futures. In these first terms, students have met experts from Oxford, Cambridge and UCL; professionals from engineering, medicine and finance and have had opportunities to attend biomedical courses, finance courses and dentistry work experience.

The Argus: Specialist teaching facilities include laboratoriesSpecialist teaching facilities include laboratories (Image: OICB)

OIC Brighton has attracted teaching talent from across the area and the world. The senior leadership team has over 50 years’ experience in top UK independent schools, and is thriving amid the rapid growth, innovation and challenge of a new school environment.

Principal Tess St Clair-Ford is a school leader with a background in the UK independent sector, and most recently worked at a British international school in Shanghai, China, before returning to her Sussex roots. She describes it as “a real privilege” to have built such a strong team of professionals and is actively hiring as the College expands.

These plans for growth are testament to the strength of the college’s academic approach and its appeal both internationally and closer to home, with forecast growth in day student numbers and expansion plans for the campus. The second phase of development of the Ovingdean campus, subject to planning, will include further boarding accommodation, specialist teaching facilities including laboratories, a sports hall and all-weather sports pitch.

The existing campus preserves the site’s heritage including the listed Ovingdean Hall, and enjoys a wooded conservation area which is the focus of a biodiversity project by the College’s humanities students. The location is ideal, with access to the sea front for runs and walks, weekend trips into Brighton for boarders and access to the South Downs for Duke of Edinburgh expeditions.

The Argus:

OIC Brighton enjoys being part of the local community and has engaged with Ovingdean residents through volunteering opportunities and its sponsorship of the Ovingdean Choral Society. This gives international students an insight into the Sussex way of life whilst rooting the new College firmly in its locality.

Alongside these local ties, OIC Brighton is part of the large international network of Nord Anglia Education, which runs over 85 schools globally. Through this network, OIC Brighton’s students and teachers access opportunities to collaborate with their peers around the globe: from a regional conference in Barcelona to a UNICEF summit in Houston, Texas. Nord Anglia’s collaboration with MIT enables a STEM teacher from OIC Brighton to attend MIT training in Boston each summer, and students are currently competing for a place at an MIT course in October 2024.

The Argus:

Just two terms into its first year, OIC Brighton is really going places. Opening its beautiful campus, breathing new life into Ovingdean Hall and achieving a strong Ofsted report in its very first term are just some of OIC’s early achievements. The achievements to come – both for the College and its impressive first cohort of students – will be worth witnessing.

Find out more at the website: www.oicbrighton.com