IN FOCUS INTERVIEW WITH THE EDITOR:
Paul Wilson, Head Master, Brighton College (Singapore)
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What are the secrets to the success of Brighton College in the UK that you are excited to bring out to students here in Singapore?
Firstly, the culture of kindness at the school, led by the headmaster Richard Cairns, is fantastic. When I was a House Master back in Brighton, parents would often comment on how friendly and kind a place it is. When children feel loved, respected and safe, that gives them the opportunity to really flourish and develop.
The other thing that is really noticeable at Brighton is the quality of its staff. Richard has been involved in every appointment and sees this as a key driver for the ongoing success of the school. We have been fortunate that the appeal of the brand and Singapore as a country have allowed us to recruit a fantastic team of people for when we open this year.
These standards of kindness and the quality of those teaching and interacting with children are ingrained into me after eight years in Brighton, and I’m looking forward to getting started here in Singapore to instil these values.
Brighton College (Singapore) has a unique arrangement which will allow it to utilise the existing facilities of Cognita's existing schools in Singapore and the Early Learning Village, while providing Brighton students with their own space and identity. Can you tell us more?
We are owned by Cognita in Singapore along with the Australian International School and Stamford American International School, they are our sister schools. They have been fantastic in welcoming us onto the campus, have been very accommodating and really want us to succeed. We share the resources of Stamford in the Early Learning Village, and in the prep school we share the facilities in the main campus. Although Brighton is a small school here, the children will get to enjoy some wonderful facilities.
We have also been very excited to see the sharing of training among the staff, as we have been invited to attend their training sessions and will reciprocate this when we do our own training. There will also be some great opportunities for healthy competition among the students and schools as we can just pick up the phone and suggest a swim meet or a game of football!
When
children feel loved, respected and safe, that gives them the opportunity to really flourish and develop.