Brighton College is an independent, co-educational boarding and day school for boys and girls aged 3 to 18 in Brighton, England. The school has three sites: Brighton College (the senior school, ages 11 to 18); Brighton College Preparatory School (children aged 8 to 13, located next to the senior school); and the Pre-Prep School (children aged 3 to 8). Brighton College was named England's Independent School 2019 of the Year by The Sunday Times. In 2018 it was ranked fifth in the country for average A-level results, with 99% of grades being A*–B. In 2011, Brighton College opened its first international campus in Abu Dhabi. Brighton College International Schools (BCIS) has subsequently opened campuses in Al Ain, Bangkok, Dubai and Singapore. In September 2023 the Brighton College Prep Kensington school opens in central London. History Founded in 1845 by William Aldwin Soames, Brighton College was the first Victorian public school to be founded in Sussex. Soames originally planned for use of the Brighton Pavilion, but after refusal by Queen Victoria, built the school in the suburb of Kemptown, Brighton. The school occupied a niche in the development of English secondary education during the 19th century. Activities include: The use of individual classrooms for teaching small groups Being an early pioneer in teaching both modern languages and science Inventing the school magazine (1852) Building the first school gymnasium (1859) Erecting the first purpose-built science laboratory (1871) Brighton College led the legal fight to secure the charitable tax status currently enjoyed by all registered charities. A long-running legal action between the school and the Inland Revenue from 1916 to 1926 produced a series of changes to tax law in the 1918 Income Tax Act, the 1921 and 1922 Finance Acts and, above all, section 24 of the 1927 Finance Act. The case (Brighton College v Marriott) went to the High Court in 1924, the Court of Appeal later that year, and ultimately the House of Lords in 1925. It was the first independent school to introduce compulsory Mandarin Chinese from the age of 13, and in 2006 was the first public school in England to sign a deal with the Chinese government to encourage the teaching of Mandarin and Chinese culture. Large numbers of Brighton College boys fought in both World Wars, with 149 Old Brightonians fallen in World War I and 173 during World War II. Houses The pastoral system at