Highgate, a Leading UK Independent School plans to open August 2026 near Siam Country Club
For those who do not know Highgate School situated in North London, it has an impressive history having been founded in 1565, by Sir Roger Cholmley, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Today it is one of the UK’s leading co-educational independent schools, gaining some impressive awards along the way including:
Independent School of the Year 2020 – TES (Times Educational Supplement) and London Independent Secondary School of the Decade (2021) – The Sunday Times
Thailand will be the first international campus for Highgate School UK, with Pattaya, already home to several prestigious international schools, chosen for its location. Behind the project is the Siam Motors Group, a family business with longstanding interests in education. For them the school is a heritage and legacy project, one designed to stand for generations rather than make quick returns. As Mr Ben Keeling the school’s founding head told us “The Phornprapha family, want something extraordinary, built slowly, properly, and with high standards. The objectives are exclusively qualitative.”
Highgate School Thailand will open initially up to Year 6, before expanding gradually to Year 9 and then to Sixth Form. This phased approach starts with the opening in August 2026 of Pre-Prep and Primary, Year 7 to Year 9 in 2027 and Year 10 and boarding in August 2028. On its 27 acres (some 70 Rai) the school’s facilities will include:
• FIFA-standard football pitch
• Sports Hall: three basketball courts and indoor running track
• Olympic-sized 50m swimming pool and separate children’s pool
• Performing Arts Centre: 450-seat theatre, Black Box Theatre,
music and music technology suites, practice rooms
• STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths)
Building: robotics, e-sports, design & technology workshops,
science labs
• Library & Digital Media Centre: three-storey learning and resource hub
• Forest School: outdoor learning spaces for nature-based education
With strengths drawn from Highgate School UK of: academic excellence, world-class teaching, and inspiring and challenging learning experiences, families in Pattaya and beyond will have a bold new option, serious in its intent, excellent in its ambitions and clear in its vision. Highgate School Thailand will be one to watch as the city’s educational landscape continues to evolve.
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