Bedford Faculty, one of many UK’s oldest public unbiased colleges, is ready to open a purpose-built campus in Mohali, a deliberate metropolis situated on the outskirts of the union territory of Chandigarh.
Whereas Bedford has historically been a boys’ college, comprising a preparatory college (ages seven to 13) and an higher college (ages 13 to 18), the Mohali campus marks a big milestone as it can develop into the primary British worldwide ladies’ college in India, catering to college students aged three to 18.
“The quickly rising demand for high-quality, holistic training in India was an necessary think about selecting the placement for Bedford Faculty’s first worldwide college. And Mohali stood out as a pure alternative due to its wealthy instructional heritage and dedication to studying,” Iwan Lloyd, worldwide growth director at Bedford Faculty, instructed The PIE Information.
“Inside India, it has these days develop into an training and IT hub, with high universities like Ashoka, Plaksha, and Amity College organising their campuses there. It’s certainly certainly one of India’s most dynamic, quickly rising and forward-thinking cities.”
The brand new campus outcomes from a partnership between Bedford and the Dehradun-based, not-for-profit Doon Worldwide Schooling Society, facilitated by ISC Analysis – a number one English-medium Ok-12 worldwide college information, tendencies, and intelligence supplier.
Furthermore, the campus is predicted to characteristic spacious, fashionable school rooms geared up with the newest know-how, a purpose-built 1,000-seater auditorium for performances, assemblies, and occasions, together with high-quality sports activities amenities, science and tech labs, artwork and music studios, and a well-resourced library.
Pupils will observe the British curriculum for the first years, with a twin pathway choice for the secondary part
Iwan Lloyd, Bedford Faculty
The 14-acre campus will supply each the nationwide and British curricula and can accommodate each day and boarding college students, Bedford Faculty stated.
“Pupils will observe the British curriculum for the first years, with a twin pathway choice for the secondary part,” said Lloyd.
“Mother and father can count on rigorous tutorial requirements, excellent instructing, and a nurturing atmosphere that helps pupils in reaching their full potential – whether or not they goal for high Indian establishments or world universities.”
Whereas India is house to its personal prestigious residential boarding colleges, similar to Doon, The Lawrence Faculty, and Mayo School, main worldwide boarding colleges, notably British establishments, are more and more trying to set up campuses within the nation owing to India’s rising middle-class inhabitants.
Wellington School partnered with the Unison Group to determine premium colleges in India, with the primary campus opening in Pune. Harrow Faculty additionally launched its Bangalore campus, which started operations in September 2023.
Moreover, Shrewsbury Worldwide Faculty is ready to open its Bhopal campus in August 2025, providing training for college kids aged 11 to 18, following the English Nationwide Curriculum with Cambridge Worldwide IGCSE and A-Degree examinations.
Whereas Bedford will deal with ladies’ training, marking a departure from its conventional UK operations, it goals to set itself other than its counterparts in India.
“Bedford Faculty’s ethos stands aside by its basis of robust character growth alongside private and tutorial achievement. The campus in Mohali will probably be main in its area, with amenities and infrastructure that may assist values-based studying for pupils and supply various experiences,” said Lloyd.
“What is going to really set us aside is the collaboration between Bedford and our native companions, which is able to guarantee authenticity reasonably than replication.”
In response to Lloyd, Bedford’s Mohali campus will undertake an inclusive strategy that respects regional traditions, languages, and household values, whereas additionally having a college that will probably be a various mixture of nationalities, together with educators from each the UK and India.
“This various crew will work carefully to ship the most effective for pupils and uphold tutorial excellence,” stated Lloyd.
Bedford’s transfer comes at a time when the UK’s Labour authorities is dealing with authorized challenges over its resolution so as to add VAT to personal college charges.
Since January 1, 2025, personal colleges throughout the UK have been topic to a 20% VAT – a coverage the UK authorities claims will generate extra funding for hiring extra lecturers in state colleges and assist “increase requirements for the 94% of youngsters who attend state colleges”.
Nevertheless the authorized problem, introduced by the Impartial Faculties Council, quite a few Christian religion colleges, and the parent-led Schooling not Discrimination group, argues that the VAT coverage violates the authorized proper to training and discriminates in opposition to households in low-paying religion colleges or these with kids who’ve particular instructional wants and disabilities, who can’t be adequately supported within the state sector.
Moreover, a survey reported on by The PIE final 12 months indicated that worldwide pupil recruitment in British boarding colleges might decline by as a lot as 28% in September 2025.
With plans to broaden into the Center East as nicely, Bedford has rejected claims that its transfer into India is aimed toward offsetting a possible decline in worldwide pupil recruitment.
“We determined about two-and-a-half years in the past that we needed to take Bedford Faculty internationally as we felt it was a pure development as we’re a worldwide college already anyway – a 3rd of our Higher Faculty boys are boarding and about half of these boarders come from about 25 nations from world wide,” said Lloyd.
“After placing our title on the market, we had an unbelievable response and for a couple of 12 months and a half, we had folks coming from all elements of the world needed to begin a Bedford Faculty abroad, and Mohali was the primary and most fun one to come back by.”
