Emerging plans for
The Brighton College Prep and Pre Prep Schools
Why are the proposals needed?
Our existing Prep School is not purpose-built. It is a converted villa (and later convent), with a high carbon footprint. We are committed to a greener campus with learning facilities that are fit for purpose.
In addition, the placing of younger children in a very residential area causes significant drop-off congestion for neighbours, blocking streets morning and afternoon.
In addition, our lack of boarding space means that we have needed to purchase and convert local houses for accommodation, causing understandable concern for neighbours about the housing stock.
Converting the convent site to boarding removes the drop-off congestion issues immediately, ends the need to find additional houses and also hugely reduces pupil noise (because the younger children’s playgrounds will cease to exist).
Location Plan
The Proposals
Proposal one enables our local young pupils to colocate at our current St Mary’s Hall site, where we would introduce additional well-equipped and specialist educational spaces and improved co-curricular facilities.
However, even with this addition, the site would contain a lower volume of children than attended St Mary’s Hall School. A combination of staggered drop offs and pick ups and altered road layout (one entrance but new second exit) should reduce traffic that can build up on Eastern Road at drop off times.
Proposal two transforms the existing Walpole Road site, replacing poor 20th century buildings with a new boarding house. The original villa (the Convent) will be renovated and also house boarding. The playgrounds and cages will be removed and replaced with quiet areas including a croquet lawn.
Together, the two boarding houses will look after c150 children aged 13-18 under staff supervision and will operate only during term times (for c34 weeks each year).
