"Our international curriculum is quite a driver for many of them."
Britain’s elite schools are expanding into India as tighter market conditions in China and the introduction of VAT on private school fees in the UK push prestigious institutions to explore new opportunities overseas.
Bedford School, a 473-year-old British institution, opened its first all-girls international campus earlier in 2026 on the outskirts of Chandigarh.
Unlike the prominent Gothic-style central building at its historic campus in Bedfordshire, the Indian premises feature modern, purpose-built academic blocks.
Bedford School, Mohali, is the latest in a growing number of British public schools to establish campuses across India.
At least half a dozen prestigious institutions, including three of the country’s oldest schools, have expanded into the country as newly wealthy Indian families increasingly seek international education for their children.
Since 2023, Bengaluru has been home to Harrow School, the prestigious institution attended by India’s first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru.
Shrewsbury School has established a campus in Bhopal, in central India, while Wellington College has chosen Pune, a western city known as the “Oxford of the East” for its universities and colleges.
Millfield, Queen Elizabeth’s School and several others are reportedly planning to open satellite campuses in the coming years.
India has long been home to established boarding schools modelled on the colonial British public-school system, traditionally catering to elite and aristocratic families.
However, the market has expanded rapidly as affluent Indian households increasingly seek to provide their children with international exposure and qualifications.
Caroline Pascoe, head of school at Harrow in Bengaluru, said:
“Our international curriculum is quite a driver for many of them.”
Harrow and Bedford are among the few schools operating in India that offer an all-through Cambridge curriculum, a global education framework recognised at 10,000 schools worldwide, from primary education through to A-levels.
Beyond affluent Indian families, non-resident Indians represent another important market for British schools expanding into the country.
These include people who have returned to India after spending years abroad, as well as families still living in the UK or Middle East who want their children to maintain a connection with their Indian roots, according to Pascoe.
Harrow’s Bengaluru campus reflects an effort to combine traditional British education with Indian culture.
Sixty per cent of its staff are international.
The school has also retained several traditions from its British counterpart, including calling teachers Beaks, wearing traditional Harrow hats and uniforms, and participating in The Long Ducker, a cross-country race held across its schools globally.
The campus also operates a house system, a hallmark of traditional British education, while incorporating local customs such as singing the Indian national anthem each morning.
India’s growing economy and expanding population of newly wealthy individuals have created opportunities for these institutions.
However, their expansion has also been driven by a slowdown in China, which has historically been a major market for British schools operating overseas.
Much of the international expansion by British public schools over the past decade was concentrated in China and Hong Kong. Half of the 151 satellite campuses operated by 50 UK schools are located in the two markets.
However, growth has slowed following regulatory changes and what a 2025 study by UK-based think tank the Private Education Policy Forum (PEPF) described as “increased scrutiny, and even resistance, from national governments”.
A Chinese law introduced in 2024 requiring schools to integrate patriotic education into all subjects created further challenges for British institutions seeking to expand.
The changes also led to the cancellation of planned campuses, prompting schools to consider alternative markets, including India and Vietnam, according to PEPF.
Meanwhile, the introduction of 20% VAT on private school fees in the UK, announced in the 2024 Autumn Budget and implemented from January 1, 2025, has added pressure on the sector to seek opportunities abroad.
Naomi Atkins, founding principal at Bedford School Mohali, said the tax changes had encouraged more British schools to consider international expansion.
She told the BBC: “They are in a desperate situation. Even those that hadn’t previously looked for international expansion are now suddenly active in India.”
However, Atkins acknowledged that India presented challenges for British schools seeking to establish a foothold in the market.
Most institutions enter the country through partnerships with local investors or operators.
While British schools expanding into other countries may previously have negotiated arrangements involving fees equivalent to 10% of revenue paid to local partners, margins in India may have fallen to as little as 1% in some cases, according to Atkins.
She also warned that some schools had overestimated the size of the potential market.
Although India has nearly 250 million children enrolled in schools, English-language education is already deeply established across the country.
This creates more intense competition from local institutions than in non-English-speaking markets such as China, South Korea and Vietnam.
India’s significantly lower per capita income also presents a challenge, particularly given the high fees charged by British schools. Some institutions can charge £15,000 or more for full boarding, putting them beyond the reach of many Indian families.
Bedford School, Mohali, has therefore set its fees at approximately half the level charged by other British schools operating in India.
Despite these challenges, the international expansion of British schools has proved financially lucrative overall.
Between 2011-12 and 2022-23, their satellite campuses generated £152.4 million in profit, according to PEPF, with profits increasing substantially over the period.
