The British School of Monaco returns for the 2026 academic year with 170 pupils and 70 staff members, marking another year of steady growth for the institution founded by Olena Prykhodko Sullivan and Luke Sullivan. Just four years after opening its doors, the school has become the only educational institution in Monaco to offer the IGCSE programme, the first internationally recognised qualification within the British education system.
Founded in 2022 with just seven pupils, the school has grown considerably since then, now welcoming students across its Early Years, Primary, Secondary and Individual Programme, with its teaching staff expanding to 70 to match. The school has followed a clear, incremental growth strategy since opening, introducing a new year group each academic year to support its pupils’ natural progression through the British curriculum, with the addition of Year 10 this year marking the latest step in that plan.
The introduction of Year 10 also marks the beginning of the school’s IGCSE, or International General Certificate of Secondary Education, programme, a British qualification for pupils aged 14 to 16 completed over two years, Year 10 and Year 11, culminating in externally assessed examinations that represent pupils’ first public exams within the British system. The qualification prepares students for A Levels, the courses typically studied in the final two years of secondary education before university and recognised by universities across the UK and internationally. Pupils entering Year 10 were supported throughout the previous academic year in choosing their IGCSE subjects, with the school’s curriculum combining core subjects, including English Language, English Literature, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology and French, alongside a range of optional subjects such as Business Studies, Computer Science, Drama and History, with a Triple Science pathway also available for pupils wanting a more in-depth grounding in the sciences.
This year’s curriculum also sees artificial intelligence formally introduced into Computer Science lessons, building on robotics and coding modules that have featured in the school’s teaching from its earliest years. Through the new programme, pupils will learn the principles of artificial intelligence and its practical applications, preparation the school says reflects the growing role AI is expected to play in both higher education and the workplace in the years ahead.
Alongside the academic changes, the school’s PhoneWall initiative, first launched in 2024, takes a further step this year with a complete ban on smartphones within school grounds. Only basic mobile phones, such as the Nokia 3310, are now permitted, allowing pupils to stay in contact with parents when necessary, with phones handed in at reception for the duration of the school day. The policy is designed to reduce screen time before and after lessons, encourage face-to-face interaction, and support pupils’ concentration and overall wellbeing.
The new academic year follows a strong set of A Level results published just weeks before term began. Of all grades awarded this year, 73 percent came in at A* or A, with every single grade falling between A* and B, broken down further as 18 percent at A*, 55 percent at A, and 27 percent at B. By comparison, official figures from Ofqual show 28.3 percent of A Level grades awarded in England in 2026 were graded A or A*, meaning the British School of Monaco’s proportion of top grades ran at more than two and a half times the national average.
Beyond academics, the start of the new year also places emphasis on building community among pupils, with team-building activities planned to support new IGCSE students and help incoming pupils settle in. That focus was already on display over the summer, when pupils took part in the school’s second Summer Camp in Valberg, spending a week in the mountains with activities including horse riding, golf, tree climbing and arts workshops.
Supporting the school’s continued development is Alan Stevens, Head of Primary and Secondary, who brings more than 32 years of experience in international education to the role. Stevens previously led Marlborough College Malaysia, overseeing significant growth in student enrolment and helping establish the school as a leading international institution, culminating in its recognition as International School of the Year at the 2024 Tes Awards for International Schools. He was also awarded the 2023 Leadership Award by the Kingsley Strategic Institute for the Asia-Pacific region, recognition tied in part to his leadership through the COVID-19 pandemic.
The British School of Monaco operates across three sites in the Principality: its Primary campus at 8 Avenue de Fontvieille, Le Méridien; its Secondary campus at 31 Avenue Hector Otto, L’Escorial; and its Individual Programme site at 11 Rue du Gabian, Le Concorde.