BRIGHTON College has been named the country’s top independent school.

The school in Eastern Road will be named number one in Parent Power, The Sunday Times Schools Guide 2019 on Sunday.

It was praised for high academic standards and its environment which makes those standards possible.

Judges praised a culture of kindness and inclusivity which seeks to celebrate and nurture children’s differences.

They said that a youngster who is encouraged to be himself or herself will always achieve more than one who is not.

Headmaster Richard Cairns attributes the pupils’ successes to the environment in which they work and play – forward-thinking, creative and outward-looking.

He said: “Given that there are so many terrific schools in England, it really is wonderful for Brighton to be singled out for national recognition.

“The whole community is delighted.

“Our approach at Brighton is a simple one: to challenge each and every pupil in the school to be the best possible version of herself or himself.

“Helping them along the way are some of the most inspirational teachers you will find anywhere in the world and underpinning everything is an ethos that puts kindness and respect for others at the heart of all that we do.

“Because we all know that only youngsters who are secure and happy in their own skins can ever truly realise their full potential.”

In recent years, new initiatives have been introduced to create this environment.

These include teaching teenagers how to tell fake news from real online and entrepreneurship competitions to develop idea creation and business skills.

Sunday Times Parent Power editor Alistair McCall said: “Brighton College is one of the great modern success stories of British independent education.

“The combination of achievement and distinctiveness in a great setting make a place at Brighton College one of the most sought after.”

“This is the second time in seven years that the school has received this prestigious award – only two schools in the country can boast this.”

This summer sixth formers achieved 98.7 per cent A*-B in their A-levels – its highest ever figure.

In GCSEs, grade 9 was the most common grade and of the 732 pupils nationwide who received seven grade 9s or above, 36 of them were from Brighton College.