NLCS International has signed an agreement with VLC Group, the owners of multiple premium hotels and resorts in Phuket and Khao Lak, to develop NLCS Phuket, bringing the educational model of one of the United Kingdom’s highest-ranked independent schools to Thailand’s fast-growing international education market.

(Top row, from left to right) Mr Varis Chirayus, Deputy Managing Director of VLC Group

and NLCS Phuket; Mr Ali Aliev, Director of Business Development of NLCS International

(Bottom row, from left to right) Mr Naruji Chirayus, Managing Director of VLC Group

and NLCS Phuket; Mr Daniel Lewis, Managing Director of NLCS International.

Founded in 1850 by educational pioneer Frances Mary Buss, North London Collegiate School is one of the United Kingdom’s most respected and most successful independent schools. In The Sunday Times Parent Power Guide 2026, NLCS was named Independent Secondary School of the Year, Independent International Baccalaureate School of the Year and Independent Secondary School of the Year in London. In the accompanying league tables, NLCS was ranked the number one girls’ school in the UK, gaining second place for all schools in London and third place for all schools nationally.

Serving students from Early Years to Year 13, NLCS Phuket will be developed as a premium co-ed day and boarding school in Cherng Talay, one of Phuket’s fastest-growing residential districts. The school is planned for Thai, expatriate and internationally mobile families seeking a rigorous British education in Phuket, with boarding provision for students from across Thailand and the wider region.

The agreement was formalised at Courtyard by Marriott Phuket, Patong Beach Resort, with Mr Daniel Lewis, Managing Director of NLCS International, and Mr Naruj Chirayus, Managing Director of VLC Group and NLCS Phuket, signing on behalf of the two organisations.

Members of the Chirayus family, the Phuket-based owners of VLC Group

and developers of NLCS Phuket. From left to right: Mr Naruji Chirayus,

Mr Varis Chirayus, Mr Somnuk Chirayus, Ms Nantana Wongsatayanont,

Mr Somboon Chirayus, Chairman of VLC Group,

Mr Chanon Wongsatayanont and Ms Napittra Chirayus.

“For many families, Phuket already offers an exceptional quality of life, but there has been a clear gap in the market for a highly academic school with a direct connection to one of the UK’s leading educational institutions,” said Mr Naruj Chirayus, Managing Director of VLC Group. “As a Phuket-based family business, we see education as a natural part of the island’s next stage of growth. Our aim is to help make Phuket a more complete place to live, learn and build community."

(Left): Mr Naruji Chirayus, Managing Director of VLC Group and NLCS Phuket;

(Right) Mr Daniel Lewis, Managing Director of NLCS International.

NLCS International works with partners around the world to develop schools that reflect the founding school’s educational philosophy: academic ambition, pastoral care that is tailored to the individual, and a vibrant co-curricular life. Its family of schools includes NLCS Jeju, NLCS Dubai, NLCS (Singapore), NLCS Kobe and NLCS Hong Kong (opening 2027).

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