Harrow, Bedford and Other British Schools Expand Campuses Across India

Bedford School, a British public school that is 473 years old, opened its first all-girls international campus in India earlier this year. The campus, Bedford School, Mohali, is on the outskirts of Chandigarh city in Punjab state. The main school is located in Bedfordshire, England.

Bedford School is one of at least half a dozen British public schools that have set up in India. Harrow School has operated a campus in Bengaluru since 2023. Shrewsbury School has a campus in Bhopal in central India, and Wellington College has set up a base in Pune.

Millfield and Queen Elizabeth's School are reportedly planning satellite campuses in India in the coming years. According to BBC News, Harrow and Bedford are among the few schools in India that follow an all-through Cambridge curriculum. The Cambridge curriculum is recognised at 10,000 schools worldwide.

British schools have also been opening campuses in other countries. Half of the 151 satellite campuses run by 50 UK schools are in China and Hong Kong. A 2024 Chinese law required schools to integrate patriotic education into all subjects.

In Britain, the 2024 Autumn Budget introduced a 20% VAT on private school fees, and this tax took effect from 1 January 2025. Bedford School Mohali sets its fees at roughly half those charged by other British schools.

According to PEPF, satellite campuses of British schools generated £152.4m in profit between 2011-12 and 2022-23. However, some margins for British schools in India may have shrunk to as low as 1%, compared with 10% of revenue elsewhere.

India has nearly 250 million children enrolled in schools.