Building on more than 450 years of academic excellence in Barnet, Queen Elizabeth’s Global Schools is to open a branch campus in India, it was announced today.
The new independent school, which will open in August 2026, will be in Gurugram – a satellite city of Delhi in the northern Indian state of Haryana that is known as a financial and technology hub.
Queen Elizabeth’s School, Gurugram, will deliver a curriculum grounded in academic depth, intellectual discipline and holistic development, designed to prepare students for leadership in an increasingly interconnected world.
It will offer an exceptional, vibrant campus life that is focused on academic excellence and co-curricular activities, providing students with a learning environment that draws inspiration from both QE Barnet and the wider local context in Gurugram. The new school will include world-class sport facilities, a swimming pool and specialist creative and performing arts facilities.
QE Global Schools is a partnership between QE Barnet and GEDU Global Education established to open new overseas schools which reflect the founding School’s ethos, academic rigour and heritage. Queen Elizabeth’s School, Gurugram will launch in the same month as Queen Elizabeth’s School, Dubai Sports City, the opening of which was announced in autumn 2025.
QE Barnet Headmaster Neil Enright said: “We are delighted to have this opportunity to offer a rounded and enriching QE education to children in India, spreading opportunity and supporting students to become the leaders of their generation. Our school in Barnet is built upon the high levels of aspiration, dedication and active engagement of our Elizabethan community, and these are values that we think will resonate strongly in Gurugram.
“We are excited by the potential for international collaboration, which, in time, will build a global network of Elizabethans for the benefit of our new students as well as those within the state sector in Barnet.
“In addition, we intend to use revenue from QE Global Schools to support long-term educational excellence here at Queen’s Road.
“QE Barnet was recently named The Sunday Times State Secondary School of the Year, also winning national recognition as State School of the Year for Academic Excellence and for A-levels. The School ranked first in the sector nationally for GCSE and A-level results.
“The QE experience is so much more than what goes on within the classroom” added Mr Enright. “The breadth and depth of our co-curricular activities (from sport to the arts, debating to robotics), bespoke pastoral care and expert guidance, mean that we succeed in our enduring mission to produce fully rounded young people who are confident, able and responsible.”
Caroline Pendleton-Nash, Chief Executive Officer of Queen Elizabeth’s Global Schools, said, “The opening of Queen Elizabeth’s School in Gurugram is another landmark moment for our organisation.
“Children born in India now will be graduating in 2047, entering the workforce of an economic, political and cultural superpower.
“A world-class K12* education will be critical to ensure these individuals seize the opportunities that are presented to them, and support the aspirations of Viksit Bharat 2047 [Viksit Bharat 2047 is the national vision to transform India into a developed nation through holistic development and empowerment by the 100th anniversary of the country’s independence.].
“We’re honoured to bring the heritage, values and exacting standards of Queen Elizabeth’s School, Barnet, to Indian students and families. With GEDU Global Education’s long-term commitment to India, we are building a school that will nurture confident, capable and principled young people who are prepared to lead with purpose in a rapidly changing and competitive world.”
With a second Queen Elizabeth’s School campus planned for India in 2027–28, GEDU has also committed to investing an additional £150–£200 million over the next three years across India’s K12* and higher education landscape. GEDU’s investments and partnerships in the country reflect its long-term vision of building a network of exceptional K12* and higher education institutions. Through these efforts, GEDU aims to significantly elevate access, quality, and opportunity across India’s education sector.
Alison Barrett MBE, Country Director of the British Council in India, said: “I congratulate Queen Elizabeth’s School on opening its first campus in India, in Gurugram, which will strengthen connections and create greater opportunities for young people in both India and the UK. This initiative complements the UK-India Vision 2035, to internationalise education and help young people gain a deeper understanding of each other’s countries – especially modern UK and India – while building trust and equipping them with the skills to succeed anywhere in the world.”
Alba Smeriglio, British Deputy High Commissioner, British Deputy High Commission Chandigarh, said: “Education is one of the strongest bridges between the UK and India. The opening of Queen Elizabeth’s School in Gurugram is an exciting milestone for UK–India ties and will help nurture skills, promote exchange of best practice, and expand opportunities for young people in Haryana to engage with world-class British education”.
The leadership for the school will be announced in the coming weeks, comprising an expert international team with decades of experience across global education.
* K12 is short for kindergarten through to 12th grade, reflecting the US school system from the age of around 5 to 17 or 18.
- Top is an artist’s impression of the new campus in Gurugram. Also pictured above is Mr Enright with GEDU Group CEO Dr Vishwajeet Rana and with Ms Pendleton-Nash.
