Charterhouse’s 400-Year Legacy Expands: Inaugurates First African School in Lagos

The Charterhouse Lagos campus

Charterhouse, a renowned 400-year-old British educational institution, is proud to announce a historic milestone in its distinguished history. The institution has expanded its legacy by establishing its inaugural school in Lagos, Nigeria’s bustling economic hub.

This momentous development signifies a significant achievement for Charterhouse, marking the significance of British independent school heritage with cutting-edge educational practices, ushering in a new era of excellence in West African education.

L-R: Director of Communications, Admissions and Marketing, Damilola Olatunbosun; British Deputy High Commissioner, Jonny Baxter; Secretary to the Lagos State Government, ‘Bimbola Salu-Hundeyin; Head, Charterhouse Lagos, John Todd; Chief Operations Officer, Charterhouse Lagos, Angela Hencher, and President of the Nigerian Old Carthusians (former students) Community, Timi Austen-Peters, during the launch and press conference of Charterhouse Lagos, British 400-year-old iconic educational institution’s first school in Africa, on Tuesday, September 5, 2023.

The school had its official launch and press conference on Tuesday, September 5, 2023, as it announced its plans and expansion strategies to its stakeholders. In attendance at the event were the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, duly represented by the Secretary of the Lagos State Government (SSG), Bimbola Salu-Hundeyin; the British Deputy High Commissioner, Jonny Baxter; Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Education, Abayomi Abolaji, represented by Adeyemi Adebayo, Director of Basic Education Services; a Charterhouse Lagos alumnus, Bolaji Balogun; President, Nigerian Old Carthusians (former students) Community, Timi Austen-Peters, among others.

Chief Operations Officer, Charterhouse Lagos, Angela Hencher; Head, Charterhouse Lagos, John Todd and Abimbola Onakomaiya

The greenfield construction of the Charterhouse Lagos is currently in progress on a sprawling 70-hectare site located at Ogombo in Lekki, Lagos. Charterhouse Lagos represents a remarkable educational undertaking in Lagos State, with the planned $150 million campus expected to be fully delivered in 2028, with the first intake of primary school students in September 2024. On completion, the school will ultimately accommodate students from Years 1-13, ranging from 5 to 18 years old.

Secretary to the Lagos State Government, ‘Bimbola Salu-Hundeyin and Head, Charterhouse Lagos, John Todd.

The Charterhouse Lagos campus will be situated on a total land area of 700,000 square meters. The facilities set for completion in July 2024, to commence Phase 1 in September 2024, will include the following:

Science-Tech- Engineering-Arts-Mathematics (STEAM) labs
Music, Art, and Drama studios
An Aquatics Centre (a 25m swimming pool and a training pool
Indoor and outdoor Football pitches and Basketball courts
Gymnasium
A Welcome Centre
Dining Hall
A 257-seat Lecture Theatre
A Medical Centre
An Operations Centre
A Central Administration Building
Teachers’ Apartments

Phase 2 and 3 of the school’s expansion plans, for Middle and Senior school respectively, will include Boys’ and Girls’ boarding houses, a 400m athletics track, a standard football pitch, a dance studio, an indoor NBA standard basketball arena, an indoor sports center, an 800-seat performing arts theater, a 3-story library, and covered sports areas.

Head, Charterhouse Lagos, John Todd, giving his opening remarks

John Todd, the Founding Head of Charterhouse Lagos, expressed his excitement during the school’s launch, stating,

With the opening of Charterhouse Lagos, we are bringing a school to Nigeria with a vision to open a new chapter in the educational story of West Africa. We are bringing world-class education to Nigerian and African parents, inspired by Britain and delivered in Lagos. We welcome your children to unprecedented learning opportunities, supported by a world-class purpose-built campus and a first-class learning program.

Todd further emphasized the significance of this venture, saying,

We are extremely proud to be the first Charterhouse school on the African continent, and we will ensure the very best of Charterhouse’s traditions and values are infused within our walls while drawing inspiration from the forward-thinking outlook that continues to sustain the institution’s success today.

The Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, congratulated the Charterhouse Lagos team for this remarkable milestone. He said,

The collaboration between Charterhouse and the Government in bringing this institution to Lagos serves as a prime example of the power of public-private partnerships. It is through these partnerships that we can bridge the gaps and enhance the quality of education in our state. We are indeed very proud that Charterhouse groundbreaking in Africa is Lagos, this to us is an acknowledgement by the international community of our strident efforts in the area of education.

British Deputy High Commissioner, Jonny Baxter, during his special remarks

In his special remarks, Jonny Baxter, the British Deputy High Commissioner, stated,

Charterhouse Lagos is the First British Independent school in West Africa. Their goal is to be global in their outlook and local in their focus, by blending the best of contemporary educational thinking with the finest traditions in British independent schooling. Charterhouse Lagos is bringing not just the brand but the same standard of education you will get from a British school in the UK immersed in the Nigerian culture, thereby giving their students the best of British education in a multicultural environment.

Charterhouse Lagos extends an open invitation to families to explore the exceptional educational opportunities it offers. Todd concludes,