Phuket’s International Community Gets a Prestigious New School as VLC Group Expands Beyond Hospitality

Phuket’s fast-growing international community is set to gain another world-class institution as NLCS International and VLC Group formalize a partnership to develop NLCS Phuket, bringing one of the United Kingdom’s most decorated independent schools to Thailand’s largest island resort destination.

For VLC Group, the Chirayus family-led company behind some of Phuket and Khao Lak’s most recognizable hotel brands — including Phuket Marriott Resort and Spa Merlin Beach, Courtyard by Marriott Patong Beach, and Le Meridien Khao Lak — the agreement marks a deliberate strategic pivot. Having built a premium hospitality portfolio spanning five properties, the group is now channeling its regional expertise and community ties into international education, reflecting a broader confidence in Phuket’s evolution as a long-stay family destination.

NLCS Phuket will be developed in Manik, Cherngtalay as a co-educational day and boarding school serving Early Years through Year 13. Planned facilities are substantial: a 50-meter swimming pool, sports hall, covered tennis courts, football pitches, dedicated junior and senior school spaces, and science and technology labs, with initial capacity for 1,000 students, scaling to 1,500. C9 Hotelworks is proud to have provided market research services for the development.

Boarding is central to the school’s offering, keeping regionally mobile families anchored in Asia rather than sending children overseas. NLCS International already operates schools in Jeju, Korea, Dubai, Singapore, and Kobe, Japan, with Hong Kong opening in 2027 — a proven network underpinning the Phuket venture’s credibility.

Thailand’s international school sector is forecast to grow nearly 10% in 2025, with Phuket identified as a key regional growth market. The Manik area of Phuket is seeing a high level of development, with the master planned Mira Valley nearby set to be a key benefactor of a growing cluster of international schools in the area.

To view the location of the school on Google Maps CLICK