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Twelve travel. The whole school journeys.
In December 2027, Brighton College will embark on an extraordinary expedition to the Antarctic Peninsula, made possible with the generous support of Old Brightonian President Mark Green.
The expedition will commemorate 70 years since Old Brightonian Sir Vivian Fuchs led the first overland crossing of Antarctica and create an opportunity for pupils to explore what this remarkable continent can teach us today.
Antarctica is one of the most remote and extraordinary places on Earth – a place of scientific importance, extraordinary wildlife and profound environmental significance.
Antarctica 70 will give pupils the opportunity to encounter it first-hand: to study its environment, nature and geology, ask questions, broaden their horizons and bring what they discover back to the College.
But the expedition is about much more than those who travel.
Across Brighton College, Antarctica 70 will inspire learning, creativity and curiosity – connecting subjects, pupils and ideas before, during and long after the expedition.
12 pupils will make the journey south. Hundreds more will be part of the story.
Across the College, pupils will explore Antarctica through science, geography, art, writing and beyond. There will be opportunities to research, create, question, communicate and respond to the expedition – both from Brighton and, once the team is underway, through despatches from the Antarctic Peninsula.
Those travelling have a responsibility to bring the experience home: sharing what they see, what they learn and the questions Antarctica leaves them asking.
A small Antarctic fact: Pelicans are found on every continent except Antarctica. That changes in December 2027.
In 1958, Old Brightonian Sir Vivian Fuchs (Br. 1922-26) led a team of 12 to complete the first overland crossing of Antarctica as part of the Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition.
Travelling coast to coast via the South Pole, the expedition covered more than 2,000 miles in 99 days and became one of the defining journeys of twentieth-century exploration.
Fuchs was a scientist first and an explorer second, appointed director of the Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey in 1958, which became the British Antarctic Survey in 1962.
70 years later, another 12 will journey south, with Antarctica 70 celebrating that legacy not by retracing his route, but by carrying forward the qualities behind it: curiosity, resilience, collaboration and a desire to understand the world more deeply.
Antarctica 70
The Brighton College team will travel to the Antarctic Peninsula in December 2027, sailing from Ushuaia.
During their time in Antarctica, pupils will learn alongside polar specialists and naturalists, encounter its landscapes and wildlife, and explore the science, history and environmental importance of the continent.
The experience will be shaped by Antarctica itself – its weather, wildlife and ice – making curiosity, adaptability and teamwork every bit as important as the destination.
Antarctica 70
Mark Green
OB Mark Green (Al. 1973-78), President of the Old Brightonians, holds a profound commitment to the Antarctic environment. His dedication to this fragile ecosystem stems from two previous journeys; exploring the Ross Sea and the original heroic-age polar huts in 2017, and visiting the Antarctic Peninsula in 2022. Long fascinated by the expeditions of Ernest Shackleton, Mark is proud to sponsor and accompany current Brighton College pupils on this upcoming voyage. By sharing this extraordinary landscape, he hopes to inspire the next generation of Old Brightonians to respect and protect one of the world's most vital natural habitats.
Chris Webster
Expedition leader, Director of Futures and teacher of geography, Chris brings extensive experience leading teams in remote and extreme environments, including humanitarian deployments to Afghanistan, Haiti, the Sahel and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Since becoming a teacher, he has led school expeditions to the Swiss Alps, the deserts of Oman and the Nepal Himalayas, and has led school partnerships with development projects in Uganda and Kenya. He has also recently become a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society.
Jess Atkinson
Jess, our Deputy Head of History, first came within a Weddell Seal’s whisker of Antarctica over 18 years ago, having trekked several weeks through Argentinian Patagonia to the southernmost city of Ushuaia, before it was time to pack her rucksack and return to her (then) day job as a producer of television documentaries for the BBC. Now, having helped to organise many successful College residential trips, having taken nearly 300 of our Fourth Formers to Belgium (though not all at once) and having led a whole host of engaging and enriching extension activities for pupils, she is thrilled to be part of our Antarctic expedition and the opportunities it affords to engage, unite and inspire the entire College community.
Dr Barney Davies
Barney has been at the College since 2012 as Head of Biology and latterly, Director of Science. A member of the Young Ornithologist’s Club as a child, he is particularly passionate about whole organism biology. He led an expedition to Honduras for Year 12 pupils and greatly enjoyed channelling this personal enthusiasm for the living world into creating the Natural History course being taught to the Upper Third now. He is incredibly excited to be part of this expedition – and not just because of the unique flora and fauna they will hopefully get to meet.
Antarctica 70 is made possible with the generous support of Mark Green, Old Brightonian President, whose own experience of Antarctica inspired his wish to give a new generation of Brighton College pupils the opportunity to encounter and learn from this extraordinary place.
His ambition for the expedition extends beyond the travelling team – to inspire young people across the College to think differently about exploration, science, creativity and the natural world.
Antarctica 70 begins long before the ship sails.
As December 2027 approaches, this page will share the people, projects, ideas and discoveries that become part of the expedition – from Brighton to Antarctica and back again.
Antarctica 70 is part of a much wider programme of learning beyond the classroom at Brighton College. From subject-focused academic travel and university tours to sport, music, outreach and outdoor challenges, pupils have opportunities to explore their interests and experience the world in new ways.
