Sussex


<p>Meet Mr Falkus, the headmaster inspiring students to be first-class versions of themselves at Brighton College Prep. Ant arrived in the UK as a child from Peru, speaking not a word of English, and credits his Maths and Games teacher for changing his life. </p>



<p>Since taking up the headship in 2023, the father-of-two has championed kindness, curiosity and integrity, making sure every pupil thrives. But which song does he belt out when everyone&#8217;s gone home? And what contraband goods are stashed in his desk&#8217;s &#8216;naughty&#8217; drawer? Read on to find out&#8230; </p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2026/02/AntFalkus_BrightonCollegePrep_cropped.jpg" alt="Ant Falkus, Brighton College Prep headmaster" class="wp-image-83237" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2026/02/AntFalkus_BrightonCollegePrep_cropped.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2026/02/AntFalkus_BrightonCollegePrep_cropped-800x800.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2026/02/AntFalkus_BrightonCollegePrep_cropped-400x400.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2026/02/AntFalkus_BrightonCollegePrep_cropped-768x768.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2026/02/AntFalkus_BrightonCollegePrep_cropped-500x500.jpg 500w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-give-us-the-30-second-elevator-pitch-for-your-school-sell-it">Give us the 30-second elevator pitch for your school. Sell it! </h3>



<p>At Brighton College Prep School, kindness isn’t just a value; it&#8217;s the foundation of everything we embody as a school community. That culture of kindness inspires a love of learning in our pupils, who bring curiosity to every lesson and develop the quiet confidence to seize every opportunity. We are fortunate to be able to guide pupils from Nursery at the Prep School right through to the day they leave College at age 18, and our ambition is simple: to send thoughtful, compassionate individuals out into the world who are determined to make a positive difference beyond school life. Academic excellence matters to us, of course, but it&#8217;s the integrity and character of the pupils we are developing that I&#8217;m most proud of. </p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-describe-your-own-school-days">Describe your own school days. </h3>



<p>I was fortunate to attend two excellent schools after arriving to the UK from Peru without speaking a word of English. Those early days were undoubtedly challenging, but I learned far more than just the language; I developed the ability to read people and understand what wasn&#8217;t being said, which has proven invaluable in my role as Headmaster. School became a place of genuine engagement for me. There were opportunities everywhere, particularly in sport, which quickly became a passion. What strikes me now, looking back, is how my teachers encouraged and motivated me through that difficult transition. That&#8217;s exactly the kind of teacher I strive to be in the classroom; someone who sees potential and nurtures it, especially in pupils who might be finding their way. </p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-was-there-a-theme-to-your-school-reports">Was there a theme to your school reports? </h3>



<p>Very much so! I can still hear my teachers&#8217; voices: &#8220;If he channelled half the energy he puts into sport into his academics, there would be no stopping him.&#8221; It appeared in some form on virtually every report. They weren&#8217;t wrong, of course; sport was where I felt most confident and at home in those early years. But looking back, I think they understood something important: that passion and dedication can be redirected. They were planting seeds, waiting for the moment when I would apply that same drive to my studies.&nbsp;</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-were-your-best-and-worst-subjects">What were your best and worst subjects? </h3>



<p>I thrived in languages, Spanish being my mother tongue, which makes sense for someone who&#8217;d had to learn English from scratch, and I was drawn to the practical, hands-on nature of Design Technology and computing. Sport was always a strength. History and Geography, on the other hand, were a real struggle for me. I think I needed more concrete, tangible connections to engage with those subjects, and I didn&#8217;t always find them. That experience has shaped how I think about teaching now. We can&#8217;t assume every pupil will naturally connect with a subject in the same way. The exciting challenge is finding the hook that makes the subject meaningful to each pupil. </p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-did-you-have-a-favourite-or-least-favourite-teacher-and-if-so-why">Did you have a favourite (or least favourite!) teacher, and if so, why? </h3>



<p>Mr Black, without question. He taught me Maths and Games, and he had this remarkable ability to see exactly what I needed. He understood that I responded to challenge and encouragement in equal measure, but always with this underlying belief that I could do it. He helped me see that the discipline and determination I brought to the games field could translate into the classroom. That&#8217;s the kind of teacher who changes lives. He certainly changed mine, and his influence is still with me every day in how I approach pupils at our Prep School. </p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2026/02/AntFalkus_BrightonCollegePrep.jpg" alt="Headmaster Ant Falkus with pupils at Brighton College Prep, Sussex" class="wp-image-83238" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2026/02/AntFalkus_BrightonCollegePrep.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2026/02/AntFalkus_BrightonCollegePrep-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2026/02/AntFalkus_BrightonCollegePrep-1000x667.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2026/02/AntFalkus_BrightonCollegePrep-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-describe-what-s-on-your-desk">Describe what&#8217;s on your desk. </h3>



<p>I&#8217;m a clear desk person; I find it helps me focus on what matters most. But there are a few precious things that always stay. There&#8217;s a photograph of my wife and me on our wedding day in Kipling&#8217;s Gardens in Rottingdean, just east of Brighton, and another of my two daughters when they were babies – they are 9 and 13 now, which feels impossible. And then there&#8217;s a silver cricket ball paperweight that&#8217;s travelled with me for the past 15 years. A pupil gave it to me when they left school, and it&#8217;s become something of a talisman. It sits there as a daily reminder of why I do this job; those connections with pupils, the moments when you have made a difference in someone&#8217;s life. </p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-would-we-find-anything-intriguing-if-we-went-rummaging-through-your-top-drawer">Would we find anything intriguing if we went rummaging through your top drawer? </h3>



<p>The top drawer is disappointingly sensible, I’m afraid – pens, paperclips, the usual suspects. But the bottom drawer is a different story&#8230; The ‘naughty drawer’ is stocked with sweets and chocolates. It’s there for staff who need a little pick-me-up during the week. </p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-if-you-weren-t-a-headteacher-what-would-you-be">If you weren&#8217;t a Headteacher, what would you be? </h3>



<p>Something practical with my hands, without question. An electrician, plumber, or cabinet maker. I&#8217;m drawn to work where you can see tangible results at the end of the day. There&#8217;s something satisfying about solving a problem or creating something physical that will last. I think it connects back to why I loved Design Technology at school; that sense of making something real, something you can touch and use.&nbsp;</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tell-us-about-your-favourite-book">Tell us about your favourite book. </h3>



<p>As a father, <em>The Gruffalo</em> holds a special place in my heart. I must have read it to my daughters hundreds of times when they were little, and I never tired of it. There&#8217;s something wonderful about Julia Donaldson&#8217;s rhythm and rhyme; it just stays with you. Just recently, I had the pleasure of reading it to one of our Nursery classes, and I was amazed to discover I could recite great chunks of it from memory. The children were delighted, but I think I enjoyed it even more than they did. It brought back all those precious moments with my own girls developing a love of literacy. </p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-s-the-best-school-trip-you-ve-ever-been-on">What&#8217;s the best school trip you&#8217;ve ever been on? </h3>



<p>My first ski trip as a pupil, without a doubt. It was my first time away from home without my family, and I remember feeling this incredible sense of freedom and adventure. I&#8217;d never seen mountains like that, never experienced that kind of independence. </p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-do-you-have-any-advice-that-you-wish-you-could-give-to-your-younger-self">Do you have any advice that you wish you could give to your younger self? </h3>



<p>Have self-belief, especially when doing something you think you&#8217;re not very good at. You can achieve anything you want to do, you just have to believe it&#8217;s possible. </p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-and-what-do-you-most-consistently-tell-your-students">And what do you most consistently tell your students? </h3>



<p>Always think about your own journey, don&#8217;t compare yourself to others.&nbsp;There is a famous Jewish proverb, ‘If I try to be him or her, who will be me?’ I champion the pupils to be a first-class version of yourself, not a second-rate version of someone else. </p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-and-what-song-do-you-belt-out-at-full-volume-when-everyone-s-gone-home-for-the-day">And what song do you belt out at full volume when everyone&#8217;s gone home for the day? </h3>



<p>There are three. Elbow&#8217;s &#8216;One Day Like This&#8217; (it was our wedding song), The Rolling Stones&#8217; &#8216;Brown Sugar&#8217; and &#8216;Mr Brightside&#8217; by The Killers. </p>



<p><em><a href="https://sussex.muddystilettos.co.uk/kids/school-reviews/brighton-college-prep-brighton/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Brighton College Prep</a>&#8216;s next <a href="https://www.brightoncollege.org.uk/prep-school/join/visit" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Open Mornings</a> are on 7 Feb and 9 May. To book, email prepadmissions@brightoncollege.net. </em></p>



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Ant Falkus arrived in the UK with no English – now he’s head of Brighton College Prep

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