Scotland

Prep schools in Scotland

Merchiston Castle School

5373 Scotland

(Founded 1833) 294 Colinton Road, Edinburgh, EH13 0PU Tel: 0131 312 2200 Email: admissions@merchiston.co.uk Website: www.merchiston.co.uk Headmaster: Mr Jonathan Anderson Appointed: August 2018 Deputy Head: Mr Danny Rowlands (Wellbeing), Dr Dale Cartwright (Learning and Teaching)

Building Strong Foundations from Age 7

Many schools can boast about their exceptional academic results, university success rates, extensive sporting and co-curricular programmes, welcoming atmospheres and stunning grounds and facilities. Indeed, we can do that as well.

What makes us different, however, is a combination of things: our size, a genuine focus on the needs of the individual, and the fact that we really understand boys and how to get the very best out of them.

It is a potent trio. It is what enables us to know our boys really well and to understand what makes them tick. It is why we can support them in a way that is material and motivating to them. It is the reason your son will strive for personal excellence and want to be the best version of himself. It is the secret of their, and our, success.

Our mission is to provide a caring community for every boy, which treats him as an individual, unearths and nurtures his talents, encourages him to pursue excellence in all he does, and enables him to flourish.

Our community’s wellbeing is central; without it, no one will ever achieve their best. That is why wellbeing underpins everything we do. Our boys thrive because they are known, understood, valued, and supported in everything they do.

Merchiston is a remarkable school where boys make lifelong friends and community connections whilst gaining a world-class, global, outward-looking education.

We would love to talk to you about your son and, more importantly, talk with him to work out what makes him tick, discuss where he wants to go next and make sure he has the toolkit to get there.

Merchiston’s young men leave us as rounded individuals, not only having achieved the highest level of personal academic success but with a sense of who they are and with respect for others, having learnt what it means to have true integrity and character. Our success

proves that what we do works. Curriculum - Merchiston Juniors

The curriculum at Merchiston Juniors is designed with the following principles in mind: challenge and enjoyment, breadth, progression, depth, personalisation and choice, coherence and relevance.

Our curriculum provides the opportunity for individual study, creativity, leadership, co-operative learning, self- and peer assessment and target setting. Co-curricular activities in the arts and sport provide numerous additional opportunities to be challenged, to flourish and to succeed. We look to develop successful learners, confident individuals, responsible citizens and effective contributors. We believe that the wide range of opportunities on offer allows each learner to thrive and develop in a rounded manner.

Outdoor Learning

We are incredibly fortunate to be able to use the outdoors every day to help develop and extend our pupils’ skills and enhance our curriculum. Our pupils forage and collect eggs for baking, incorporate nature walks into descriptive writing, collect autumnal leaves for Art lessons, perform drama under the spectacular tree canopy and much more.

Home from Home

The School provides a stimulating, challenging, yet supportive and encouraging environment where your son can grow up surrounded by his friends within our unique house structure.

A housemother ensures the smoothrunning of the domestic side of the House and provides valuable pastoral wellbeing support. An enthusiastic and committed

School type: Boys’ Boarding & Day Age range of boys: 7–18 years No. of pupils enrolled as at 01/01/2022: 400 No. of boarders: 260

Fees per annum as at 01/01/2022:

Day: £15,330–£26,040 Full Boarding: £22,080–£35,880 Teacher/pupil ratio: 1:9

team of tutors and prefects allows us to provide exciting recreational and social activities, designed to meet the needs of every boy. Boys leave Merchiston Juniors eager and ready to make the most of the opportunities available to them in the Senior School, and detailed discussions take place to ensure their smooth transition to life in the Senior School.

Links with Girls’ Schools

Merchiston also benefits from its strong links with girls’ schools for drama performances, cultural events and social gatherings.

Scholarships and Financial Assistance

A range of scholarships are available at ages 10+. A financial concession is not automatically applied to a Scholarship but, where parents wish, they may apply for means-tested financial assistance.

Admissions

The Junior School at Merchiston is very special, which is perhaps something of a hidden gem. To arrange a visit, please contact Mrs Kay Wilson, Director of Admissions, on +44 (0)131 312 2201.

St Leonards School

6952 Scotland

(Founded 1877) The Pends, St Andrews, Fife KY16 9QJ Tel: 01334 472126 Email: registrar@stleonards-fife.org Website: stleonards-fife.org Head: Mr Simon Brian

School type:

Co-educational Day & Boarding

Religious Denomination:

Non-denominational Age range of pupils: 5–18 years No. of pupils enrolled as at 01/01/2022: 577

Fees per annum as at 01/01/2022:

Day: £9,840–£15,939 Full Boarding: £24,342–£37,920 Average class size: 12-20 Teacher/pupil ratio: 1:7

St Leonards is an independent, coeducational boarding and day school situated in an historic campus at the heart of the seaside, university town of St Andrews. It offers a world of opportunities for pupils from age five to 18 to excel academically and develop interests outside the classroom, ultimately ensuring that they leave as rounded, courteous, and confident individuals, fully equipped to tackle the challenges of today’s rapidly changing world.

St Leonards was named Scotland’s Independent School of the Year 2019 by The Sunday Times Good Schools Guide, and is proud to be an all-through International Baccalaureate (IB) World School, delivering the inspiring Primary Years Programme (PYP), followed by the Middle Years Programme (MYP), and two Sixth Form pathways in the form of the Career-related Programme (CP) or the Diploma Programme (DP). GCSEs are offered in Years 10 and 11. This approach to learning ensures a seamless and coherent journey for pupils as they move up through the school, from Year 1 to Year 13.

St Leonards is both international and progressive in outlook, yet rooted in Scottish tradition. Junior pupils have a dedicated teaching and learning area within the school campus, whilst also accessing and enjoying facilities in Senior areas of the school. From Year 1 upwards, pupils are taught by subject specialists for PE, Games, Music, Drama, and French, and from Year 3 the pupils also enjoy specialist teaching for Art.

In line with the IB Learner Profile, pupils

are encouraged to be principled, caring, open-minded, knowledgeable, reflective, internationally-minded and balanced inquirers, thinkers, communicators, and risk-takers. All of these values align with the school’s ethos of embedding outdoor learning as part of a rounded education, delivered both within the green and historic grounds, and beyond, on the beach, in the woods and on the water.

Beach School is a highlight of the weekly timetable, with PYP pupils enjoying lessons on the East Sands, just a two-minute walk from the school campus. These lessons are vibrant and varied, and include everything from honing subtraction skills by creating and solving problems in the sand, to investigating forces using ropes, barrels and found objects. Class reading books are taken down to the pier on bright days, to the fire pit in twilight hours, and into one of the school’s two cosy yurts, complete with wood-burning stoves, in wet weather.

In addition, pupils enjoy developing their beekeeping, gardening, and bushcraft skills, both in curriculum lessons and as after-school activities, and prove themselves as ‘risk-takers’ with fun termly ‘dooks’ in the North Sea - those who choose to complete three dooks become fully fledged members of the Polar Bear Club!

A diverse programme of after-school activities opens doors to music, drama, dance, languages, film, arts and crafts, and a whole host of team and individual sports including hockey, rugby, football, lacrosse, swimming, running, and golf. St Leonards’ leading five-tier Golf Programme, in partnership with the St Andrews Links Trust, caters for pupils from age eight upwards, with a dedicated tier for Junior pupils. Pupils enrolled on the programme have unrivalled access to the outstanding Links courses in the ‘Home of Golf’, as well as expert coaching and state-of-the-art sporting technology.

Boarding at St Leonards is available from age 10 and, thanks to an ambitious £5 million refurbishment programme over the past five years, all three houses are equipped with state-of-the-art kitchens and spacious communal areas, which are regularly used for fun evening and weekend activities. Study bedrooms have been fitted with new built-in beds and desk spaces with modern storage, lighting and USB charging points - some of the rooms even offer views over the school playing fields to the sea beyond.

Each house has a distinct décor and unique personality. For example, St Rule, the Junior boarding house at St Leonards, is a real ‘home from home’ with a playful and informal aesthetic, and family at its heart. There are comfy bean bags for movie nights, as well as table tennis and pool for evening games. The design of all three houses is underpinned by the same ethos: to provide a truly special boarding experience that is rooted in tradition, but continually adapting and evolving to meet the needs of today’s young people.

At St Leonards, the healthy balance of outstanding sporting and co-curricular programmes alongside academic studies and outdoor learning opportunities ensures that pupils leave equipped with the skills to succeed in today’s everchanging world. Truly an education ‘Ad Vitam’.

Craigclowan Preparatory School

5772 Scotland

(Founded 1952) Edinburgh Road, Perth, Perth & Kinross PH2 8PS Tel: 01738 626310 Fax: 01738 440349

Email:

headspa@craigclowan-school.co.uk Website: www.craigclowan-school.co.uk Head of School: John Gilmour Appointed: October 2014 School type: Co-educational Day Age range of pupils: 3–13 years No. of pupils enrolled as at 01/01/2022: 212

Fees per term as at 01/01/2022:

Day: £4,950 Average class size: 14 Teacher/pupil ratio: 1:9

Craigclowan Prep School, set on a hillside to the South of the Fair City of Perth, provides a warm and nurturing environment for boys and girls aged 3-13. Surrounded by stunning grounds with magnificent views over Perthshire, the school has a distinguished history, a reputation for the highest standards and expectations and a passion for childhood. The learning environment delivers a modern education within a framework of proven traditional values, effectively balancing the best of old and new in education. Beginning with the youngest pupils, who join the nursery after their third birthday, children’s input in planning activities is valued, engendering curiosity within each child and promoting opportunities to explore, progress and flourish at their own pace.

With a friendly, caring and supportive ethos, the staff are able to get to know the children closely and treat them as individuals in all they do. Each child at Craigclowan will have a talent or gift for something; the school’s mission is to discover and nurture this to allow them to thrive. Every pupil is encouraged to achieve their all-round potential, academically, on the sports field and in more than 50 extra-curricular activities on offer, ranging from skiing, on the school’s own dry ski slope, to art clubs, judo, kayaking, bushcraft skills and fencing.

The school is a hive of activity and the outdoor classroom, all-weather training ground, sports fields, Forest School and trim trail are in daily use. The children make the most of the world outside the classroom through a wide range of outdoor activities that build confidence and resilience, encourage creativity and problem solving and ensure rosy cheeks and muddy boots. Wellie boots are a must!

When it comes to moving on to senior school, pupils attend a wide variety of top UK schools, both north and south of the border, many with scholarships. The values that are instilled in pupils during their journey through Craigclowan, are the qualities that allow them to thrive after they leave.