Anna Dove

Team sports are a fundamental part of life at Scotland’s independent schools. In addition to academic results, the schools compete in everything from football to lacrosse and from tennis to show-jumping.

Some pupils will take their sport beyond the school team, excelling at a national or international level, and for the most part, independent schools will be flexible in their approach to accommodating training sessions for elite athletes alongside their class timetable.

At the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, 50 per cent of the gold-medalwinning women’s hockey team and 50 per cent of the silver-medalwinning men’s rugby sevens team had attended an independent school.

ESMS in Edinburgh can count a whole host of professionals among its alumni, including Scotland, Melrose and Newcastle Falcons lock Doddie Weir, slalom canoeist

Independent schools invest in the coaches and they have the facilities

David Florence who won three consecutive silver medals in the 2008, 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games, gold medal winning swimmer David Wilkie and Olympic silver medallist in track and field, Lynsey Sharp.

Glenalmond College in Perthshire is the alma mater of Scottish rugby union players David Leslie and Dougie Hall, Merchiston in Edinburgh has produced its fair share of rugby professionals, and Loretto in Musselburgh educated the late racing driver Jim Clark.

Healthy competition between the schools encourages high standards and independent schools make significant investments in providing the best facilities and coaching.

“Part of the reason for independent schools being so strong in sport is they invest in the coaches and they have the facilities,” says Dorothy Mcginty, headmistress at Kilgraston in Perthshire.

“We have three Astroturf pitches which means that we can play tennis all year round. We also have a full-sized sports hall so our games