School ties
Positioning places of learning in the heart of local communities
Whether it is through charitable trips abroad, lending a hand to the elderly or providing facilities for events and groups, there are plenty of ways Scotland’s independent schools benefit their communities, while developing lifelong skills for each individual.
John Edward, Director of the Scottish Council of Independent Schools, says: “The schools are contributing large amounts to the community.
“An economic impact study carried out a few years ago showed around a third of Perth and Kinross was attached to the independent schools sector.
“That is a huge responsibility in terms of employment and the children, in all sorts of areas including transport.”
He adds: “It is about that sense of responsibility, of being part of the community and [the schools] want to demonstrate their public benefits.
“That is not just in terms of bursaries for local children, but in terms of their facilities and resources being available.
“We need to continue to find inventive ways of reminding people that the schools are called independent because they are autonomous, not because they are isolated – no school wants to be kept away from the community.”
One such example lies in the east of Scotland, where the High School of Dundee’s plans to build a £12-million centre of excellence for performing and visual arts has been approved.
Rector Dr John Halliday says: “The idea is that it will be like a conservatoire for the whole of Tayside and the east of Scotland region, it is a really ambitious project. We still need another million and a half, so we are still very much in the fund-raising process.”
However, a move to benefit the wider community need not be a multi-million-pound project to make a difference. And that is clear to see at Compass School in Haddington, East Lothian.
Headmaster Mark Becher says: “We have really good relationships with different organisations, one being Haddington Rugby Football Club. We use their pitches and jointly employ the same rugby development officer... we have a tremendously good relationship with the club, and it is similar with local hockey and tennis clubs.
“Every year we support the
Haddington Show in any way we can, and we have loaned our facilities and some of our transport to local groups.
“It is really important not to be seen as some kind of exclusive school, hidden behind the hedge somewhere.”
Boys and girls at Erskine Stewart’s Meville Schools in Edinburgh are also involved with their local community in a number of ways, and the group were among the first Scottish schools to participate in the international Youth and Philanthropy Initiative (YPI).
Principal Linda Moule says: “All our second years do YPI and they research a local registered charity and find out how it is funded, staffed and its aims.
“They visit it before carrying out a presentation and there is also an competition element to it.
“The winning team is gifted £3,000 to give to their charity, but the key thing is engaging with those charities and raising awareness.”
Schemes such as the Duke of Edinburgh Award (DOE) provide endless opportunities for young people to enhance their CVS, gain new skills and push personal boundaries.
Alex Hems, head of St George’s School for Girls in Edinburgh, says: “A huge number of those undertaking the DOE will be volunteering, and we try to be very much open and connected to other schools.”
Many of Scotland’s independent places of learning offer the International Baccalaureate, which involves a community service element. St Leonards School in St Andrews is one that offers the qualification. Head Dr Michael Carslaw says: “There are all sorts of different ways we get involved in the community, such as through the Rotary Club of St Andrews and campaigns they are involved in.”
The independent schools sector as a whole employs more than 10,600 people in Scotland. And Loretto School in Musselburgh is a significant employer in its corner of the country. Pupils and staff at the school engage with the local population a great deal.
Head Dr Graham Hawley says: “We have a service activity which takes a number of children out into the community and they will often work in the primary schools, so we have a great link with the town’s Burgh Primary School.
“We have a group who go into care homes to talk with the elderly, and we have a number working at charity shops in Musselburgh High Street.”
Many of the institutions in Scotland’s autonomous education sector try to instil this inclusive attitude in individuals when the pupils are as young as possible. Indeed, even at the nursery stage, links with local amenities are fostered at a tender age.
For example, Early Days Nurseries in Edinburgh makes the most of the group’s vibrant city-centre settings by taking children to Princes Street Gardens, the Royal Botanic Garden and the Capital’s art galleries.
Early Days also collaborates with other nurseries and schools in the Capital through the city council’s Early Learning Improvement Partnership.
Owner Maureen Crandles says: “It is such a help that we share practice. It is no longer competitive these days, but about making sure these wee people start well at whatever school, by all working together.
“We know the people that they are going to be with next, they know what we have been doing and we share the child’s learning journal, and so it is really productive.”
Jonathan Anderson, headmaster of Merchiston Castle School in Edinburgh, is also keen that his boys are productive in the wider world. He says: “It is important that [pupils] are out there, helping and volunteering where they can, sharing their expertise as rugby coaches, and as mentors and classroom assistants.
“It’s invaluable experience for them and hopefully gives something back to the community that we are very much apart of.”
It is really important not to be seen as an exclusive school, hidden behind the hedge somewhere