Creating future memories at school

When you think back to your school days, what memories first come to mind? Is it the nerves and excitement as you packed your new schoolbag the night before the first day of term? The slightly chaotic joy of sports days in the blazing sun? Maybe it’s the lifelong friendships you made, or the advice and encouragement from a supportive teacher you’ve held on to as you entered further education or the working world.

The point is, our school years are important, and there are so many things we look back on fondly.

Difference

For the current generation of schoolkids, the past 18 months has left them with school memories very few adults will share. After all, school during the pandemic, and the various lockdowns it involved, has looked very different from what we all could have imagined.

Online lessons, virtual assemblies, learning at home through a laptop – schools adapted quickly to fill the gap left as students missed out on seeing classmates and teachers in person.

And, yet, the experience of the past 18 months has highlighted just how important school is; not only for learning, but for the support and community they provide to help students thrive academically and personally.

If you’re now determined to ensure that your child’s school years are as productive, informative and fun as possible, you may be considering an independent school.

Choice

The good news is, Scotland is home to some great independent schools, catering to all school years and both day and boarding students. In fact, you’ll be spoilt for choice.

Finding the right one for your child will help them create their own fond memories of school that, as adults, they too will reminisce over.

To help, in this supplement you’ll see some of the independent schools available in Scotland. We also share some tips on finance, choosing the right school and the importance of a school’s ethos.

We hope you enjoy reading and wish you well on your independent school search!

Key facts

The Scottish Council of Independent Schools undertakes an annual census to collate key facts and statistics about Scottish independent schools.

Here are some of the figures from 2020:

3.9% of pupils in Scotland attend an independent school

There is 1 teacher for every 7.9 pupils in SCIS schools

There are 28,724 pupils in 71 independent schools in Scotland

Of these pupils, 90.3% attend day school – 9.7% board

25.9% receive financial assistance

***Figures taken from www.scis.org.uk/ facts-and-figures on September 3, 2021.