St. Mary’s Prep School

St. Mary’s Prep School, located in the heart of the beautiful Scottish Borders town of Melrose offers co-educational day,

flexi and weekly boarding. Its proximity to the Borders Railway, the A68 and A7 make it an attractive option for families from the Borders, the central belt of Scotland and Northern England.

The School prides itself on the highest possible standards in all areas including academics and through sport, expressive arts, outdoor learning and a wide variety of clubs. The flexi-weekly boarding on offer is immensely popular due to a non-compulsory element to the provision. Pupils board because they want to, not because they have to, though weekly boarding is strongly encouraged in Form 8 to help prepare our pupils for full-boarding beyond St. Mary’s. The mix of experience, energy and youthfulness among the boarding staff in state of the art boarding facilities is second-to-none.

Common Entrance in Form 8 is the culmination of our pupils’ time at the school, with many of them having been with us since their first days in Kindergarten aged 2. A number of our senior pupils gain scholarships to various senior schools both north and south of the Border. Irrespective of which senior school they go on to, St. Mary’s school leavers depart as independent learners with the confidence and knowledge to face the new challenges ahead with resilience and an enthusiastic curiosity.

We are proud of our school and the manner in which the whole St. Mary’s family has dealt with the challenges of the last 2 years. This has shaped our Digital Strategy which now sees the use of technology in the classroom being optimised in our top two year groups. Meanwhile the new veranda garden project provides a first-class outdoor learning and mindfulness space. The Borders community is hugely important to St. Mary’s, and the school is an integral part of why this beautiful part of Scotland is so attractive to many relocating from all over the United Kingdom and further afield. Pay us a visit to experience the school and the wonderful setting we have, endorsed by our 2021 leavers, below.

‘Not just a school, it’s a family, a family which has supported our daughter in becoming the amazing young lady she is. Forever grateful to all in the St. Mary’s clan.’

‘This school believed in our son and saw his full potential. They supported him all the way’.