Age range. 5–13 Co-educational.
Number of pupils. 147 pupils: 62 girls, 85 boys; 67 Boarders, 53 Day (in Prep School – 8-13yrs).
Fees per term (2024-2025). Day: £4,750–£8,950 per term; Boarding: £11,250 per term.
Religion. Non-denominational.
Overlooking the sea in an idyllic East Lothian location, Belhaven Hill School is a co-educational, independent boarding and day school for 5 to 13-year-olds. Since its establishment in 1923, the school has focused on developing well-rounded, happy, confident children through a strong academic curriculum, lots of sport and a broad co-curricular programme. Ideally placed just off the A1, it is close to a mainline London–Edinburgh railway station, only 30 miles from central Edinburgh and less than an hour to Edinburgh airport.
A boarding and day school, Belhaven has a long tradition of providing a first class all-round education before sending its pupils far and wide to all the leading public schools in both Scotland and England. These include Ampleforth, Eton, Downe House, Fettes, Glenalmond, Gordonstoun, Harrow, Loretto, Marlborough, Merchiston, Oundle, Radley, Rugby, Sherborne, Stowe, Strathallan, Tudor Hall, Uppingham and Winchester. Committed and enthusiastic members of staff work with small classes of between 10–16 pupils. There is ample opportunity for scholarship and extended work, resulting in an impressive number of awards being gained every year. A strong learning support department with four dedicated, trained staff provides one-to-one and small group tuition.
Belhaven pupils are renowned for being happy children and this is in no small part due to the 'innovative and sector-leading' pastoral care (Care Inspectorate Report, February 2023) provided for day pupils and boarders alike. The majority of staff live on site and the policy of the governors has been to keep the school comparatively small in order to retain a family atmosphere. A full-time School Nurse and a team of matrons (day and night) take care of the children around the clock. A Deputy Head Pastoral is in overall charge of pastoral care.
The school has an excellent reputation for sport with rugby, netball, hockey, cricket, tennis, running and athletics, making up the main part of the sporting programme. Swimming takes place from April to October in the school’s heated outdoor pool. In addition, opportunities abound for a wide variety of other recreational activities: skiing, surfing, sailing, horse riding, golf on the adjacent links course and gardening for those who want to grow their own produce in the school’s walled garden. An extensive Activity Programme offers something for everyone to discover and enjoy such as charity work, debating, ‘mastermind’, knitting, model-making, computer programming and coding, cookery, crafts, chess, fencing, girls’ rugby, mixed football, mixed lacrosse, archery, engineering and reeling, to name but a few.
Music and Drama flourish at Belhaven and every child has ample opportunity to perform in regular concerts and productions throughout the year. LAMDA tuition is available and Academic Music and Drama lessons are now included in the timetable. A stand-alone music building houses a vibrant department which caters for a wide range of instrumental ensembles including its own Pipe Band and two choirs. Over 90% of the children play one or more instruments, with specialist tuition provided by a team of peripatetic music staff. Outdoor Education has always been on the agenda at Belhaven, but is now taking on a more prominent profile, with timetabled lessons for the junior years and expeditions for the seniors.
Belhaven has now embarked on the first phase of the Development Plan enabled by the Centenary Campaign. A Makerspace, an inspirational standalone facility to enhance the opportunities for creative and computational thinking via the design process, will be opened in spring 2025 and, together with bursaries, forms an exciting new chapter for the School. There are further plans to improve the facilities for swimming and indoor sport and the Performing Arts.
Belhaven places the child at the core of everything it does. The school’s values of Courage, Creativity and Courtesy, encourage every child to ‘have a go’ and to do so with ingenuity, good grace and kindness, instilling a belief that they can have a positive influence on the world around them. The ‘Belhaven Award’, structured in line with these three core values, invites the children to challenge themselves by learning a variety of life skills from bronze to gold level. Ultimately, Belhaven aims to provide the children with the practical skills and the mindset to be able to shape the world around them and meet with confidence the challenges of the 21st century.
Means-tested bursary support is available. Fee concessions are available for children of members of the armed forces. For a prospectus and more information please see our website www.belhavenhill.com or contact Olivia Reynolds our Admissions and Development Officer at admissions@belhavenhill.com. Charitable status. Belhaven Hill School Trust Ltd is a Registered Charity, number SC007118. Its aim is to educate children in the fullest sense of the word.