Cargilfield Preparatory School

• Location: Edinburgh, Scotland,
• Year of foundation: 1873,
• Number of students: more than 300,
• Language of instruction: English,
• Type: mixed.

Cargilfield Preparatory School is a private preparatory school for children from 3 to 13 years old.

The institution was founded in 1873 by a member of the Episcopal Church and former rugby unionist Daniel Charles Darnell. Cargilfield Preparatory School was the first and for a long time the only preparatory school in Scotland.

Now about 300 boys and girls study at the school in programs from preschool to 8th grade. Students are offered high-quality programs, exciting activities outside the classroom, comfortable accommodation and an individual approach.

Thanks to principal John Elder, who was in the school's management from 2003-2012, homework was canceled.

More than 60 iPads are installed on campus, which are available for use during lessons or outside of school.

Children are provided with places in the dormitory, which is located in the main school building. Boys and girls live separately. You can book accommodation on campus for any period: from one night to several weeks or a semester. Weekly students are in rooms from Monday to Friday, however all students have access to boarding weekends with accommodation from Friday to Sunday.

The daily routine of all residents is the same:

• 7:10-7:50 – lifting and washing, cleaning beds, breakfast,
• 8:00 to 18:00 – academic and extracurricular activities,
• 18:00 – dinner,
• 18:45 – additional classes,
• 20:00-21:10 – washing, going to bed.

On weekends, children start their day a little later - from 8:30 to 9:00.

Students of the school living on campus are provided with three meals a day. Dishes are prepared according to a cyclical three-week menu, contain seasonal vegetables and fruits, cereals, meat and dairy products. Yogurt, fruit and juices, cereals and toast are usually served for breakfast, and at lunch and dinner children can choose soups, salads, hot dishes.

The cost of accommodation during the week is £ 7610 per trimester, and a day stay for students in grades 4-8 will cost £ 6210 per semester.

In the daily schedule of students there are always sports training and creative activities. Clubs of additional education are musical, theatrical, art classes. The school offers participation in more than 50 clubs, the activities of which take place throughout the year in the afternoon or evening. Among the most popular hobbies among students: cooking, skiing, fencing, dancing, archery and others.

Also, all students have access to additional classes in academic subjects. Tutoring outside the classroom helps to tighten up topics in which the child feels insecure.

Throughout the year, a lot of events are organized on campus - the celebration of Halloween, Chinese New Year, Christmas and other international holidays.

• The school is a finalist in the UKMT Team Mathematics Challenge five consecutive years.
• Small classes for 14-16 children,
• School uniforms are compulsory.

The Cargilfield Preparatory School is equipped with many bright, comfortable and innovative rooms: lecture, computer and practical classes, laboratories and conference rooms, outdoor walking and sports grounds, a boarding house, a dining room and much more. Extracurricular activities are organised in art and music studios, on school grounds or off-campus in the public area.

The boarding school in Edinburgh has a small bus depot providing transportation services for students from campus to their homes.

Semester dates at Cargilfield Preparatory School:

• Autumn: August-November,
• Spring: December-March,
• Summer: April-July.

Classes are held on weekdays, activities - after classes or on weekends.

Additional costs:

• Deposit – 500£,
• Registration fee – 75£,
• Early Bird Club – £5.50 per session,
• Extended stay at the school – from 11.50 to 18.50 £ per lesson,
• Overnight at the guest house – 45£,
• Accommodation in a guesthouse on the weekend – £ 110 for two days.

Admission process at Cargilfield Preparatory School:

• Visit the campus to meet the teachers and school authorities (if possible),
• Fill in the registration form and pay the registration fee,
• Take a test day in kindergarten or entrance tests in school classrooms,
• Pay the entrance fee (deposit),
• Wait for a confirmation email.

Over the past three years, students of the school have entered institutions such as Ampleforth, Dollar Academy, Eton, Harrow, Edinburgh Academy, King's Canterbury and others. Also, graduates win higher academic scholarships in Eton, Winchester, Kicombe Abbey.

Age range for admission:

• Kindergarten: from 3 to 5 years,
• First class: from 5 to 6 years.

The school does not accept new students in grades 7 and 8, as the preparation for one or two years will not be sufficiently successful and effective.

Upon admission, it is necessary to provide:

• Personal documents: passport, medical insurance, visa or residence permit, etc.,
• Reports from the previous place of study for the last two years,
• Certificates, diplomas, diplomas and other distinctive awards, if any.

The school provides benefits for the payment of children's education:

• The third and subsequent children from the same family – 25%,
• Children of service personnel – 15%.

The city's governors are offering need-based scholarships designed for children who would not otherwise be able to attend school. However, priority will be given to talented guys, in the success of which the director will be more confident.

Scholarships are currently only offered to children over grade 4 and depend on how actively children will participate in school life. Awards amount to 100% of the amount of remuneration available in the fund. 

• Guardianship services during the studies
• Student supervision