Lathallan Private School

• Item Area: Johnshaven, Aberdeenshire, Scotland
• Age of students: from 6 months to 18 years,
• Type of study: blended,
• Language of instruction: English.

• Location: Johnshaven, Aberdeenshire, Scotland,
• Number of students: 194,
• Age of students: From 6 months to 18 years,
• Language of instruction: English,
• Type of education: Mixed,
• Programs: Scottish curriculum,
• Headmaster: Richard Toley.

Lathallan School is a Scottish independent co-educational boarding school located in a unique location on the coast, between Montrose and Aberdeen. Lathallan offers students an inspiring place to master the Scottish curriculum at a high level. The school is known for its small class sizes (up to 12 students), a strong science curriculum, athletic excellence, and an outdoor education program.

Lathallan is praised as a small school, for its close-knit family community, which is difficult to replicate in larger schools. There is no impersonality here, Lathallan is described as a friendly school with a cozy atmosphere, as the headmaster proudly admits, every staff member knows each child by name and character.

Like many independent schools in Scotland, Lathallan follows the Excellence Curriculum (CfE), the national curriculum for children from 3 to 18 years old, which is offered in all public schools in the country. Pupils study a wide range of subjects up to the age of 16 (much wider than the standard GCSE) before specialising in 3-5 subjects during the final two years of their studies.

Through Lathallan Pathways, specialists lead classes in science, French, music, art, physical education, and information technology. Science begins in J3 with biology, physics, and chemistry. Lessons increase from two per week in J3 to five in J7. Biology classes are conducted separately from S1. Students independently plan and carry out practical investigations every week.

All students learn outside the classroom every week throughout the year. From March to December 2023, the school organized more than 200 such activities across the curriculum. Farm duties are part of the curriculum for every class, from nursery through S6.

Staff help students choose university courses and institutions, complete applications, write personal statements, and prepare for interviews.

Every student has a form tutor. Peer mentors offer advice and support to other students.

• Nursery: Hedgehogs for ages 0–20 months, Otters for ages 20 months–3 years, Squirrels for ages 3–4, and Badgers for ages 4–5,
• Junior School,
• Senior School.

The Junior School and Senior School educate children ages 5–18.

The nursery offers full-time and part-time places for children ages 6 weeks–5 years.

Programs:

• SQA National 5, Higher, and Advanced Higher qualifications,
• Lathallan Pathways for J1–J4,
• Higher Biology: DNA, metabolism, the interdependence of living organisms, and sustainability,
• Environmental Science at National 5 and Higher levels: the living environment, climate change, Earth's resources, and sustainability,
• Lathallan Performance Academy: a ten-month development program for rugby and netball players ages 14–18.

Foreign students can attend for one term, a full academic year, or their entire secondary education.

• The Advanced Higher pass rate was 96% in 2021,
• In 2021, 72% of students earned A grades at Advanced Higher,
• The Higher pass rate was 97% in 2021,
• In 2021, 88% of students earned A/B grades at Higher,
• In June 2021, 77% of LAMDA drama exam results were Distinctions,
• All 28 participants reached the summit on a school expedition to Kilimanjaro.

• Lathallan was voted the best small independent school in the UK in 2021,
• In 2023, Lathallan School was awarded the Gold Seal of Excellence for Out-of-Class Learning (LOtC), making it the only comprehensive school in Scotland to receive this award,
• Four alpacas live at the school: Fluffy, Macapaca, Popcorn, and Marmalade. Students feed and exercise them and maintain their living spaces,
• The school has pledged to balance its carbon emissions by 2030,
• Through its social enterprise Pipers’, the school has donated to charity since 2014,
• The school pipe band celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2024,
• In the 2023/24 academic year, the school celebrated 15 years of involvement in Eco Schools,
• The school works with The Haven Foodbank in Stonehaven to reduce food waste,
• Students monitor electricity use in school buildings and remind others to turn off equipment during breaks.

Graduates have received university offers for courses in:

• Science,
• Engineering,
• Business,
• Law,
• The arts.

Lathallan School offers boarders the opportunity to live and study in an almost real castle, there is a choice of full board and flexible.

Lathallan School offers boarding for students ages 11–18 in a 19th-century castle. Options include full boarding seven days a week, weekly boarding with weekends at home, and flexible boarding for a minimum of two nights per week arranged in advance.

Evening classes for boarders are held during the week, there are no Saturday classes.

Breakfast is served from 7:30 to 8:00 a.m. Meals include produce from the school farm. Day students can stay for dinner.

School life at Lathallan provides children with fantastic opportunities for academic and social development. Pupils are actively encouraged to participate in a wide range of activities combined with a strict curriculum schedule. After classes at Lathallan, students can use all the school's facilities and regularly travel off campus on weekends.

Lathallan has a strong sporting tradition, with more than 20% of students competing in sports at regional or national level. The main strongest areas are rugby (7s competitions are held here annually) and netball (in the last two years, the school team has won four national titles), hockey, cricket, tennis, athletics, basketball, cross-country and swimming.

• Cycling and triathlon.

Students are also given a wide range of choices in the field of music education: students can choose to learn to play the piano, keyboard, violin, guitar, clarinet, snare drums, bagpipes, flute and cello. The school remains committed to its Scottish heritage, with flute and marching drum lessons.

About half of the students take regular individual music lessons. Additional options include double bass, brass instruments, drum kit, voice, and chanter.

Extracurricular activities are offered throughout the week, held in the afternoon, and personal development activities (PDAs) are organized every Friday. Students can learn innovative art, educate as a barista in an on-site café, become radio station hosts or start their own jam business, can participate in farming, golf, archery, knitting, photography, climbing, skiing.

All Senior School students participate in Personal Development Afternoons (PDA). Students can write for the Brotherton Post school publication. Other options vary by season and include dressmaking, water sports, journalism, magic, flying, and auditions for school shows.

Other programs and activities:

• The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award at Bronze, Silver, and Gold levels for S3–S6 students,
• LAMDA drama classes that prepare students for exams set by the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art,
• Annual productions, concerts, plays, recitals, and music competitions involving students from J1 through S6,
• Since 2014, S3 students have taken part each year in The Wood Foundation's Youth and Philanthropy Initiative,
• On Fridays, pupils serve baked goods and drinks to the school community at Pipers’, led by a student manager,
• House competitions: Livingston, Nelson, and Scott in the Junior School, and Aberdeen, Montrose, and Stonehaven in the Senior School. The house with the most points at the end of the year receives a cup,
• At least one activity or trip every weekend for boarders, with visits to the Angus glens and the coast, dinners, dances, movies, Edinburgh's Christmas markets, and rugby at Murrayfield,
• A six-day trip to Wales in the 2022/23 academic year, with rock climbing, surfing, coasteering, and camping,
• A week on the snowy slopes of Salzburg for 33 students from S1–S6 in the 2022/23 academic year.

• Following its 2018 inspection, Education Scotland rated the school and nursery Good in every area,
• Lathallan has the highest participation and completion rates for the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award among independent schools in Scotland,
• In the 2023/24 academic year, the school received its sixth Eco-Schools Green Flag Award,
• Aberdeenshire's only boarding school,
• In its 2018 inspection, Education Scotland identified the school's outdoor education as practice worth sharing more widely.

Lathallan School always fascinates first-time visitors when they see Brotherton Castle rising in a 60-acre green area. Located on the northeast coast overlooking the sea, Lathallan provides ample opportunities for outdoor learning, for students to walk. Woodland and parkland lead directly to the rocky coastline and a local fishing village.

The school is located in the countryside but with good transport links, with Montrose and Laurencekirk train stations 15 minutes away and Aberdeen Airport just 40 minutes away. Six school bus routes run daily: North, Royal Deeside, South, Edzell, Auchenblae, and Arbroath. The Stagecoach X7 Coastrider stops next to the entrance.

On the territory there are:

• A special classroom in the treehouse,
• Rope park,
• Orchard,
• Gardens,
• Apple Orchard, 
• Mini-farm,
• Zip lines,
• A polytunnel for growing fruit and a potato field.

Chickens are kept on the farm.

Lathallan School's state-of-the-art science centre includes laboratories for three natural sciences and a working greenhouse laboratory for environmental sciences. Thanks to these opportunities, students successfully enter leading universities for STEM subject specializations. The science center includes a Junior School laboratory, separate physics, chemistry, and biology labs, an eco-garden, and an outdoor teaching area. S6 students have a separate area for independent Advanced Higher preparation.

Lathallan School is equipped in accordance with high modern standards and has a modern infrastructure:

• Computer classes,
• Pool,
• Sports pavilion and grounds,
• Library,
• Music classes,
• Science Center,
• Tennis courts,
• Gym,
• Fitness room,
• Hockey and football fields,
• Arts Center.

The academic year at Lathallan School lasts from September to June. The year is divided into 3 trimesters, between which vacations are organized:

• Autumn trimester (September – December),
• Christmas Vacation (2 weeks),
• Spring trimester (January – March),
• Easter holidays (2 weeks),
• Summer term (April – June),
• Summer holidays (2 months, July and August).

A typical school day begins with registration at 8:30 a.m. and includes nine lessons lasting 40–50 minutes each. The nursery is open Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., 50 weeks a year. Performance Academy sessions run from September to June on Wednesdays from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.

The registration fee is nonrefundable. A deposit is required to secure a place.

Extra nights of flexible boarding are charged separately.

Additional costs:

• Visa fee,
• Registration fee,
• Deposit,
• Medical insurance,
• Flights,
• Transfer,
• Accommodation on board,
• Personal expenses,
• Activities and excursions,
• Exam fees for all students taking exams,
• Some personal development activities, including archery, drama and dance, and Junior School tennis,
• Individual music and drama lessons, billed separately by the teachers.

Families can explore the school year-round through an in-person visit or a virtual tour.

The main steps to studying at Lathallan School:

• Pay the registration fee. Lathallan School is known for its small size: today the number of students does not exceed 250, classes on average consist of 12 students,
• Pass an interview with the director,
• Receive an invitation to study and pay a deposit for a place.

To apply, you must provide the following documents:

• School report card for the last 2 years,
• Detailed description from the class teacher,
• Certificate confirming the level of English,
• Copies of diplomas, awards, certificates (if any).

Lathallan School is known for its small size: today the number of students does not exceed 250, classes consist of an average of 12 people.

In one university admissions cycle, 21 students in S6, the final year of Senior School, applied through UCAS, the UK's university application system. All received at least one conditional offer. At that stage of the cycle, ten students already had at least one unconditional offer, and three had made their firm university choice.

Most applications in that cycle were submitted before the December break. Every one of those applicants received an offer within two days.

Lathallan School admits students without strict selection, considers candidates with any abilities - who have strengths not only in academic fields, but also in sports, drama, who, for example, have bright leadership qualities.

International students will first need to prove their level of English.

• There are no entrance exams. Each child is assessed individually,
• Performance Academy applicants should show commitment, discipline, and a desire to lead.

Lathallan School offers excellent facilities to enable all young people to succeed in their endeavors. The Lathallan Scholarships are designed to celebrate talent and reward the achievements of high school students, with a limited number of scholarship slots offered for excellent students.

Selection is based on outstanding ability and potential. The usual tuition discount is 5–25%.

Regardless of whether the child is a current or potential student, the school encourages them to apply for an S5 scholarship in their chosen field of expertise. As a Lathallan scholarship holder, the child will not only increase their prestige, but also receive a tuition discount of up to 25%. Scholarships are open to candidates with any background and can be provided together with a scholarship to receive assistance on a fee-for-service basis. S5 scholarship awards are available in the following areas:

• Academic,
• All-around,
• Sport (general),
• Rugby,
• Netball,
• Drama,
• Music,
• Bagpipes/Marching Drums,
• Ecology.

A scholarship can be combined with financial aid, with the amount determined by the family's finances. This assistance takes the form of a discount on the annual school charges when financial need is demonstrated.

• Guardianship services during the studies
• Student supervision