Military & FCDO Families

Military & FCDO (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) children

From 1st September 2025, Belhaven Hill School will be a '10%' school'. Eligible Military families in receipt of the Continuity of Education Allowance (CEA), with children from the ages of 7–13 years, will benefit from this decision that confirms our commitment to a full boarding Prep School education.

We are extremely proud to be associated with the Armed Forces and we also have children here whose parents are in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).

We recognise that the nature of these lives of service can lead to lots of change for children. A safe, small, nurturing and stable prep-school education can play a really important part in creating the bedrock that your family needs. After the reality of having to attend 2 or 3 different schools, Belhaven offers a non-selective and aspirational academic and holistic offering that will meet your family's needs in every regard. Our purpose is to offer breadth and choice.

"Belhaven has been a lifeline for us as a diplomatic family. Our eldest son started last year and loved it so much his 9-year-old brother followed soon after. Their confidence and zest for life has grown immeasurably since starting at the school. And with individual support for the 10+ exam, our eldest has been accepted into his first choice of senior school. We are very impressed with the combination of family atmosphere and outstanding learning support for the needs of every child".

Lyon family, Muscat

Certainty & Stability – Our Boarding Model

The fortnightly model that we have adopted is now exceptionally rare. At Belhaven, we offer straightforward choice between Boarding and Day, rather than Flexi or Weekly Boarding, as we believe that this offers parents and children crucial certainty. Certainty that the boarders will have their friends alongside them in their rooms for a fortnight; certainty that they will know and be known by the exceptional pastoral team that takes care of them; certainty that they will have an action-packed programme of weekend activities to enjoy with a full House and certainty that they will be totally immersed in the progressive emotional, academic and holistic education that they receive. It is this stability and consistency, and that mutual investment of time and trust between our outstanding boarding staff and children that, we believe, makes our model exceptional.

Award-Winning Outdoor Activities Programme

With over 60% of the prep school boarding, including children from the north of Scotland to the south of England and the cities of France and Spain, we have that vital ‘critical mass’ at weekends that enables us to put on a wonderful array of activities, such as skiing, sailing, surfing, coasteering, paddle-boarding, archery, cooking, riding, golf, swimming, designing and simply having fun with friends in our 20 acres of school grounds, just 2 from the beautiful beach and 40 minutes from Edinburgh. Our action-packed weekends often lead to parents referring to the school as ‘Belheaven’ and we recently won 'Best for Outdoor Pursuits' in The Week Awards 2025.

Transport Links

Belhaven is easily accessible by car, train and air. We are just off the main A1 road, a 10 minute walk to the train station for the East Coast Main Line (railway) between London and Edinburgh and a 40 minute drive from Edinburgh Airport. We have dedicated school buses which take our children to and from Northumberland, Dumfries, Perth, Dundee and Stonehaven and an accompanied train service to London Kings Cross on our fortnightly ‘weekends-out’.

Beyond Belhaven

When they reach 13, our children typically leave Belhaven for a variety of the top senior schools in Scotland and England. Our recent leavers have won places (including a very high percentage of academic, sport, music, art, drama and all-round scholarships) to the following senior schools, amongst others: Ampleforth, Downe House, Eton, Fettes, Glenalmond, Harrow, Loretto, Marlborough, Merchiston, Oundle, Radley, Rugby, Sedbergh, Sherborne, Sherborne Girls, Stowe, St Mary’s Calne, Strathallan, Tudor Hall and Uppingham. See our Scholarship News.

Belhaven provides a wonderfully supportive, nurturing and challenging environment for our daughter, with a continuity of education that allows us to move from post to post in full confidence that she is receiving an excellent education. For her part, our daughter has found Belhaven to be an extremely welcoming and friendly environment, and one that allows children to be themselves and to thrive; tree-climbing is one of her favourite activities, apparently! In selecting the school, we were particularly keen on the full-boarding ethos of Belhaven, knowing that our daughter will always have weekends packed with activities, and that her friends will remain alongside her. Knowing that she is receiving first-class pastoral support, in a boarding house that feels homely for her (I'm now losing count of the number of teddies that have migrated from to her dorm!), is certainly an important reassurance when we are located some distance away.

Atkins family, Istanbul

As you can imagine, everything described above makes us popular with Military, FCDO and European parents.

Testimonials

Military Family – Girls' Boarding
Current parent, Connie, talks about her daughter's experience of boarding at Belhaven from aged 8 and why joining the School has been the 'best decision they ever made'.

/i/video/BH_Podcast_Girls_Boarding.mp4

Military Family – Boys' Boarding
Old Belhavian Monty (2024) and his father talk about their experience as a military family at Belhaven – why they think it is a good choice for other military families and why joining the '10% club' from 1st September 2025 is so positive for military children.