Military & FCDO Families
Military & FCDO (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) children
At Belhaven Hill, eligible Military families in receipt of the Continuity of Education Allowance (CEA) receive a 15% Forces fee concession.
Military children are welcomed with open arms to Belhaven and we are proud to be associated with the Armed Forces. We also have children here whose parents are in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). We recognise that life in these environments can cause upheaval for children and therefore that a safe, small, nurturing and stable prep-school education can play a really important part in creating the bedrock which these families need.
"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
As a full boarding school, our dormitories are full every Saturday and Sunday night when we are in school. Belhaven stands apart as the only full boarding prep-school in northern England and Scotland. We do not offer ‘flexi’ or ‘weekly’ boarding because this runs contrary to our ethos. Weekends are packed not just with children but with ‘busy’ children (and busy staff!). We run a vibrant weekend programme with lessons on a Saturday morning, sport or matches that afternoon and a wide range of activities for everyone to enjoy for the rest of the weekend through to Sunday night. The children are fully occupied in our 20 acres of school grounds, on one of Dunbar’s golf courses, on the wonderful beaches or on trips further afield to Edinburgh and beyond.
We have over 100 boys and girls, of whom over 60% full board. The remainder are day pupils. Our boarders include a number of long distance expats, as well as a small but very consistent handful of French and Spanish children. Many of our European pupils are the 2nd or 3rd generation to come to the school.
We offer an outstanding all-round education, unrivalled co-curricular programme and a ‘home from home’ environment. We ensure, through our excellent pastoral care, that our boys and girls settle in well and quickly adapt to boarding life.
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 on our fortnightly ‘weekends-out’.
When they reach 13, our children typically leave Belhaven for a variety of the top senior schools in England and Scotland. 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, Sedburgh, Sherborne, Sherborne Girls, Stowe, St Mary’s Calne, Strathallan, Tudor Hall and Uppingham.
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.
