'The Magic of Freedom' - Headmaster Neil Tomlin features in the BSA Guide to Boarding
We’re thrilled that Mr Tomlin has had a feature article published in The Service Parents’ Guide to Boarding Schools and The BSA Guide to Boarding Schools in September 2026.
You can read his article below:
The Importance of Sport, Outdoor Education and Technical Skills for Winning in Today’s World
A prep school education needs to have academic excellence at its core so that its pupils are equipped for life and can secure places at their chosen secondary schools. This is about learning to think critically, question intelligently, and express yourself persuasively, about developing a curious mind and having the confidence to use it.
An excellent education must also be holistic and all-round, developing the whole child and giving every pupil the opportunity to find ‘their thing’. A great education should include sport, outdoor education and technical skills.
School days should be filled with adventure, challenge and opportunity with ample opportunities to enjoy success, learn from failure and overcome the occasional hurdle, while also nurturing the lifelong friendships that so often begin at school.
The fullness of life at a school should celebrate individuality as well as teaching teamwork, empathy, emotional intelligence, openness and resilience. These human traits empower children to achieve their very best, knowing that they will be supported by family, friends and teachers, who can all act as mentors for life’s ups and downs.
The Vital Role of Sport in Education
A school’s sports and activities programmes should not be an add-on but integral to a holistic education. This is where children discover their passions, turn their talents into skills, and learn that life's richest experiences often happen outside the classroom.
At Belhaven Hill School, the prep school in East Lothian for 4-to-13-year-olds, the magic lies in a sense of freedom, and sports play a vital role in that.
Belhaven’s new headmaster, Neil Tomlin OBE, says: “With over 60% of pupils boarding and full day for day children, our school has something increasingly rare: more time for children to develop deep interests outside the classroom, not just sample them superficially.
“We balance team sports - rugby, hockey, cricket, netball and football - with individual pursuits like swimming, athletics, cross-country running, tennis and golf. That means children can dream of playing representative sports or simply stay active and healthy, while developing their talents and interests.”
Sport at a good prep school is about character as much as competition. Sport teaches pupils teamwork, resilience, courtesy, grace in victory, and dignity in defeat. The trend towards mixed cricket, football and cross-country running, embraced by Belhaven, ensures that boys and girls develop a healthy respect for each other's strengths and adds to the many life lessons they can learn from sport.
The best prep schools go much further by giving pupils a broad co-curricular programme that balances Sport with Music, Art, Design and Drama and Outdoor Education.
The Value of Outdoor Education
Outdoor activities build resilience and create memories that last a lifetime, which is why many prep schools offer a wonderfully wide variety. Activities can range from skiing and snowboarding, sailing and paddle-boarding, and surfing and coasteering, to rock climbing and abseiling, archery and orienteering, camping, bushcraft and mountain biking.
Belhaven, located next to a sweeping sandy beach in East Lothian, has been recognised for its outdoor education, winning 'Best for Outdoor Pursuits' in The Week Awards 2025. Pupils learn vital life skills from identifying flora and fauna, cooking on camp stoves, playing outdoor games, building emergency shelters, and learning how to light fires.
Reflecting that developing leadership skills is also extremely valuable, Belhaven has a year-long Adventurous Leaders Programme for each year’s leavers. This aims to foster independent leadership and resilience using the natural resources on the school’s doorstep in Scotland.
The Importance of Mastering Technology
Learning to master technology has never been more important, and today’s pupils need to be as comfortable in the digital world as they are in the natural one. That is why Belhaven launched its new Makerspace in 2025, a state-of-the-art technology facility with a clean studio for conceptual design and digital creativity, and a workshop where prototypes can be tested and built.
The school’s STEM learning is inspired by the UN's 17 Sustainable Development Goals to keep children engaged with the world's big challenges.
