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From the very first drive down Glenalmond College’s sweeping Front Avenue, it is clear this is no ordinary school. Glenalmond College is one of the most beautiful schools in the world. Its exceptional location is matched by its excellent academic offering and impressive track record for helping young boys and girls achieve their full potential.
The Scottish countryside serves as an extraordinary place for learning at this award-winning school. Students between the ages of 12 and 18 thrive in its unpolluted 300-acre grounds teeming with wildlife. Learning is done within a warm, tight-knit community. Since its foundation in 1847, Glenalmond has continued to flourish and as it continues its journey into the 21st century, it can be rightly proud of building an academic culture that’s at the forefront of modern education.
Glenalmond is set at the gateway to the Scottish Highlands and is located just an hour from Edinburgh and Glasgow. It offers students endless opportunities for activities, fun and friendship. It’s where some of the best memories are made for any adolescent and, with its beautiful Quad flanked by atmospheric cloisters and overlooked by an impressive Dining Hall, it deserves its place at the top of any Hogwarts-ranking scale! Indeed Glenalmond’s famous alumni include Scottish actor Robbie Coltrane, who played the half-giant, Rubeus Hagrid, in the Harry Potter series.
Preparing students for success at university and beyond
With a small student body of 360, students at Glenalmond enjoy a strong academic focus within the framework of a well-rounded education. Their small class sizes mean students benefit from personalised learning.
All pupils study for GCSEs and A Levels, with Scottish Highers also on offer and a curriculum spanning 25 subjects in the Sixth Form. Glenalmond works closely with pupils to help them develop their academic strengths, tailoring their education to fit individual needs.
Glenalmond provides an inspirational environment for young people to learn and grow. Source: Glenalmond College
Every pupil at Glenalmond is part of a Boarding House-based tutor group and sees their tutor three times a week. Each academic tutor works closely with their pupil to support their progress and has an overview of their academic performance across the subjects being studied.
Learning Support is run by a department of specially-trained staff to help support pupils to find effective learning strategies. There are also programmes, including the William Bright Society lecture series, to develop critical reasoning and nurture the academically gifted and those with artistic or sporting talents. It’s a proven recipe for student success — an impressive number of pupils achieve places at Oxbridge each year while a high proportion goes on to study at Russell Group universities.
An unparalleled learning experience
Around 75% of students at Glenalmond are full boarders who benefit from one of the biggest school grounds in the UK, providing students with a wonderful environment for a variety of sports and activities, as well as mindfulness. Ultimately, it serves as a healthy space to learn and grow.
The percentage of international students at Glenalmond is around 25%, with only 14% from outside Europe. This gives the school a healthy balance of differing nationalities while making sure that those overseas pupils who do want to improve their English get the opportunity to fully integrate and mix and speak with UK children.
Their exceptional teachers live on-site, providing students with the necessary support needed, including EAL (English as an Additional Language) for international pupils who require this support. To these educators, teaching is more than just a job, but a home and a community they share with pupils, friends and family. They help students flourish in their academic subjects, alongside sport, music, drama and art.
Glenalmond offers full and flexi boarding in its seven boarding houses within its stunning campus. It also welcomes day pupils who also have a room in a house to benefit from the richness and diversity that comes with a full boarding school.
While students may not be sorted into their houses with a sorting hat, they develop a great loyalty to their house, which has its own distinct character. Students in each boarding house will also benefit from a family atmosphere, essential for children living away from home.
A string of accolades
The school has a new fleet of minibuses which transport pupils to outdoor adventures and nearby attractions — with Edinburgh and Glasgow only an hour away. Glenalmond is also home to world-class facilities, including an Olympic-standard, water-based hockey astro, a nine-hole James Braid-designed golf course and a brand new indoor golf centre.
Glenalmond is a school where students make lifelong friendships and form some of the best memories.
Source: Glenalmond College
Facilities aside, the school has many accolades to its name. Its outstanding music, drama and art offerings, for instance, has made Glenalmond into the finals of the Performing Arts category of the Independent School of the Year Awards 2021.
It recently received an outstanding review in the Tatler Schools Guide 2022, with Tatler noting: “Glenalmond sets pupils up for life…leavers departed their beloved Coll fuelled with the ambition and knowledge to make a valuable contribution to the world.”
Glenalmond was recently named Scotland’s top academic boarding school in the LuxLife Awards and enjoyed double success in a prestigious competition run by The Queen’s College, Oxford University. Two of their students beat thousands of entries to emerge as the top entries from Scotland in the Anthea Bell Prize for Young Translators, aiming to promote language learning across the UK and inspire creativity in the classroom.
Ultimately, with a campus surrounded by natural beauty and quality education, Glenalmond will prove to be a bewitching experience for any student. To arrange a visit or to find out more about Glenalmond College, email admissions@glenalmondcollege.co.uk or call 01738 842144. The next Open Day is on December 4 – more info HERE.
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