St Leonards School South Street, St Andrews, KY16 9QJ, Fife 01334 472126

registrar@stleonards-fife.org stleonards-fife.org Featured news and articles

School type	Co-educational Day & Boarding Preparatory, Senior & Sixth Form
Founded	1877
Head	Mr Simon Brian
Co-ed Age Range	5-18 years (boarding from 10)
Number of pupils	570
Day fees per annum	£11,586 - £18,765 per annum
Boarding fees per annum	£28,392 - £44,232 per annum
Average Class Size	12-20
Teacher/Pupil ratio	1:7
Associations	BSA, HMC, ISC, IB

St Leonards is an independent, co-educational boarding and day school situated in an historic campus at the heart of the seaside, university town of St Andrews. It offers a world of opportunities for pupils from age five to 18 to excel academically and develop interests outside the classroom, ultimately ensuring that they leave as rounded, courteous, and confident individuals, fully equipped to tackle the challenges of today's rapidly changing world.

St Leonards was named the UK's Independent School of the Year 2022 for International Student Experience at the Independent Schools of the Year Awards, and was Scotland's Independent School of the Year 2019 (The Sunday Times Parent Power Guide).

Pioneering since its foundation in 1877, St Leonards is proud to be an all-through International Baccalaureate (IB) World School, delivering the inspiring Primary Years Programme (PYP), followed by the Middle Years Programme (MYP), and two Sixth Form pathways in the form of the Career-related Programme (CP) or the Diploma Programme (DP).

GCSEs are offered in Years 10 and 11. This approach to learning ensures a seamless and coherent journey for pupils as they move up through the school, from Year 1 to Year 13. St Leonards is both international and progressive in outlook, yet rooted in Scottish tradition. Junior pupils have a dedicated teaching and learning area within the school campus, whilst also accessing and enjoying facilities in Senior areas of the school. From Year 1 upwards, pupils are taught by subject specialists for PE, Games, Music, Drama, and French, and from Year 3 the pupils also enjoy specialist teaching for Art.

In line with the IB Learner Profile, pupils are encouraged to be principled, caring, open-minded, knowledgeable, reflective, internationally-minded and balanced inquirers, thinkers, communicators, and risk-takers. All of these values align with the school's ethos of embedding outdoor learning as part of a rounded education, delivered both within the green and historic grounds, and beyond, on the beach, in the woods and on the water.

Beach School is a highlight of the weekly timetable, with PYP pupils enjoying lessons on the East Sands, just a two-minute walk from the school campus. These lessons are vibrant and varied, and include everything from honing subtraction skills by creating and solving problems in the sand, to investigating forces using ropes, barrels and found objects. Class reading books are taken down to the pier on bright days, to the fire pit in twilight hours, and into one of the school's two cosy yurts, complete with wood-burning stoves, in wet weather.

In addition, pupils develop their beekeeping, gardening, and bushcraft skills, both in curriculum lessons and as after-school activities, and prove themselves as 'risk-takers' with fun termly 'dooks' in St Andrews Bay, piped into the water in true Scottish style and warmed up by hot chocolates at the end!

A diverse programme of after-school activities opens doors to music, drama, dance, languages, film, arts and crafts, and a whole host of team and individual sports including hockey, rugby, football, lacrosse, swimming, running, and golf. St Leonards' leading six-tier Golf Programme, in partnership with the St Andrews Links Trust, caters for pupils from age eight upwards, with a dedicated tier for Junior pupils. Pupils enrolled on the programme have unrivalled access to the outstanding Links courses in the 'Home of Golf', as well as expert coaching and state-of-the-art sporting technology.

Boarding is available from age 10 and, thanks to an ambitious refurbishment programme, all houses are equipped with state-of-the-art kitchens and spacious communal areas, which are regularly used for fun evening and weekend activities. Study bedrooms have been fitted with new built-in beds and desk spaces with modern storage, lighting and USB charging points - some of the rooms even offer views over the school playing fields to the sea beyond.

Each house has a distinct décor and personality. For example, St Rule, the Junior boarding house, is a real 'home from home' with a playful and informal aesthetic, and family at its heart. There are comfy bean bags for movie nights, as well as table tennis and pool for evening games. All three houses are underpinned by the same ethos: to provide a truly special boarding experience that is rooted in tradition, but continually adapting and evolving to meet the needs of today's young people. Indeed, St Leonards was announced as the winner of the BSA Boarding Research Award (Boarding & Wellbeing 2022) for its commitment to delivering excellence in pastoral care and supporting pupil wellbeing.

At St Leonards, the healthy balance of outstanding sporting and co-curricular programmes alongside academic studies and outdoor learning opportunities ensures that pupils leave equipped with the skills to succeed in today's ever- changing world. Truly an education 'Ad Vitam'.