Independent Schools Guide: Putting pupils at the heart of the community

A young Mary Erskine pupils physically demonstrates the collected ESMS ethos

Scotland’s independent schools sector aims to provide an all-round education and develop not just academic excellence within each individual but the whole child, putting a clear emphasis on character building.

As part of that ambition, pupils at each of the 74 Scottish Council of Independent Schools members thrive on the many partnerships between the schools and their local and wider community.

“Community is at the heart of what we are trying to do here,” says Heather Fuller, head teacher at the High School of Glasgow’s Junior School.

“We are trying to encourage our children to participate in our local community as well as the wider community through a number of different practical things.

“For example, the distribution of the school’s Harvest Boxes, which are filled with provisions for local charities and food banks.

“It is really important for us to get children out in the community – and being active members of the community – so that they build a sense of responsibility early on.”

A few miles south, at Wellington School in Ayr, the staff share that belief and the school is woven into the fabric of the historic town.

Headmaster Simon Johnson says: “Wellington is very much a part of the community and, unlike some independent schools, we do not operate in isolation here – we do an awful lot with the community.”

As it is one of the smaller independent schools, Wellington has developed a long-standing partnership with the local rugby club, Ayr RFC.

The collective talent of players benefits from an amalgamation of facilities as well as coaching staff at both the local club and the school team, Ayr Wellington.

Wellington School is also proud of its fundraising capabilities, with its sixth year pupils selecting a local charity to raise funds for each year.

At the end of last year, Sixth Year boys and girls presented staff at Ayrshire Hospice with a cheque for almost £30,000.

The whole school came together to raise the funds through a series of activities such as sponsored walks and fairs throughout the year.

And getting involved with the community through such activities brings with it a wealth of benefits, not only for the school and the organisations which they support, but just as importantly for the pupils.

Linda Moule, principal at Erskine Stewart’s Melville Schools (ESMS) in Edinburgh, says that boys and girls in her charge also develop business skills and gain confidence through their charitable efforts.

She says: “Involvement in the community is hugely important as we foster a sense of the importance of giving back and volunteering and being part of the community within our children.

“Volunteering can be things like helping with coaching. Sport is a great way of helping people in the community, and many pupils are keen to build up their sporting credentials. When they are offering coaching skills it is a really good way of creating good links for years to come and building up health benefits.”

Each year, S2 girls at ESMS’ Mary Erskine School partake in the national Youth Philanthropy Initiative (YPI), which aims to encourage young people to make a difference in their local community.

Moule explains: “They go and speak to the charity and conduct interviews, find out how it is funded and do a presentation on it, delivered in the classroom and later to a panel of judges from YPI.

“The winning group is given a grant of £3,000 which they donate to their charity. Often the children will then get involved in supporting that charity long term.”

But Scotland’s independent schools sector is now finding innovative ways of getting involved with local organisations and becoming true members of the community.

Strathallan School, in Forgandenny, Perthshire, has formed links with the Inspiration Orchestra, a Bridge of Earn-based project aimed at enabling disabled people to play music.

Mark Lauder, the school’s headmaster, explains: “We have design and technology projects that are aimed at developing ways to help people in the orchestra hold heavy or awkwardly-shaped instruments.

“It is a bit more 21st century in terms of design and technology projects, but it is all about coming up with creative ways to benefit the Inspiration Orchestra and develop the skills of the pupils.”

Strathallan has also been working with four local primary schools to teach Gaelic music lessons.

Although the school doesn’t offer a national module on the subject, there are Gaelic-speaking teachers on its staff list, meaning pupils can benefit from their knowledge.

While the term “community” very much refers to each school’s surroundings and nearby towns, importance is placed by this outward-looking sector on the wider and global community.

Independent schools are often well connected overseas, such as Merchiston Castle School in Edinburgh, which opened up a campus in Shenzhen, China, a year and a half ago, and St Leonards School in St Andrews, which is part of the International Baccalaureate network of nearly 3,000 schools.

Meanwhile, Edinburgh Steiner School is part of a 1,000-strong global network of Steiner Waldorf schools and early years settings.

The school has a strong focus on social inclusion and so pupils in their second last year take on a social awareness module.

Alistair Pugh, its Chair of College, maintains: “They may be doing exam preparation at other times of the day, but at some point in the day they will go out into the community. That may be to sing or to help at care homes, to do what they feel the community needs.”

Pupils across the sector also gain key life skills when working with organisations in the community by taking on initiatives such as the Duke of Edinburgh Award or the John Muir Award.

Both require participants to take on some form of volunteering to pass each stage and ultimately complete the schemes.

Alex Hems, headmistress at St George’s School for Girls in Edinburgh, says that her boarders and day pupils are encouraged to be part of their community through fundraising activities such as these.

Pupils will also be able to engage further with their wider community as the school is now developing a course for its S2 girls which will look at global perspectives. Hems adds: “Work in the community is not just about giving money to organisations, although that is also important. It ensures that the girls can see the importance of their time and efforts.

“Allowing pupils to have that face-to-face contact with those organisations they are learning about is very, very important for their learning.”