Lomond School

Lomond School – A great place to live and learn

At Lomond School we believe that balance is what drives happiness and success.

Here, at Lomond School, focus is balanced with opportunities for adventure and the discovery of new skills. Traditional values are married with innovative thinking and inspirational teaching and as the west of Scotland’s only day and boarding school, Lomond School welcomes families from around the world to enjoy a first-class education and lifestyle where a strong British education is complemented by an international school community.

Our unique location in the coastal town of Helensburgh, on the edge of Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park, provides a perfect setting to deliver a rounded education which inspires achievement and enquiring minds.

Our pupils have access to fantastic facilities and passionate teachers and support staff who nurture each child’s individual progress. Our love for the outdoors and learning beyond the classroom presents a unique opportunity for our young people to develop a huge range of skills which build confidence and can be applied to academic learning and life beyond school.

At Lomond, pupils enjoy a lifestyle where a culture of hard work permeates but is complemented by a sense of fun and adventure. Whether pupils join at Sixth Form or complete their whole education at the school, Lomond’s young people leave with a strong sense of achievement and an appetite for lifelong learning.

From Junior 1 to S6, our dedicated and talented teaching staff deliver a rich and varied curriculum which ensures children are encouraged to love learning right from the start and are challenged and inspired throughout their school career. We aim to harness each child’s talents and strengths to ensure they become the very best that they can be.

Our Senior School pupils enjoy a broad curriculum with a wide range of subject choices, complemented with high levels of personalised support and expert guidance from staff with our exam results over recent years speaking for themselves; we were delighted to see all our 2020 S6 leavers this year achieve their first choice University place.

Our boarding house, Burnbrae, is home to up to 60 boys and girls from both the UK and around the world. We accept children from the age of 9 into boarding and we value the richness and diversity our international boarders bring to our school community.

As well as full-time boarders, we also welcome a number of boarders each year who come to experience language or immersion programmes for one term or one year. We are very happy to work with families to provide an option which best suits their circumstances.

Lomond School provides a great place to live and learn for all our pupils.

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Further information

Lomond School’s unique position in Scottish education is underlined by its co-educational boarding house, Burnbrae, located 100 metres from the main teaching block in nearby scenic Campbell Street. Built in 2003, this is home to up to sixty students aged from 9 years to 18 years and is characterised by:

• En-suite bathrooms in the double and single bedrooms
• Spacious social and recreational facilities
• Excellent standards of care and supervision
• A family ethos
• Flexible approach
• Full programme of activities
• Airport, visa and guardian services
• Academic and pastoral support
• Professionally trained staff
• Excellent e-mail/IT/communication systems

Boarding life is busy but rewarding. Boarders have a full day beginning with daily line up at 7.50am. Boarders play a full part in the life of the school and are at the forefront of much that goes on in terms of sport, music, drama and expeditions.

Weekends see boarders participate in their own extra-curricular activities which range from cinema trips, to sports fixtures, theatre outings, outdoor education and residential experiences. The pupils themselves generate many activities and are able to express ideas for the smooth running of the house through year groups committees, food committee and an overall House committee. The Heads of House (S6 pupils) play an active role in promoting pupil involvement.

Admissions & Fees

It is the overall aim of Lomond School to provide a high-quality all-round education, both to local families and to parents who may wish to take advantage of the Boarding provision. Lomond provides an extensive academic curriculum and the vast majority of school leavers go on to Higher or Further Education. Nevertheless, we cater for a range of ability levels and do not operate an academically selective policy. Prospective parents may, however, be advised that a vocational education would appear to be more suitable for their child.

In order to ensure that pupils can access the academic curriculum, are correctly placed in the right year-group and in suitable sets for the main subjects, and that pupil needs are appropriately met, the school wishes to obtain as much relevant background information about pupils as possible. To that end, they are either expected to spend a morning in school for an informal assessment (J1-T2) or to sit an entry paper (S1-S3) in English and Mathematics, usually in mid-January. Standardised national multi-choice question papers on Maths and English are used for entry purposes. We appreciate that circumstances dictate a more flexible approach on occasion. More senior pupils (S4-S6) have information about their public and internal examinations taken into account and the most recent set of school reports or a testimonial from their last school is helpful too.

Where a youngster has a specific disability, it is important that the school is informed prior to the relevant entry procedure so that appropriate support can be considered. Equally we do need to know of any learning support requirements or health issues in advance so that appropriate assistance can be given.

Assistance with fees is available up to a maximum 100%. Details of this programme can be found in the Fee Assistance section. Once a place is confirmed, further details are provided with reference to induction arrangements and are contained in a Parents’ Handbook issued before starting.