Fettes Preparatory School Prospectus

FETTES COLLEGE PREPARATORY SCHOOL

PROSPECTUS

Not every child can be good at everything, but every child can be good at something, and it is our job to discover an area of success for every pupil. It is our passion to ensure that children’s talents are maximised in whichever area they excel or show an interest and there are no glass ceilings set here. In particular, Fettes Prep pupils are given every opportunity to fulfil their potential in the classroom, at whatever level.

However, Fettes College Preparatory School does not simply cater for the most talented. As important to us are those small individual triumphs: a tackle made when it might have been missed the previous week, an improved maths test score or a first public performance are all celebrated.

I am passionate about prep school education and have always enjoyed working with parents to provide the very best for their children. Parents should feel part of a school community and it should be fun to be a Fettes Prep parent too!

Please come and see us to get the full feeling for what makes this such a unique environment. My wife, Becky, and I moved here in part because we felt that Fettes would give our children the best possible start in life, and I hope that we can do the same for yours.

THE FETTES FAMILY

We like to think of the Fettes family as a warm, caring and nurturing environment.

Boys and girls learn together, play together, eat together and have fun together: just like a real family. It’s as if your child has lots of brothers and sisters to look out for them and support them.

As you’d expect when it comes to looking after your child, we’re as protective of them as you are. Whether they are boarding or day pupils, we treat them in exactly the same way, taking the utmost care of them.

Naturally, as any parent would aim to do, we make sure that the time your child spends with us is busy, stimulating and exciting.

Finally it’s worth remembering that Fettes Prep attracts children from many countries, so your child will make lifelong friendships with children from local, national and international communities.

“Fettes Prep is a happy, safe environment – completely child focussed.”

LEARNING

Visit one of our classrooms and you’ll be struck by three things: the light, airy atmosphere, the smiling, engaged children and the small class size. We know that small class sizes mean teachers have the chance to get to know each child as an individual and provide extra teaching time for any child who needs it.

As an independent school, Fettes Prep can maintain a wide and varied curriculum inspiring pupils to think creatively, fully engage with each lesson and build on their academic potential.

We believe that as well as building a strong rapport with their form teacher, it is important that every child learns specialist subjects from specialist teachers. So expect your child to be taught Science by a Science teacher and Art by an Art teacher.

A strong emphasis is also placed on a sound and thorough grounding in the traditionally important subjects of Maths and English. We have extensive IT facilities and encourage the use of IT throughout the school – not that this generation needs much encouragement.

If a student requires extra help, we have a superb Support for Learning department and classroom assistants too.

“They say a happy child learns best and I have certainly found this to be the case. Great staff, led by a superb head and very welcoming parents too!”

“I see my children being encouraged and helped to be all they can be, by a team of extraordinarily committed staff, and strong head teacher, in beautiful surroundings. What more could a parent wish for?”

“It is an absolute pleasure to be a Fettes Prep parent, and to watch the incredible academic and personal growth of my children. I genuinely believe they have achieved much more and been much happier at Fettes Prep than they would have been anywhere else.”

Although we place huge emphasis on Maths and English in our curriculum, that in no way undermines our dedication to the teaching of the arts. We believe that Music, Art and Drama are vital to every child’s development, giving them the chance to be creative, learn new skills and above all have fun.

Let’s start with Music. The vast majority of our children learn at least one musical instrument, from the violin to the saxophone, the piano to the guitar. And of course, as you would expect of a school proud of its Scottish heritage, the pipes. The enthusiasm and expertise of our Music staff means we have excellent orchestras, Pipe Band and choral groups with plenty of opportunities for musicians of all abilities to perform.

We have superb art facilities for a stimulating and creative art curriculum (including History of Art) utilising different media, techniques and inspirations. And because everyone loves to see their children’s own masterpieces we have vibrant displays that change on a regular basis.

We are in the very enviable position of having access to the spectacular Drama facilities of Fettes College, with professional staging and lighting equipment. Perhaps that’s why our children and staff can stage such fantastic school productions – but maybe we’re biased.

We allocate generous time to the arts because it encourages creativity, builds confidence through performance, and because one day we’d love to say that a great artist was inspired by their experience as a young Fettesian.

“The ethos is of all-round nurturing, enabling each child to grow and become the person they were meant to be.”

SPORT

Whether your child is a future Olympian or an enthusiastic amateur, we believe that sport is important. Not just because it is fun, or encouragesahealthylifestyle,butbecauseofthereal lessons itteaches: teamwork, determination, discipline, self-esteem and manners.

Thanks to our affiliation with the College we have access to outstanding indoor and outdoor facilities. Rugby, hockey, netball, tennis, athletics, cricket, swimming, cross-country and shooting all play an active part on the curriculum and are there for your child to enjoy.

Weactively encourage maximum participationandoffer your child something very special: the opportunity to represent their school in a sporting activity. Every child wins a place on a Fettes Prep team, so every child can look forward to competitive games against other schools.

Sport isn’t the only way we keep our children fit and healthy. We have outdoor break times, weather permitting, giving our pupils the chance to build dens, play hopscotch or have a turn on the swings. And when the bell rings for lunch, the food is delicious, the choice is wide and everything is cooked fresh on the premises.

“One of

most positive aspects is that each child is given the scope to develop their abilities, wherever they lie – their individual strengths are recognised and further developed.”

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“Our three children have all gone through the Prep School: they have left home each morning with a smile on their faces, looking forward to a school day and have come home each evening brimming with the events of the day – no better testament than that.”

“The Prep School is both welcoming and inviting. The children seem to love their school and their classes.”

BROADENING HORIZONS

Your child can also learn a great deal outside the classroom. What can bring a History lesson about the Roman Empire to life better than a school trip to Rome? How much easier is it to explain Geography to an 11-year-old after you’ve led them to the top of a mountain?

Whether your child is a boarder or a day pupil, we offer them the opportunity to be part of an exciting and stimulating activities programme. These activities can take many forms: big trips such as cultural visits abroad and skiing holidays; house trips, like a weekend in Oban or a surprise challenge, ending up in the middle of London or the middle of nowhere.

Your child may spend time at an international rugby match, horse riding, ice skating, on a sailing trip, or simply enjoying an evening at the cinema. And they’ll be just as likely to be organising an informal barbeque as attending the School’s annual Burns Supper. By now you will have gathered that we like to give our children as many opportunities as possible; we even have a pupil council which allows them to decide for themselves exactly what they’d like to do next.

We encourage activities outside of school for many reasons but probably the most important one is to broaden their horizons, because you can’t do that just sitting at a school desk. Not even one of ours.

“They really are busy bees, everyone getting on with things, working hard but having fun too.”

LIFE AS A BOARDER

If the school is a family then, for a boarder, Fettes Prep becomes their other family home. We have two boarding houses, Arran for the boys and Iona for the girls, both of which have full boarders living with us every day of the week.

Arran and Iona have a warm, welcoming feel with rooms for playing games, reading or simply relaxing as well as homely bedrooms where your child will share with two or three (Arran), or three or five (Iona) other boarders. Weekends are full of exciting trips and activities, from beach visits to hill walks, learning to cook to bowling and go-karting.

Of course it’s not just what’s in the houses that make them special but who is in them. The staff at Fettes Prep are of the highest calibre and the role of Houseparent is undertaken with great care and enthusiasm, as are the supporting roles provided by house tutors and matron. Experienced and professional, they dedicate themselves to creating a secure and happy home for your child.

We are here for your child night and day, we will look after them if they are unwell, we will make sure they never miss a dental appointment and at the end of the day we will read them bedtime stories, just as you would.

Communication is vitally important and we will keep you updated and informed of your child’s well-being. Phone calls and email communication with parents mean that daily dialogue is entirely possible. You will be able to view photos and films from the trips they are involved in so that, even if you are on the other side of the world, we hope you will feel included.

“Fettes Prep has surpassed our expectations. Our son has taken to the school and boarding house like a duck to water. We and he could not be happier.”

“I am delighted with both the school and my daughter’s development. She has enjoyed the teaching, the learning environment and the extra-curricular activities. She has fully immersed herself in the Fettes way of life.”

“We have seen our son flourish within his first year at Fettes Prep; he’s becoming much more organised, is constantly improving academically and loving every minute of it.”

ENCOURAGING INDEPENDENT THINKING

Encouraging Fettes Prep children to think independently and creatively in and out of the classroom whilst helping them to avoid a fear of failure is at the heart of the process. This also makes learning fun, something we have a lot of here!

Fettes Prep staff pride themselves on really knowing individual children and we take pastoral care personally. This is a kind school, and we know that happy children are more likely to learn and develop as we would all want. Visitors often comment on the openness and enthusiasm of Fettes Prep children, and I know that you will feel the special atmosphere that this creates when you visit.

Whilst the above ensures that our pupils are fully prepared for the next stage of their education in any secondary school across the world, we also benefit from our close association with the worldclass senior school that is Fettes College. This relationship extends to sharing ideas and information as well as superb facilities so that there is a very natural progression through to the senior school once children have finished their prep school journey.

PREPARATION FOR THE FUTURE

The very meaning of our name spells out our mission: to prepare your child for the future. So how does our school do just that?

We believe that every child has what it takes to make something of themselves. Our job is to nurture that potential, to reveal every hidden talent. That’s why we make sure our school is an inspirational place to learn.

We want Fettes to be an environment where we can coax out your child’s academic potential without pressurising them. And we believe that academic excellence can be partnered with a confident, but never arrogant, outlook on life.

We achieve these aims by encouraging hard work, honesty and a determination to help others. And most importantly, when your child leaves Fettes Prep, we make sure that they are aware of the opportunities life presents. We fill them with the confidence to grasp those opportunities, wherever they continue their education.

“There is a great ethos of working together, using the talents that you have and helping and respecting others.”

THE PROGRESSION TO FETTES COLLEGE

A world-class education doesn’t stop at the age of 13. We believe that every Fettes Prep student has had the benefit of an education that will set them up for a bright future, in any senior school in the world. That is because our school has a very distinct identity of its own, with teaching professionals and facilities that are second to none. However, it also has something rather special on its doorstep: Fettes College, one of the world’s finest senior schools. Every single day our students benefit from that great school’s proximity. We share many of their facilities; from the 25-metre swimming pool to the dining hall, the rugby pitches to the drama theatre. So our children have a positive experience of the College before they even start there.

Fettes College and Fettes Prep also share one other important, fundamental thing: our ethos. This manifests itself in a determination to provide the best education your child could ever hope for.

All of these elements combine to make the transition from Fettes Prep to Fettes College a very smooth one. We like to think of it as giving your child a head start on the next level of their education.

“Our children will carry fond memories of Fettes Prep into later life, as shall we as parents.”

SCHOLARSHIPS AND BURSARIES

Fettes Prep is a vibrant community of children who come to us from many different backgrounds, a fact we are very proud of. We believe that every talented child should have the opportunity to experience a Fettes education and that is something we’re determined to make happen.

We therefore offer Scholarships, Awards and means-tested bursaries to ensure places for deserving applicants. Academic Scholarships are available for pupils at 11+ entry and Music Scholarships can be awarded earlier for particularly talented children. Means-tested bursaries are available to any applicant who passes our Entrance Examination and requires financial assistance.

We are always looking for children who are bright, motivated and curious. If you believe your child has these attributes and you agree with us that they will thrive at Fettes Prep, then please contact our Admissions Department: admissions@fettes.com

“Our son announced one day about a year after starting at Fettes ‘I thought I was happy at school until I came to Fettes and realised how happy I could be’.”