St Columba's School A GSG School
- St Columba's School
Duchal Road
Kilmacolm
Inverclyde
PA13 4AU - Head: Mrs Victoria Reilly
- T 01505 872238
- F 01505 873995
- E secretary@st-columbas.org
- W www.st-columbas.org/
- An independent school for boys and girls aged from 3 to 18.
- Boarding: No
- Local authority: Inverclyde
- Pupils: 600; sixth formers: 59
- Religion: Non-denominational
- Fees: £11,335 - £15,160 pa
- Open days: October, November, March, April
- Review: View The Good Schools Guide Review
What The Good Schools Guide says..
So many schools talk about community spirit and family ethos, but we think this is genuinely the case for St Columba’s. Not only is the school part of the local community, it IS the local community. Many of its pupils, parents and teachers live in the village of Kilmacolm where the school is situated - and quite a few families said they’d moved there just for the school. Four houses – and from senior school, pupils keep the same...
What the school says...
St Columba's, founded in 1897 and set in the picturesque village of Kilmacolm, is one of Scotland's leading independent day schools. The School has an enviable reputation for academic excellence and in most years 97% of its pupils go to university either straight from school of after a gap year. A team of committed and experienced staff guides pupils through a varied curriculum to reach one of the consistently highest levels of academic attainment in Scotland.
The academic development of pupils is balanced effectively with strong pastoral care and extra-curricular activities which allow pupils to develop as confident individuals and to experience success across a range of disciplines. The range of clubs and societies include sport, music, debating, public speaking, chess, drama, dance, outdoor education, community work and charitable fundraising. St Columba's pupils were the first in Scotland to achieve the Duke of Edinburgh's Award Leadership Award.
The School places considerable emphasis on the care and well-being of all of its pupils. Our pupils are direct, quietly self-confident and articulate. Our team of dedicated staff nurture such timeless values as loyalty, responsibility, service, duty and integrity.
In recent years we have invested in new resources. We have also invested in our staff and the School is recognised as a Gold Investor in People. We are also proud to have attained Eco School Green Flag status and to be the recipients of the healthyliving Award.
You are most welcome to visit the School to see for yourself all that St Columba's has to offer. ...Read more
Do you know this school?
The schools we choose, and what we say about them, are founded on parents’ views. If you know this school, please share your views with us.
Please login to post a comment.
Other features
All-through school (for example 3-18 years). - An all-through school covers junior and senior education. It may start at 3 or 4, or later, and continue through to 16 or 18. Some all-through schools set exams at 11 or 13 that pupils must pass to move on.
What The Good Schools Guide says
Rector
Since 2020, Victoria Reilly MA (Edinburgh) PGCE (Sheffield). Started at St Columba’s as a languages teacher in 1992 and rose through the ranks, becoming senior depute rector in 2016. Married with three children, all of whom went to St Columba’s. ‘I absolutely love the school. If you split me in half, I’d be green in the middle.’
So what has she brought to the school? 'There is a very, very strong focus on high attainment, but what I have tried to add is a much more inclusive community,' she tells us. Judging by what we saw, she has certainly succeeded - we loved the warm, friendly vibe.
A calm, elegant figure, she is popular with parents: ‘She’s around at the weekends and is always on the side...
Subscribe now for instant access to read The Good Schools Guide review.
Already subscribed? Login here.
Special Education Needs
| Condition | Provision for in school |
|---|---|
| ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder | Y |
| Aspergers | Y |
| Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorders | Y |
| CReSTeD registered for Dyslexia | |
| Dyscalculia | |
| Dysgraphia | |
| Dyslexia | |
| Dyspraxia | |
| English as an additional language (EAL) | |
| Genetic | |
| Has an entry in the Autism Services Directory | |
| Has SEN unit or class | |
| HI - Hearing Impairment | |
| Hospital School | |
| Mental health | |
| MLD - Moderate Learning Difficulty | |
| MSI - Multi-Sensory Impairment | |
| Natspec Specialist Colleges | |
| OTH - Other Difficulty/Disability | |
| Other SpLD - Specific Learning Difficulty | |
| PD - Physical Disability | |
| PMLD - Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulty | |
| SEMH - Social, Emotional and Mental Health | |
| SLCN - Speech, Language and Communication | |
| SLD - Severe Learning Difficulty | |
| Special facilities for Visually Impaired | |
| SpLD - Specific Learning Difficulty | |
| VI - Visual Impairment |
The Good Schools Guide newsletter
Educational insight in your inbox. Sign up for our popular newsletters.