St Margaret's School for Girls (Aberdeen) A GSG School
- St Margaret's School for Girls (Aberdeen)
17 Albyn Place
Aberdeen
AB10 1RU - Head: Miss Anna Tomlinson
- T 01224 584466
- F 01224 585600
- E [email protected]
- W www.st-margare…aberdeen.sch.uk
- An independent school for girls aged from 3 to 18.
- Boarding: No
- Local authority: Aberdeen City
- Pupils: 359; sixth formers: 29
- Religion: Non-denominational
- Fees: £11,211 - £18,423 pa (last updated on 17/01/2025)
- Open days: 7th March 2025, 17th April 2025, 13th June 2025
- Review: View The Good Schools Guide Review
What The Good Schools Guide says..
Like all schools with history, it looks as if it struggles slightly with a hotchpotch of elderly buildings, but despite the squeeze for space has managed to build an impressive new science block (opened by the world-renowned astrophysicist Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell). ‘Really important that what we offer is an all-round education. Girls are good enough at putting themselves under that sort of pressure without us pushing them. We want them to pursue the things that they enjoy and that give them a sense of well-being...'
What the school says...
From the first day of nursery at St Margaret’s, we nurture the communication skills, resilience, self-confidence and global outlook necessary for our pupils to thrive in an ever-changing world. As the only girls’ school in Aberdeen – catering for around 370 girls from age 3-18 – we understand girls: how they learn, play and develop. And our bright and well-equipped campus, located in the city centre, meets all the requirements of a modern 21st century education.
So what are the key benefits to becoming a St Margaret’s girl?
Small classes
We are small by design – large enough to offer flexibility in subject choices and curriculum, but small enough so every girl is well known by our highly skilled teachers. Every child learns in different ways and with our smaller classes, every girl receives dedicated one-to-one attention so they can thrive and grow.
Sense of belonging and community
St Margaret’s is a special place and has a well-deserved reputation, dating back to its foundation in 1846, for being a friendly, family-orientated school. Girls are well known by all our dedicated teachers and specialised staff, and girls have a real feeling of belonging. We celebrate the St Margret’s Community every year when we come together for the St Margaret’s Day service.
Our girls work with different years groups to encourage this bond and friendship across the school groups through different initiatives including paired reading, musical groups, drama and sporting endeavours. We feel our girls’ journey through the school is so much more than only academic. Our open, encouraging and caring environment offers girls the space for them to develop their self-esteem and confidence which will enable them to make a positive impact on the world.
Specialist Teaching
Our junior school offers our younger girls the perfect start to their education. They are given a balanced curriculum where girls also benefit from teaching by our specialist teachers for French, Latin, ICT, PE, science and music.
Going that extra mile
At St Margaret’s we are not complacent. We are continually refining and developing our provision to meet the changing needs of our pupils and the demanding world of the 21st century.
We provide our pupils at all ages and stages with a rich variety of extracurricular opportunities. Music, sport, debating, drama, dance, the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award – and many other activities – are available. These are enjoyable in themselves, but they also help girls to develop the skills and personal qualities which they will require to be successful and happy beyond school.
We warmly invite prospective families to join us at any of our open events throughout the school year. Dates for these can be found on our website. If for any reason you cannot attend any of the events, please get in touch with our admissions office who will happily arrange an individual visit for you and your family. ...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.
Sports
Rowing
What The Good Schools Guide says
Head
Since 2014, Anna Tomlinson MTheol from St Andrews, PGCE from St Martin's College Lancaster. Formerly deputy head at St George’s School for Girls. 'After university I had a scholarship to go to Princeton but had a car accident and didn't go. Took six months to recover and then took job in boarding house at St George’s. It was the beginning of a passion for teaching.' This says it all for us: clearly an extremely bright and committed head who believes firmly in the power of single sex education.
Head of juniors is Emma Cottingham.
Entrance
Individual assessments for the nursery and junior school. Test for senior school and current school reports taken into account. In the sixth form, places are allocated on the basis of SQA examination results or their equivalent. Recent...
Subscribe now for instant access to read The Good Schools Guide review.
Already subscribed? Login here.
Special Education Needs
St Margaret’s is fortunate in being able to offer continued assistance for girls from Junior classes right through to Senior school level. Services include: Identifying specific learning difficulties using recognised diagnostic assessments; consulting with staff and parents on the nature of different learning difficulties and liaising with outside agencies where appropriate: advising on strategies both in class and at home to help overcome problems; devising and delivering individual programmes of support for pupils; advising on accelerated learning strategies for more able pupils; advising on examination provision available for pupils with noted learning difficulties and supporting study skills. 09-09
| Condition | Provision for in school |
|---|---|
| ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder
Might cover/be referred to as;
ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder, Aspergers, Autism, High functioning autism, Neurodivergent, Neurodiversity, Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA), PDA , Social skills, Sensory processing disorder |
Y |
| HI - Hearing Impairment
Might cover/be referred to as;
Hearing Impairment, HI - Hearing Impairment |
|
| MLD - Moderate Learning Difficulty
Might cover/be referred to as;
Learning needs, MLD - Moderate Learning Difficulty |
|
| MSI - Multi-Sensory Impairment
Might cover/be referred to as;
MSI - Multi-Sensory Impairment, Sensory processing |
|
| OTH - Other Difficulty/Disability
Might cover/be referred to as;
Downs Syndrome, Epilepsy, Genetic , OTH - Other Difficulty/Disability, Tics, Tourettes |
|
| PD - Physical Disability
Might cover/be referred to as;
PD - Physical Disability |
|
| PMLD - Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulty
Might cover/be referred to as;
Complex needs, Global delay, Global developmental delay, PMLD - Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulty |
|
| SEMH - Social, Emotional and Mental Health
Might cover/be referred to as;
Anxiety , Complex needs, Emotionally based school avoidance (EBSA), Mental Health, SEMH - Social, Emotional and Mental Health, Trauma |
Y |
| SLCN - Speech, Language and Communication
Might cover/be referred to as;
DLD - Developmental Language Disorder, Selective mutism, SLCN - Speech, Language and Communication |
|
| SLD - Severe Learning Difficulty
Might cover/be referred to as;
Complex needs, SLD - Severe Learning Difficulty, Cerebral Palsy (CP) |
|
| SpLD - Specific Learning Difficulty
Might cover/be referred to as;
ADHD, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Auditory Processing, DCD, Developmental Co-ordination Difficulties (DCD), Dyscalculia, Dysgraphia, Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, Handwriting, Other specific learning difficulty, SpLD - Specific Learning Difficulty, Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) |
Y |
| VI - Visual Impairment
Might cover/be referred to as;
Special facilities for Visually Impaired, VI - Visual Impairment |
The Good Schools Guide newsletter
Educational insight in your inbox. Sign up for our popular newsletters.