Ages
Fettes looks like a grand old citadel straddled majestically over Edinburgh, but behind the facade is a far more friendly, progressive hive of activity than you might believe. Yes, there’s an old-school grandness that could be intimidating, but don’t mistake the imposing spires for an academic grinder – both the staff and the pupils have plenty of kindness to spare.
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Overview & data
- Pupil numbers
- 751 ·
- Sixth form numbers
- 126 ·
- Offers boarding
- Yes ·
- Religion
- Non-denom
- Fees
- Day £23,850 - £39,450; Boarding £42,225 - £50,250 pa
- Local authority
- The City of Edinburgh Council
Headteacher
Head
Helen Harrison
Since 2019, Helen Harrison, the school’s first female head, which she describes as ‘a definite honour’. MA in geography and PGCE, both from Cambridge, for which she also rowed. Taught EFL in Lisbon before first post as a geography teacher at Clift
Entrance
Into prep via interview and online CAT4 assessment. Older children take online assessments in English and maths. Automatic entry from prep to senior school, while external candidates take Fettes’ own exam. Common Entrance also accepted. For sixth
- Open days
- Individual appointments available throughout the year.
Exit
Virtually all of the prep school go onto the senior school. Around 10 per cent leave after GCSEs. Most sixth formers to university – Edinburgh, Glasgow and Durham recently popular. Five to Oxbridge in 2024, and three medics. Quite a contingent go
Latest results
In 2024, 72 per cent 9-7 at GCSE; 42 per cent A*/A (70 per cent A*-B).
Teaching & learning
Prep school puts a strong emphasis on English and maths, with a mixture of IT and traditional writing skills to reinforce this. Current head is encouraging children to challenge the facts they’re given in class, as well as to recognise failure as
Learning support & SEN
‘Support for learning’ department has three dedicated rooms, one in the junior school (staffed by one full-time staff member) and two in the senior (which has two full-time staff members). Parents say information is shared with teachers to enable
Arts & extracurricular
A huge selection of opportunities on tap, from tootling on your chanter to screen printing your own dressing gown. With 90+ extracurricular activities and trips from the Alps to Aldershot, you will never be bored.
Fabulous light-filled doub
Sport
Thud. That marvellous, rich sound of willow on leather. Yes, it’s a cliché, but it’s hard to beat on a summer’s afternoon, especially in this setting, and we were definitely seduced. Fettes may be a thoroughly urban school, but it is surrounded by
Boarders
Of all the schools in Scotland, Fettes is probably the best known for full boarding (flexi and weekly simply don't exist here). A healthy 70 per cent of pupils stay across the four boys’ houses and four girls’ houses. By sixth form, its nearer 85
Ethos & heritage
Founded with a bequest by Sir William Fettes in 1870, the school has largely retained its position as one of the foremost public schools in Scotland. The building itself is magnificent, standing imperiously on a hill overlooking the city. When the
Pastoral care, inclusivity & discipline
Fettes say they’re proud of their ‘sector-leading pastoral care’. Each child has a tutor where they can raise both academic and personal issues, and there’s a wider scaffold of houseparents, matron, medical staff and the school chaplain, not to me
Mobile phone policy
A clear mobile phone policy is a really important part of modern schooling. This school has provided us with their policy.
Mobile phone policy
Provided by the school and not part of our review
Our policy aims to reduce the distraction of phones whilst understanding their place in our modern society. We have an approach that gives more independence as you get older and throughout a Fettes education our pupils are educated on the opportunities and pitfalls of digital technology.
- In our Prep School mobile phones are not allowed. For boarders there is limited and supervised access in the evening and at weekends.
- In Years 9-11 (Third to Fifth Forms) mobile phones are handed in to House staff during the school day and again during prep and overnight. Phones are allowed in the Houses during social times (generally after 5pm) but their use is monitored to ensure everyone is socialising effectively .
- In Years 12-13 (Sixth Form) pupils are allowed their mobile phones but they are not to be used around campus and use is monitored by tutors.
- Pupils are not allowed to use mobile phones in the Dining Hall.
Pupils & parents
Lots of entrepreneurs, business types and bankers rather than tweedies down from the glen. Plenty of first-time adopters. Nearby Stockbridge (think Edinburgh’s Notting Hill) is awash with parents and pupils who come here. Pupils are a confident an
Money matters
Range of bursaries available covering up to 100 per cent of fees depending on applicant circumstances. Total of 28 students on 100 per cent bursaries in 2022-23. Two 11-year-old children from low-income families in Scotland admitted to prep school
- Fee information
- Day £23,850 - £39,450; Boarding £42,225 - £50,250 pa
The last word
Fettes looks like a grand old citadel straddled majestically over Edinburgh, but behind the facade is a far more friendly, progressive hive of activity than you might believe. Yes, there’s an old-school grandness that could be intimidating, but do
