IB school in Scotland, St Leonards School

One of the best IB schools located in Scotland!

Visit Scotland schools

I went on a tour of Scotland's boarding schools in early November as part of a group of international agents organized for the British Boarding Schools Workshop conference attendees. In November, it was already cold in Scotland, I was unaccustomed to freezing in a warm cashmere coat, while in every school children walked around the campus in thin jackets.

We were brought to the old university town of St Andrews, where the St Leonards school is located, in the late afternoon. The hotel was located in the first line from the sea and the driver warned us to carefully get out of their car, as there is a strong wind outside.

What a wind it was! I jumped out of the car first and screamed at the sudden gust of wind that almost lifted me off the sidewalk. I remember that I managed to close my lips only when I decided to let go of the car door and covered my face with both hands.

The hotel is very beautiful, Victorian-style, huge rooms with several windows overlooking the raging North Sea. The room was warm and cozy and the picture outside the window was fascinating.

In the evening, we met with the school leadership at a popular local restaurant. An exquisite table, Scottish bagpipes were played especially for us - the school knows how to receive guests.

The next day we visited the school, examined the classrooms, residences, the library, and other attractions that the school is justly proud of.

St Leonards is the only school in Scotland to offer an IB program. About 550 students of junior, middle, and high schools study here, while, since the boarding school accepts students from the age of 12, 125 students live in the boarding house. The high school studies IGCSE program, which is the international version of the British GCSE and graduation classes - the International Baccalaureate Diploma program. At the same time, the school is one of the most rated in the IB program: the average score in the school has been at 34 for several years, while the global average score for this program is only 29.

The St Leonards campus is probably the most impressive campus in the UK, and certainly in Scotland. Surrounded on all sides by a medieval city wall, the campus is located in the heart of the city and adjacent to the famous St Andrews University. Through a low wall, students can admire the views of the North Sea on one side, and on the other side, the mesmerizing ruins of the St Andrews Church. High school students who live in the residence have the same views from the windows of the rooms.

The St Leonards school building holds a lot of history. Here, at school, in the middle of the 16th century, the Scottish Queen Mary lived for a week. Mary visited St Andrews on her way to Edinburgh on her return from France when she came to take the Scottish throne. The city fascinated her so much that she lingered. Then she often visited St Andrews and the school still has her tiny bedroom with a short bed, since in those days the nobles slept half-sitting.

Also, the decoration of the campus is the old Queen Mary's Library, where you can study and rent traditional printed textbooks. The library is adjoined by the building of a modern science center, where, thanks to the cooperation of the school and the University of St Andrews in the field of research, students have access to the online resources of the University of St Andrews.

SCHOOL INFRASTRUCTURE

Fantastic modern infrastructure is located outside the medieval walls of the school, which includes:

indoor sports fields in any weather

• 25-meter indoor pool
• squash courts
• open playing and sports fields
• modern music school and assembly hall
• scientific, language, and computer laboratories
• purpose-built art and drama studios
• the school cafeteria, winner of the annual Scotland school competitions

The infrastructure for the school's students is not limited to the campus. As part of physical education, students can attend the St Andrews Links Golf Practice Center and practice golf. High school students have access to the St Andrews University Library.

Accommodation in St Leonards

There are three residences on the school grounds. The residence for junior schoolchildren 12-15 years old offers joint accommodation for boys and girls in a building divided by floors. The kids live in rooms for several people, amenities in all residences on the floor.

Older students live in rooms for 1-2 people in two separate residences: for boys and for girls. All residences are very cozy, bedrooms and communal living rooms are very homely, the bedrooms have beautiful views of the ocean or the old city.