Lockdown sparks surge in interest in 'idyllic' Scottish boarding schools

Scottish boarding schools including Gordonstoun, where Prince Philip and Prince Charles were taught, are reporting a "remarkable" surge in interest from parents wanting their children to be educated outside large English cities.

Schools north of the border believe a rise in inquiries from London in particular has been fuelled by Covid lockdown confinement, which has highlighted the importance of access to open spaces.

Last week it emerged that UK boarding schools, which have become increasingly reliant on pupils from China, had seen numbers of overseas boarders fall by around one fifth as a result of the pandemic.

However, Scottish schools said they had seen a rise in domestic interest and more than a dozen will take part in a virtual exhibition this weekend in an effort to attract students.

"During lockdown many families were cooped up together in major cities like London and dreamed of an idyllic childhood with easy access to wide open spaces and a safe environment," John Edward, the director of the Scottish Council of Independent Schools, said.

"That is something that Scotland has in spades – and our members are seeing an increase in inquiries from city-based families as a result."

The organisation said its figures showed almost 6,000 families from London researched boarding in Scotland over the past year. It is coordinating this weekend's virtual fair, at which parents will be able to have live conversations with representatives of 14 institutions that normally compete to attract pupils.

One of the participanting schools, Kilgraston in Perthshire, said it has seen an increase of over 15 per cent per cent in inquiries over the past year.

"Covid-19 has thrown-up many additional hurdles to parents from abroad contemplating sending their child to a British boarding school," Dorothy MacGinty, the headteacher at the girls school, said. "However, interest from the domestic boarding market has seen a remarkable upsurge."

Jonathan Hewat, the Registrar at Lomond School Helensburgh, said that its school roll had risen by more than 10 per cent since August and it had seen an increase in interest from families relocating from English cities since September.