Belhaven Hill School

Focus 

Fostering courage, creativity and courtesy

Day fees 2025/26

$20,500-$43,100

Boarding fees 2025/26

$54,000

Term dates

• Term 1: 2 September to 12 December 2025
• Term 2: 6 January to 20 March 2026
• Term 3: 14 April to 1 July 2026

Ages

4-13

Pupil count

158

Spear’s Review

Belhaven Hill School in East Lothian, one of only a few remaining boarding prep schools in Scotland, offers a traditional but nurturing environment for children aged 4 to 13.

Children can board from age 7, and the school is unique in adopting a fortnightly boarding model: pupils spend 11 nights in school followed by a ‘weekend out’. This is a deliberate choice intended to build routine while encouraging and fostering strong friendships between pupils. 

Belhaven’s ethos centres around readiness, and is aligned with its commitment to prepare children for senior school and the wider world. The school tells Spear’s that Belhaven can best be described ‘as a home with classrooms, as opposed to a school with dormitories’.

Head teacher

Olly Langton has been headmaster of Belhaven since 2020. After gaining a first-class honours degree in history from Edinburgh University, Langton taught English and history at Ludgrove School in Berkshire and then was housemaster at Radley College in Oxfordshire, where he had attended school, for 13 years.

Senior school destinations

Leavers go on to the top schools in the UK including Eton, Shrewsbury, Harrow and Winchester.

Admissions

Children may join Belhaven at any stage as long as there are places available, and they can be registered at any time in advance but may be placed on a waiting list. The school notes that boarding places, in particular, can be oversubscribed and therefore recommends early registration. Belhaven is academically non-selective, and ‘taster days’ or trial boarding experiences are offered to prepare pupils for schooling life. 

Notable alumni

• Hugh Buchanan (Scottish artist)
• Magnus Linklater (journalist)

Accessibility

Edinburgh Airport: 45 minutes

Location

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