Belhaven Hill School joins the ‘10% group’ of schools, offering full boarding at highly competitive fees for British Armed Forces families.
Belhaven Hill School, east of Edinburgh, provides a happy and consistent home-from-home for the children of military families. With its recent decision to join the group of ‘10% schools’*, it has demonstrated its commitment to serving families of the British Armed Forces by offering very competitive boarding fees.
“Belhaven is proud to provide an inspirational, safe and secure Prep boarding environment for the children of military families,” says Olly Langton, Belhaven’s Headmaster. “The key point is that we do not differentiate between military families and everyone else. At Belhaven, there is no flexi boarding – there is no weekly boarding – there are simply day children and full boarders.
“We believe that this boarding model offers parents and children crucial certainty. Certainty that the boarders will have their friends alongside them for a fortnight and certainty that they will be looked after by the exceptional pastoral team that takes care of them.
“Our pastoral care system, developed since 2020, was described as ‘innovative and sector-leading’ by the Care Inspectorate in their most recent inspection. At Belhaven, you extend your family network, adding house parents to parents, Gap students to elder siblings, and even our school dogs to your friendship group!
“Belhaven is a home with classrooms, not a school with dormitories.”
The Andersons, a military family, whose daughter started boarding at Belhaven aged 8, say: “The boarding staff and the other girls were incredibly nurturing and kind – I really love that they acknowledged that every feeling, when they start to board, is completely natural.”
An Education Filled with Adventure – ‘Best for Outdoor Pursuits’ (The Week Award)
The emphasis is on adventure and fun, making the most of the School’s extraordinary location next to the beach at Belhaven Bay, at the foot of the Lammermuir Hills and just 40 minutes from Edinburgh.
Olly Langton continues: “Currently, 60% of Scotland’s Prep School boarders are at Belhaven. ALL of our top year and over 80% of our penultimate year are boarders.
“We have an extensive weekend bus network which saves parents a lot of time. Buses run from Belhaven to Edinburgh, Dumfries, Perth, Dundee and Stonehaven, with stops available on request. An accompanied train service to London Kings Cross enables military families that have finished a posting in Scotland (Penicuik or Leuchars, typically) and taken up a posting in the south to remain at Belhaven.”
The Headmaster adds: “Being posted abroad is also an option with children at Belhaven: our ‘in weekends’ are action-packed – full of fun and, crucially, full of fellow boarders.
“We were recently named ‘Best for Outdoor Pursuits’ in The Week Awards, 2025, as we can offer a wonderful array of exciting and adventurous activities.
“Our ‘Adventurous Leaders’ course, for example, for the top year (Form 1) sees them challenged, both physically and mentally, by a variety of water-based adventures – coasteering, surfing, paddle boarding – that put their teamwork skills to the test.”
Belhaven also offers skiing at Hillend and Glenshee, archery, cooking, riding on the beach, golf on the links course just over the road, trips to Murrayfield to watch rugby internationals or simply having fun and relaxing with friends.
A Wide Choice of Activities for Boarders on Belhaven’s Campus
In addition, there are a multitude of activities on the School’s campus: Belhaven’s own swimming pool , grass tennis courts, astroturf hockey pitch, cricket and golf nets, putting green and beautiful Art Room (overlooking the Bass Rock with popular activities every Sunday), are hubs of enjoyment and are about to be joined by an inspiring Digital Makerspace. This new building will provide a creative space for budding designers and engineers, the thinkers and problem-solvers of the future.
One military family at Belhaven says: “It mattered to us that we found a school that really was full boarding rather than emptying out at weekends – every ‘in weekend’ is filled with plenty of happy children and wonderful activities. We also love that you can still visit your child on a Sunday and take them out for a hot chocolate for a couple of hours.
“The Boarding House is a happy, cosy environment and it has the right balance of keeping children busy but also giving them much needed downtime too.”
Connections with the local community enhance the feeling of being part of a big Belhaven family. Support for the local churches, care homes and intergenerational groups are part of a significant number of charitable projects that teach the children the importance of service, respect and humility.
The soft skills developed in boarding ensure that Belhaven’s boarders know how to support those around them, wherever they travel in the world beyond.
VE Day Celebrations Embody School’s Approach to Holistic Education
“Our recent VE Day celebrations provided a perfect demonstration of the value of this holistic education,” says Olly Langton. “After learning of the School’s pivotal role in the Second World War as a secret Special Operations Executive (SOE) base, the children performed a series of readings from their ancestors’ wartime diaries and letters to an audience of Dunbar residents and Belhaven families.”
A fly-past from a Piper Cub L4, an exhibition of memorabilia and a performance from the School’s 28-strong Pipe Band preceded a memorable 1940s-style street party, with the Walled Garden festooned with bunting, apple blossom and homemade cake. The pièce de résistance was a whole school jive, performed to the delight of more than 30 elderly residents of Dunbar.
Proud to Be a ‘10% School’ for Military Families
Olly Langton concludes: “We are proud to be a ‘10% school’ to support military families in receipt of the CEA. It will ensure that we remain a viable option for those that depend on the stability that only a full boarding ethos can provide. We are looking forward to welcoming those interested in discovering what a Belhaven education means, to join us for a personal tour of our School by the sea.”
Categories: Belhaven Hill School School News
