Cargilfield

[BabyBurtons2]

Hello,

We are considering Cargilfield for our son. I feel we’ve had a good look at all the Edinburgh schools now and feel it’s the best fit for him. We’d be looking for him to start in P1 and have a tour/meet the headmaster in 3 weeks. Our main concerns are whether he will fit in: we are not particularly wealthy, he is mixed race and we are a same sex couple. We are worried about bullying. We are considering private school because his catchment school is full to bursting and we’d prefer more intentionality around his education than a state school can currently provide. I wonder if anyone has experience of the school and would be able to tell us more about the culture / feel and general day to day workings of the school before we go?

Thanks in advance for any insight.

@Goldenroses we put his name down for 2025 entry 😂 we were told Edinburgh can be nuts so didn't want a last minute dash. I believe they usually have a few 'floating spaces' but they'll tell you when you phone / email if there's space anyways. We liked their process! Very transparent. 2 of the day schools we went to wouldn't tell us where we would be on the waitlist and made a point of asking if you had any family connection to the school which I didn't like. I feel it should be irrelevant unless it's a sibling and was put off that others would jump to the front because their great uncle had attended in 19canteen. But hey ho.

The only people I know who have kids at cargilfield are a same sex couple. Doesn't seem to have been an issue.

They've been impressed having only gone there for reasons of expediency and have kept their kids in the school for a lot longer than they originally planned.

@Arthursmom welcome to Edinburgh! You not worked out the Edinburgh shuffle yet.... where did you grow up? Where did you go to school? Is X your relative??

It's a fucking village of a city.

My two DC both went to Cargilfield and had the absolute best childhood and education. We can not fault it. It was everything we could have hoped for in a Prep School. It feels like a family, due to the size. There is so much on offer. My DC did all sports and outdoor pursuits (kayaking, cycling etc), fencing, baking, art, debating. The quality of teaching and personal attention is unrivalled, but without feeling pressured. My two began as day pupils but were keen to do boarding weekends when they could and did weekly boarding before they moved on. They are both at big name schools now. Cargilfield is special. It's not just about exam grades or ticking boxes. In terms of the long day, my two rarely wanted to come home at 6pm, but would more often stay for supper and a club. Feel free to PM me.

@Jofergo thanks so much. So good to know. And yes, it is a village 😂😂 I'm from all over so it's a bit of a shock to the system.

@FriendlyLaundryMonster wow I hope we have the same experience. It really does seem perfect for him.