Heriot’s foundation

[Dunderheided]

My child’s father died a couple of years ago. We’ve both had a tough time but have come through it. My child still grieves but seems as well adjusted as could be hoped. They enjoy primary school and have a good friendship circle.

So I’m torn whether or not to approach Heriot’s to ask about taking up their provision of free education to ‘faitherless bairns’. My late husband and I were/are ambivalent about private education. I’m low income and not able to, or interested in, keeping up with the Joneses.

So I’m guess I’m torn between wanting to give my child the best educational start in life - though how to do this in the round is debatable - and not fixing what isn’t broken, school wise. Their catchment high school would be Gillespies.

Has anyone been in a similar position and can provide any insight?

Sorry for your loss, that is a very difficult situation for you and your child.

Why not speak to Heriots and have a look around - you don’t need to commit to anything straight away. You’re in a good catchment regardless so why not find out a bit more about Heriots and see if it would suit your child. There will be lots of children moving around as they start secondary school so they would not be the only ones. Everyone lives so locally that most high school kids have friends at all the local schools.

We chose to send our DC elsewhere but I was very impressed when we looked around Heriots. Also know many kids who’ve done well at Gillespie’s however it is very oversubscribed now so that is something that I would be a bit concerned about.

Honestly if their catchment school is James gillespies and they’re happy where they are I’d leave them to it. My son has a friend whose older brother took up this offer and his friend will as well in p6 when it’s available. There’s a lot of additional expenses (uniform etc) and a lot he can’t afford to join in on for trips and such. He’s super academic so doing well but he would have done well academically at Gillespie’s too. Socially he’s much the same as he was before but he’s not a particularly social kid.

slightly trickier situation for my son’s friend as we are assuredly not in any sort of Gillespie’s type catchment so the difference between the schools is much more stark.

Thank you for these responses. The two aspects that most appeal are the presumed provision of pastoral care (especially as I navigate the teenage years as a solo mum), and also the sports facilities, as my child seems to love sport.

We looked at an independent school for our DD and we were offered a bursary which would have covered a percentage of the fees. We ended up not taking it up because the bursary only covered the fees. The bursary didn't cover books, art supplies, IT or school lunches, all of which were compulsory and which, along with the strict uniform and transport we would have had to fund in full. Trips weren't cheap either. Had the bursary been a percentage of all the costs, we could have possibly made it work without us making all sorts of sacrifices as a family.
I know someone in the senior phase at Heriots. This year's school trip is to Kenya and next year's is Japan. How would your DC cope if all his/her friends were going on a trip like that and you couldn't afford it?

I have friends whose 4, now adult, attended Gillespies. They all did very well at school and my friends speak very highly of the school and how their DC were supported.

I know two people who went to heriots on this basis and both got an excellent education and opportunities they wouldn't have otherwise had. They're both in their 60s now and have led fairly normal-average lives as adults, not high flyers or anything but well adjusted 'good guys.'

However if your catchment school is James Gillespie's your child is likely to do well regardless.

Personally I don't agree with private education but I can see why you'd be considering this in your circumstances.

I have an acquaintance whose kids are at Heriots on the bursary. TBH I think they might have gone private either way, but the kids are thriving and the one thing she says is that there’s no bullying or stigma around the circumstances of the bursary, if that’s what’s bothering you OP. But of course, private school costs more than just the fees (and they can afford the extras) and your kids are in catchment for a great secondary…

I also have friends with kids at Heriot’s who are fully fee paying and they are really happy with the school.

I’d approach it as a ‘nothing to lose’ situation and go for a look around, but honestly trust your gut, get a really clear idea of the extras and don’t be swayed by the pitches.

My husband died when my son was in S5 at heriots. (We actually had a school fees protection plant that covered the fees.) From the pastoral side the school was great. My husband had been ill from 2000-2012 (my son started later in 2000 and my daughter was there from 1998) they were so helpful and understanding especially when yearly health reviews came up. I think foundationers do get some of the extras paid for. We had an insurance plan when my husband died so it paid the fees and extras and through university too.

That said Gillespie's is a good school too. I'd speak to Heriots. They've just got a new headmaster (not called headmaster but still)

He is lovely and I think will be good for the school.

I'm sorry for your loss. It's very tough. My children are 32 and 30 and it still affects them to this day. It's very sad he didn't get to see them achieve what they did. My new husband and I still have fathers aged 97 and 93 so we have no clue what our children go through. Best of luck to you.

Please could I ask who your insurance was with? Many thanks.

OP - as other have echoed Heriots is well known for exceptional pastoral care. I would recommend checking it out at the very least.

Insurance was with "school fees trust scheme" or something like that. Cost about £36 per child per month. My husband already had his brain tumour diagnosed when we took it out but the deal when we took it out was as long as he didn't die in the first year then they would pay out. It also covered university fees too. It was expensive but because we knew the chance of him dying was so high we took it out.

I’d go and speak to Heriot’s about it - they changed the system recently to remove the £45k upper income limit. There’s still a stipulation about location/link to Edinburgh.

“Places for Foundationers will be offered within a tiered support system, ranging from 100% fee remission plus sundries, to an offer of a place that will entitle a pupil and their family to access pastoral and bereavement care yet without financial support.”

I believe sundries covers uniform etc.

To the point above on trips, yes there are sometimes fancy trips available but the vast majority of kids don’t do them and there was a review on S3 activities week options which resulted in no cost options - attended by kids from families with the full array of fee arrangements.

The foundation is a core part of the identity of the school and bullying or othering on the basis of being a foundationer isn’t a thing.

Thanks for the comments everyone. I guess I’ll just go into the situation with an open mind. I still see pros and cons, and it’s hard to strip out some of the noise surrounding private schooling.

I have kids at James Gillespie. The violence my children have witnessed is really shocking. There seems to be a core gang of kids who are totally feral, beating up whoever they please, kicking off in lessons all the time, swearing constantly. No staff members at all seem to be able to take action. Some lessons my kids struggle to learn anything as the teachers spend the whole time sorting out behaviour. Given the middle class catchment area the schools grades ought to be much better but I’m not surprised they’re so far down the league tables given our experience.

I’m not sure if this is all state secondary’s these days though. I’d avoid if at all possible.

Thanks @Jigsawjumble . This is concerning to hear. I gather there is some overcrowding there too. I wonder if the behaviour is a hangover from Covid? :-/

@Jigsawjumble did your kids go to junior as well? Is it recent developments for violence?

Also just wondering what are the other options? Is it simply go private if you have the means as moving seems difficult and super expensive once they are in high school ?

Violence is rising drastically in all state schools. James Gillespie seems to have it worse than most. My kids say there are a lot of children there whose parents make them do Gaelic (it’s the Gaelic secondary), they hate it and so spend a lot of time kicking off. But the violence is not being effectively addressed at all. I’m not sure if it’s part of their reputation for being a liberal school -no school uniform, (now illegal
thank goodness) mixed sex loos - which makes them think that firm boundaries and expectations aren’t of benefit to every child.

I know parents who have upped and left to go to private schools due to either their children being bullied and it not being addressed or them feeling the constant disruption was having a serious impact on their child’s ability to learn anything. We’ll see. We can’t afford private really but might have to resort to it at some point.

We didn’t do James Gillespie primary which is meant to be a good school.

Thanks for comments @Jigsawjumble . This is dismaying to read. Does anyone else have comments about JGHS? Perhaps I should start a separate thread.