40 . Glasgow Business October 2015
PERFORMANCE AN IMPRESSIVE
St Columba’s pupils celebrate
Independent schools sector thriving with more than 90 per cent achieving A grades S
cotland’s independent schools sector continues to thrive, buoyed by strong domestic and
overseas demand, and strong academic performance. According to the Scotish
Council of Independent Schools (SCIS), which represents the large majority of the sector, there are more than 30,000 children of mixed abilities in private education. Over the past decade, pupil
numbers have remained fairly stable, despite the continuing economic and political challenges for the sector. As at September 2014, there were 30,687 pupils in 70 independent schools in the membership of SCIS: 1,449 children in nurseries;10,777
pupils in primary schools; and 18,461 in senior schools. Tis means that the
independent sector educates 4.4 per cent of the school-age population in Scotland and, according to SCIS, is equivalent in size to the seventh largest local authority in the country. Te independent sector
continues to outperform state-schools generally, with SCIS reporting in its recent school exam results that 93.5 per cent of candidates in mainstream S5 private schools achieved A-C passes at Higher. John Edward, SCIS Director,
commented: “In this transition year for qualifications the only meaningful comparison we can make are at Higher and Advanced Higher level, which
both show consistently high levels of achievement.” Te number of private pupils
achieving an A to C grade in the new National 5 exams reached 93.9 per cent of the 7,202 entries. Te exam has replaced the Standard Grade. While academic achievement
is important, many independent schools pride themselves on their ability to instil strong core values into the young people in their charge such as honesty, respect, responsibility and resilience. Te school environment and
work of the staff is focused on inspiring young people to think for themselves and to excel both academically and as individuals to realise their potential – so that they leave school with confidence and independence and have the
skills required to meet the challenges of university or the world of work. Tis is not only developed in
the classroom, but also through the wide range of extra curricular activities on offer such as in sports, arts, theatre and music or other activities through clubs and societies, community service and the Duke of Edinburgh’s awards. St Columba’s is located in the
picturesque village of Kilmacolm and provides an all-through education for boys and girls aged 3-18 years. Tis academic year they celebrated their best ever Higher results – 70.9 per cent grade As – which also made them the highest achieving school in Scotland. Te school also came third in overall pass rates for its pupils
Photo: St Columba’s School
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