Clifton Hall School
Encyclopedia
Independent school
An independent school is a school that is independent in its finances and governance; it is not dependent upon national or local government for financing its operations, nor reliant on taxpayer contributions, and is instead funded by a combination of tuition charges, gifts, and in some cases the...
nursery, primary and secondary school for children aged 3 to 18 years old. It is a small co-educational day school with 270 pupils.
The school
The school, founded in 1930, is set in a 48 acres (194,249.3 m²) estate near NewbridgeNewbridge, Edinburgh
Newbridge is a suburb of Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. It is south of Kirkliston. Newbridge had a total population of 1,013 at the 2001 Census.-Local amenities:...
on the outskirts of Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. Clifton Hall was originally opened as a traditional boarding
Boarding school
A boarding school is a school where some or all pupils study and live during the school year with their fellow students and possibly teachers and/or administrators. The word 'boarding' is used in the sense of "bed and board," i.e., lodging and meals...
Prep School
Preparatory school (UK)
In English language usage in the former British Empire, the present-day Commonwealth, a preparatory school is an independent school preparing children up to the age of eleven or thirteen for entry into fee-paying, secondary independent schools, some of which are known as public schools...
, with children from age five to thirteen. In 1989, soon after the appointment of new head master, Mark Adams, the school opened a new nursery, allowing children to join at age three, for two years of pre-school before entering Junior 1. In 1995, due to lack of demand for the final year-group, Clifton Hall decided to drop the top-year, making the school a conventional Primary School. Shortly after this change, the boarding offerings were dropped also. In 2005 Mark Adams retired from his post, to return to teaching at St. George's School, Edinburgh
St. George's School, Edinburgh
St. George's School is an all-girls independent school situated in Ravelston, Edinburgh, Scotland.The curriculum is based on the Scottish education system but also uses aspects of the English education system, for example A-Levels are available in sixth form....
, making way for new Headmaster, Rod Grant. On 12 December 2007, under the new management, Clifton Hall and St Serf's School announced a merger, whereby the 100 pupils from St Serf's moved from to the Newbridge campus in August 2008, making a new school catering for pupils from age three to eighteen. Former pupils include Lord Woolf, Professor Sir David Edward, Jim Clark
Jim Clark
James "Jim" Clark, Jr OBE was a British Formula One racing driver from Scotland, who won two World Championships, in 1963 and 1965....
, Ewan Stewart
Ewan Stewart
Ewan Stewart is a Scottish film, television and stage actor.- Life and career :Stewart was born Andrew Ewan Stewart in Glasgow, and is the son of the late Scottish entertainer Andy Stewart. His mother Sheila is still alive and lives in Arbroath, Scotland. Stewart was educated at Edinburgh's...
and Rory Bremner
Rory Bremner
Roderick "Rory" Keith Ogilvy Bremner, FKC is a Scottish impressionist, playwright and comedian, noted for his work in political satire...
.
Clifton Hall
The school occupies a 19th-century, category A-listed building. This was constructed in 1850 to designs by David BryceDavid Bryce
David Bryce FRSE FRIBA RSA was a Scottish architect. Born in Edinburgh, he was educated at the Royal High School and joined the office of architect William Burn in 1825, aged 22. By 1841, Bryce had risen to be Burn's partner...
for the Maitland family, who had inherited the property in 1786. An older house, possibly from the late 16th century, forms the basis of the structure, although it was completely rebuilt in the Scottish baronial style
Scottish baronial style
The Scottish Baronial style is part of the Gothic Revival architecture style, using stylistic elements and forms from castles, tower houses and mansions of the Gothic architecture period in Scotland, such as Craigievar Castle and Newark Castle, Port Glasgow. The revival style was popular from the...
.