United Kingdom · Edinburgh
Fettes College combines a central Edinburgh campus with a full-boarding Senior School. Families should understand the weekend commitment, selective entry process, substantial deposits and unusually detailed contract before accepting a place.
Fettes College is a selective, co-educational independent school on a 100-acre campus in Edinburgh. It serves day pupils and boarders from age 5 to 18.
The Senior School has a genuine full-boarding model. It does not offer weekly or flexible boarding at ages 13–18. Day pupils join the same Houses and are encouraged to attend evening and weekend activities.
Fettes is strongest for families who want that seven-day community and a choice between A levels and the International Baccalaureate Diploma. It is a weaker fit for weekly boarders, beginners in English or families needing a predictable low-extras budget.
The Pre-Prep opened in September 2025. It serves children aged 5–7, although the school can admit a child who is at least 4.5 on 1 September in limited circumstances.
The Prep School covers ages 5–13. The Senior School covers ages 13–18. Both share the East Fettes Avenue campus.
Senior boarders normally remain at school through the weekend. The school says that more than 70% of Senior pupils are full boarders, which supports a substantial Saturday and Sunday programme.
Senior boarders may remain during a Recommended Weekend Leave. One boys’ House, one girls’ House and Craigleith stay open, and the published charge is £230.
Boarding Houses close during half terms and long holidays. A boarder must then go home or stay with the appointed guardian.
Day pupils belong to a House and can join evening or weekend activities. Occasional overnight boarding costs £80, including dinner and breakfast, when space and school approval permit.
The school expects pupils to attend weekday Chapel and Saturday singing practice. Its approach is rooted in an inclusive Christian tradition and welcomes pupils of all faiths or none. Exemption requires the Head’s approval.
Pre-Prep follows Scotland’s Curriculum for Excellence through play-based learning. The programme includes literacy, numeracy, French and Spanish.
The Prep curriculum is broad and leads into the Senior School. Fettes does not publish a separate automatic-transfer guarantee for every pupil.
Third Form, at ages 13–14, keeps a wide subject range before GCSE choices. It includes English, mathematics, three sciences, humanities, technology, arts, physical education and languages.
Pupils then take eight to ten GCSE or International GCSE subjects. English, mathematics, sciences and a modern language form part of the core, with further subjects selected from the published options.
The Sixth Form offers two separate two-year routes:
Fettes offers more than 40 Sixth Form courses across the two routes. It does not offer Scottish Nationals or Highers as its standard leaving qualifications.
Continuation into the Sixth Form is not guaranteed under the contract. Current pupils must meet the school’s academic and conduct requirements.
Families first register and pay £180, comprising the published £150 fee plus VAT. Registration does not reserve a place or guarantee assessment.
Fettes admits at several stages. The process changes with the child’s age:
| Entry stage | Published process |
|---|---|
| Pre-Prep | Stay-and-Play visit and school review |
| Prep, age 7+ | CAT4 reasoning assessment, taster morning and interview with the Prep Head; prospective boarders also meet a Houseparent |
| 13+ | CAT4 reasoning assessment and interview with the Head or another Senior leader; scholarship assessments are separate |
| 14+ | CAT4 reasoning assessment and interview, subject to a suitable vacancy |
| 16+ | Three chosen-subject papers and a Senior-leader interview; an additional English paper applies when English is not the applicant’s first language |
The school considers reports and the applicant’s educational background. It can make early 13+ offers to pupils already attending UK schools.
General applications remain subject to space. The school has not published a reliable consolidated calendar for all 2027 applicants.
Sixth Form scholarship assessments take place in November 2026. Families seeking ordinary 16+ entry should ask whether their assessment follows the same dates.
Before paying, request these points in writing:
English is the teaching language. International applicants must be fluent enough to enter the curriculum, and the school normally expects three years in English-medium education.
English as an Additional Language support is available, but no public price is stated. The policy does not describe a beginner-English admission route.
In Third Form, a pupil can replace one of two languages with Study Support. Support may cover mathematics, reading, essay planning, organisation, revision and assistive technology.
Support continues flexibly in Fourth and Fifth Form. A pupil with substantial needs may need to release one GCSE option and take eight subjects instead.
Sixth Form applicants seeking access arrangements must provide current evidence and their history of arrangements. Previous support does not automatically establish eligibility under GCSE, A-level or IB rules.
The contract permits the school to charge separately for additional special-educational-needs provision. Ask about capacity, delivery and the full annual cost before accepting an offer.
The published fees include VAT. There are three terms in the academic year.
| Stage and status | Per term | Annual tuition |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-Prep, ages 5–7 | £5,175 | £15,525 |
| Prep day, ages 7–13 | £8,800 | £26,400 |
| Prep boarding, ages 7–13 | £12,900 | £38,700 |
| Senior day, ages 13–18 | £15,900 | £47,700 |
| Senior boarding, ages 13–18 | £18,850 | £56,550 |
Direct Sixth Form entrants pay an additional 10% of their first-year Senior fees. That is £4,770 for a day pupil or £5,655 for a boarder.
The school permits this premium to be spread across both Sixth Form years. In that arrangement, it charges 5% in each year.
Tuition includes lessons, ordinary learning support, meals, medical care, most mainstream activities and travel to school sports fixtures. Flexible care is included for Prep and Senior day pupils.
Pre-Prep after-school care is charged separately. The published price is £10.50 for one hour or £16.50 for two hours, including tea.
The ordinary deposit is £500. The school normally credits it to the final account, without interest, after all outstanding charges have been settled.
Parents living outside the United Kingdom must also pay an Additional Deposit equal to one term’s fee for a Prep or Senior entrant. This applies alongside the £500 deposit.
The Additional Deposit is normally returned if the child never starts. The ordinary deposit is normally forfeited, unless the school fills the exact vacancy and deducts only its administration cost.
The UK visa administration charge is £862, including VAT, for each school-sponsored application or renewal.
The handbook gives useful examples of costs outside tuition:
Uniform, ordinary travel, trips, specialist medical care and some materials can add further costs. The school gives personal-accident cover and limited personal-effects cover.
The contract describes a separate £2,000 plus VAT Administration Charge per term after non-selection of optional “Specified Charges.” The public materials do not explain which selections trigger it, so obtain written clarification before signing.
Ordinary withdrawal requires one full term’s written notice, given by the first day of the preceding term. Without valid notice, one term’s fees are payable instead.
The same notice principle applies when changing from boarding to day status. Part-term withdrawal does not create a refund.
For 2027 entry, Fettes offers 13+ scholarships in academic study, all-round ability, art, drama, music, piping or snare drumming, and sport. At 16+, the published list excludes all-rounder and drama.
An applicant may normally enter no more than two scholarship categories. The all-rounder award is a standalone application and cannot be combined with another category.
The 16+ application deadline is generally 2 November 2026, with assessments on 9 or 10 November. Most 13+ applications close on 13 January 2027, with assessments on 25 or 26 January.
Use 13 January for a 13+ music application. Its brochure also prints 14 January elsewhere, so the earlier date avoids the unresolved conflict.
Academic, all-rounder, art, drama and sports brochures each state a 5% fee reduction. The music award instead includes two weekly instrumental lessons, and piping or snare drumming includes one weekly lesson.
The brochures cap total scholarship fee remission at 5% per pupil. Awards are reviewed annually and depend on progress, conduct and continued participation.
The fee page says scholarships can be entirely honorary under its Forces-family conditions. That restriction should not be applied to every family because the 2027 brochures explicitly publish the benefits above.
Means-tested bursaries can cover up to 100% of fees. The current bursary page gives 30 October 2026 as the deadline, despite printing “30st” in the date.
The Kick-start bursary is a separate full-boarding route for a Scotland-based child entering P7 in 2027. The child must be 11 on 1 September 2027.
Published household-income limits are below £35,000 for one dependent or £49,000 for multiple dependants. There is no registration fee.
Kick-start can fund fees, uniform, equipment, examinations and specified learning costs through age 18. Awards depend on the available funding and applicant strength, so the school may make none in a year.
From September 2026, eligible Forces families pay the Continuity of Education Allowance plus 10% of total fees, including VAT. Extras remain separate, and no other remission applies under that arrangement.
Fettes is a licensed student sponsor, but sponsorship is not automatic. It normally sponsors boarding pupils and considers a Prep day pupil only exceptionally.
The school requires sponsored applicants to use its appointed immigration adviser. It issues a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies only after the place is formally accepted.
The policy uses the Child Student route for ages 4–17 and the Student route at 18. A child moving from Fifth Form to a new Sixth Form course may need a fresh application.
Families must show the required funds and pay the school’s £862 administration charge. They should not book travel before the immigration decision.
Every pupil whose parents live abroad or are otherwise inaccessible must have a UK guardian, irrespective of age. The school does not appoint or recommend a particular guardian.
The guardian can be a suitable friend or relative aged over 25, or an agency. The school policy says paid care for a child under 16 in Scotland must use an appropriately registered childminder.
Guardians accommodate the pupil during half terms, Recommended Weekend Leave when required, school closure and emergencies. They must be able to collect the pupil within 24 hours in an emergency.
Sponsored pupils must follow the school’s travel-reporting process and keep passport and digital immigration records current. An unexplained absence exceeding ten continuous school days may be reported to the authorities.
Education Scotland made an unannounced visit in February 2025 and published its report in September 2025. The inspection was requested by Scottish Ministers.
The report rated the curriculum and raising attainment as excellent. Learning, teaching and assessment, and wellbeing, equality and inclusion, were rated very good.
Inspectors praised the broad curriculum, high attainment, relationships and inclusion. They found that safeguarding obligations were met, while also advising the school on non-urgent safeguarding matters that the report did not detail.
The report identified several improvements. These included more consistent behaviour practice, clearer teaching expectations, stronger governor challenge and better support for pupils managing a demanding schedule.
It also sought more active learning in the Senior School, clearer success criteria and better skills progression through Fifth and Sixth Form. No follow-up visit was required for this inspection.
Fettes offers an unusual combination: a city campus, a large full-boarding community and both A-level and IB routes. The seven-day model is central to the school, not an optional feature around ordinary weekday provision.
The right family should confirm those points in writing and budget beyond tuition. A family wanting weekly boarding, beginner-English entry or low incidental costs should compare alternatives carefully.
Official pages and documents we read. If a figure matters to your budget or your application, open the link and confirm it is still current.
Friendly orientation, not an application. Dates, fees, and programme details move. Confirm everything with the school.
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LondonAlleyn’s is a selective co-educational day school for ages 4–18. This guide explains the different junior-school routes, the 11+ and 16+ processes, and the costs that sit outside tuition.
BristolBristol Grammar School is a selective, co-educational independent day school from Reception through Sixth Form. Its subject range makes it worth considering for a child who wants academic choice while living at home. Senior and Sixth Form fees are £7,422 per term from autumn 2026. Admissions pages still describe the previous entry round, so families applying for 2027 need a new timetable.
Fettes combines day and boarding education with A Levels or IB. George Watson’s and Edinburgh Academy are day schools following Scottish qualifications.
8 minStart with the child and a realistic weekly timetable. Then confirm who provides care, which nights are covered, and what happens when plans change.
7 minStart with the qualification your child would actually receive. Then check its subjects, language demands, and recognition in the countries where they may study next.
7 minStart with your child and the family's likely plans. Define the non-negotiables, verify the school's claims, compare three realistic options and visit with specific questions.