Loretto School
Loretto School is an independent school in Scotland, founded in Musselburgh in 1827. It is sometimes referred to as a public school, although strictly this is an English term, and not used in this sense in Scotland.
History
Loretto (which is Scotland's oldest boarding school) became known throughout Britain during the formative and brilliant headmastership of Dr Hely Hutchinson Almond (1862-1903). His strong belief in the development of the individual in the round—in mind, body and spirit—and in the value of "a community living according to the dictates of reason" can still be seen today.
Although Loretto has grown substantially from the 136 pupils under Almond's care a hundred years ago, the same desire for the headmaster to know each individual pupil remains. The value placed on communal activities, such as the daily school gathering (the Headmaster's 'Double') and on communal singing, remains high. Today's Lorettonians benefit from Dr Almond's dislike of constrictive dress (through the absence of a tie for daily dress) and from his enjoyment of the red jacket.
In 1981 girls joined the Sixth form and in 1995 the Third form, so making the school fully co-educational in 1997.
The Golf Academy
The Loretto Golf Academy was established in 2001, and has since attracted many top young golfers around the world. The Golf Academy allows pupils to combine regular golf tuition without affecting their academic studies. One of the Golf Academy's targets is to produce a future Open champion.
On the 11th of July 2006, Loretto clinched the infamous HMC Foursomes title. After triumphing in the 'Northern' section of the competition, Loretto maintained their unbeaten record in the National Finals with an eventual 2-1 victory over Eton to be crowned British Schools Champions 2006.
Former pupils (Old Lorettonians)
Old Lorettonians include the Government minister Alistair Darling, former Chancellor of the Exchequer Norman Lamont, the journalist Andrew Marr, champion racing driver Jim Clark, and magazine editor Douglas Bell. See the category "Old Lorettonians".
External links
- Loretto School — the official school website