Frequently Asked Questions
We understand that you might have lots of questions – that’s completely normal. Below are some of our most frequently asked questions.
Yes, Loretto pupils are fully integrated in every aspect of school life. Each House comprises day pupils and flexi, weekly and full boarders.
At Loretto we are committed to serving our pupils fresh, healthy and delicious meals every day, and the use of local producers is hugely important to us as a school focused on sustainability. Our award-winning catering team manage allergens sensitively and professionally, and our pupils and staff are fortunate to enjoy a range and quality of food that would not be out of place in a five-star restaurant. As well as frequently-requested favourites, we also enjoy themed meals and banquets throughout the school year. All meals and snacks are included in the fees.
Yes, prior to each break (exeat weekends, half-terms and holidays) a travel form is sent to parents, to confirm their child’s travel arrangements, including outbound and inbound flight details where relevant. The school provides transport to and from Edinburgh airport. Where a flight time would require a pupil to leave campus early, a special leave request form should also be completed.
Pupils may choose to stay on campus during exeat weekends. All pupils leave campus for half-terms and holidays. Exeat refers to overnight leave weekends when school breaks from Friday afternoon until either Sunday evening (boarders) or Monday morning (day pupils). There are five exeat weekends across the session – two in the autumn term, two in the spring term and one in the summer term.
Yes! Our day-to-day uniform is the famous Red and Grey, however each Wednesday, and on special occasions, we wear Chapel Kit, which includes the kilt. The Loretto Pipes and Drums Corps also wear the kilt as part of their uniform. Pupils are welcome to wear any tartan, including the official Loretto School tartan, which honours the school’s history and tradition. The kilt is woven into every aspect of Loretto, as our KILT values (kindness, integrity, loyalty and tenacity) drive everything we do.
Yes. All academic lessons are timetabled between Monday and Friday. On Saturday mornings, Lorettonians either represent the school at sport, or participate in their chosen enrichment activities, such as engineering, photography, musical or dramatic productions, ceramics, textiles or journalism. The Saturday morning enrichment activity programme is optional for children in Years Four to Seven and in Second Form.
The Head hosts a welcome meal for new families in the Dining Hall at the beginning of the new session during the last week of August. This forms part of arrival day, when new families are welcome to arrive and settle into their Houses from 2pm, hear welcome addresses from the Head, Senior Leadership Team, Head Girl and Head Boy in the Chapel at 5pm, and enjoy a reception hosted by the Friends of Loretto on Chapel Lawn at 5.30pm, prior to the welcome meal, which is at 6pm. The following day is induction day, and term begins the day after this. Each new pupil has a buddy to guide them through their early weeks, and families are supported throughout their time at Loretto by a parent representative for each year group.
Children in the first three years of Senior School (Second, Third and Fourth Forms; Years 8, 9 and 10) are accommodated in Schoolhouse. For Fifth Form and Lower and Upper Sixth (Years 11, 12 and 13), boys are accommodated in either Hope or Pinkie, and girls in either Balcarres or Holm. As well as taking into account existing family ties, pupils are carefully allocated to Houses to ensure each has a blend of interests, personalities and nationalities. Pupils receive a welcome letter from their Housemistress/Housemaster (HM), introducing the house team and sharing a House Handbook, prior to the start of the new session.
In Schoolhouse, pupils either have a room to themselves, or share with one, two or three others. In Balcarres and Holm, girls will be in either a single, double or triple. In Hope, all boys have a room to themselves, and Pinkie boys will either be in a single or share one of the famous King’s Rooms.
Loretto has a clear policy which supports education and good habits. Younger pupils hand their phones in before lessons and get them back at home time (day pupils) or after prep (boarders). Boarders in Schoolhouse hand their phones in when they go to bed. Older pupils may carry their phones, but they should not be seen or heard during the school day. We have a pupil committee leading a smartphone education programme, with regular campaigns to support healthy habits. Smartphones are not permitted in Junior School – if a pupil needs to bring one in, it is left in the care of the office team, and collected at home time.
Each member of staff is responsible for between six and ten pupils – their tutees – with whom they meet every weekday morning before lessons begin. Each pupil also meets with their tutor individually once per week, and tutors regularly support their tutees at fixtures and performances. The tutor is the central point of contact, coordinating the team around the child, which includes the Housemaster/Housemistress (HM), Head of Year, class teachers, sports coaches and activity supervisors, and is supported by the Deputy Head (Pastoral) and Deputy Head (Academic). Our tutor system provides a clear and timely flow of information both internally and with families, and helps us to keep each child’s health and wellbeing in focus.
Once Saturday morning commitments are concluded, pupils can enjoy some downtime, take part in any of the organised weekend activities, or make plans with their friends. Popular off-campus pursuits include going ‘downtown’ (into Musselburgh), to the nearby Fort Kinnaird retail park for shopping or cinema, into Edinburgh, or playing one of the many championship golf courses in the area. On campus, pupils can take advantage of our world class sporting facilities, and each House has its own recreation rooms. Houses often team up for a social activity on Saturday evenings. Sunday activities include surfing, climbing, ziplining, skiing, baking and paddleboarding. Thanks to Loretto’s ideal location, nestled between the historic, iconic capital city of Edinburgh and the breathtakingly beautiful coastline and countryside of East Lothian, Lorettonians are never short of things to do during their free time.
Loretto is a historic, traditional boarding school – Scotland’s oldest – with a modern global welcome. The current pupil body is 80% British and 20% international, and at any one time there are usually between 25 and 30 nationalities represented, from all corners of the globe.
The Loretto community comprises pupils and staff from all over Scotland, the rest of the UK, Europe and the rest of the world. Our staff are all excellent communicators, and international pupils learn to speak very good English. If they do develop a slight Scottish accent, it is a very attractive one and certainly doesn’t make them more difficult to understand!
The Loretto uniform lists can be found here. As well as the Loretto Uniform Exchange (LUE) on campus, uniform is available to order online via the bespoke Loretto pages of www.schoolblazer.com. Uniform packs for new pupils can usually be assembled and placed in their room prior to arrival. Please contact the LUE team if you have any questions or wish to arrange an appointment. The parent volunteers who run the shop are very knowledgeable. We recommend setting aside up to one hour for an appointment. Providing your child’s name, year group and measurements in advance is very helpful. If you would like to have any items sent to the school prior to starting, please ensure the packaging is clearly labelled with the child’s full name, and use the main school address: Loretto School, 1-7 Linkfield Road, Musselburgh, East Lothian, Scotland, United Kingdom, EH21 7RE.
Yes. Please ensure the packaging is clearly labelled with the child’s full name, and use the main school address: Loretto School, 1-7 Linkfield Road, Musselburgh, East Lothian, Scotland, United Kingdom, EH21 7RE.
Families receive a Welcome Pack containing all the information they need to help prepare for life at Loretto. This is usually sent during the summer term prior to the start of the new session.
Pupils are sent a curriculum booklet for the next academic session during the summer term. For Fourth Form (Year 10) and above a subject choices form is included with this communication. Pupils receive their timetable at the beginning of term.
Pupils require a computing device, which should be able to access Microsoft 365. A laptop running Windows 11 or MacOS 13 or later is optimum however an Android tablet or iPad can also be used. New pupils are set up on the school systems during their induction day.
Non-British residents will need a valid passport, and will likely need to apply for a Child Student Visa. All visas for Loretto pupils are handled by the school’s immigration lawyer, Holmes & Partners, who are happy to guide families through the process. All terms must be met before the visa process can begin, including full acceptance of the offered place, and completion of the guardianship pack.
The Loretto Colours are Greenlees (purple), Langhorne (green), Mackintosh (navy blue) and Tristram (pink). Pupils are assigned to a Colour when they begin at Loretto, and can acquire their Colour t-shirt from the uniform shop on campus. The Colours compete in intramural competition, such as Songfest, the March Hare and Sports Day.
Absolutely! Loretto has a long and proud musical tradition. The Loretto Music School offers individual tuition in a wide range of instruments, designed to inspire creativity, develop skills and foster a lifelong appreciation of music. As well as individual lessons, Lorettonians have the opportunity to participate in groups such as choir, orchestra, pipe band, and string, wind and percussion ensembles. Pupils are encouraged to perform in monthly informal concerts, termly Pinkie Sessions, scholars’ concerts and the annual Waterhouse Competition in our wonderful Peter Wood Concert Hall.
Loretto’s KILT values – Kindness, Integrity, Loyalty and Tenacity – underpin all that we do. Through opportunities which nurture the mind, body and spirit, these values are instilled in Lorettonians so that each achieves their potential whilst also ensuring they grow into responsible and considerate citizens.
Yes, the Loretto motto – Spartam nactus es: hanc exorna – literally Sparta is yours: adorn it, or more generally, you were born with talents: nurture them – resonates throughout our close-knit community. We seek to know and nurture every child, find and develop their talents, and support them in creating their exceptional life, whatever that means for them.
From Fourth Form (Year 10) our pupils access a broad academic offering of 18 GCSE and 23 A Level and BTEC subjects. In preparation for this, the Second and Third Form (Years 8 and 9) curriculum is a broad-based integration of the best features of the Scottish Curriculum for Excellence and the English Key Stage 3 Curriculum, with a distinctive Loretto component reflecting the school’s geographical and historical traditions.
Our pupils leave Loretto real-world ready, compassionate and curious. Their choices are as interesting and diverse as they are. Many go to university or college. Some prefer to expand their horizons with a gap year first. Many Loretto Golf Academy graduates progress their academic journey alongside their golfing career at colleges in the US or elsewhere around the world. Some opt to move into the world of work, either directly or via apprenticeship experiences, or into professional sport.