St Mary's Music School A GSG School
- St Mary's Music School
Coates Hall
25 Grosvenor Crescent
Edinburgh
Edinburgh
EH12 5EL - Head: Dr Kenneth Taylor
- T 0131 538 7766
- F 0131 467 7289
- E Admissions@smms.uk
- W www.stmarysmusicschool.co.uk/
- An independent school for boys and girls aged from 9 to 19.
- Boarding: Yes
- Local authority: Edinburgh
- Pupils: 65; sixth formers: 13
- Religion: Non-denominational
- Fees: Fees before aided place: Day £30,851 - £34,495; Boarding £43,707 - £47,351 pa
- Open days: Throughout the Year
- Review: View The Good Schools Guide Review
What The Good Schools Guide says..
During our visit (break time) four really quite small people came out to the playground, one fell and was immediately surrounded (not sure about tears) by her own peer group and some older children who were close by, who picked her up and escorted her back inside. Now that is what we like to see in a school. Music, of course is what the school is all about, with all genres catered for: regular concerts at venues all over Edinburgh. Extensive-ish grounds (for the middle of Edinburgh) filled with…
What the school says...
St Mary’s Music School is one of the nine specialist Music and Dance Schools the UK (and the only one in Scotland) funded by the UK Government and providing the finest training in Britain. It is a co-educational, non-denominational specialist music school, offering a world class standard of music and academic education to musically gifted children aged 9-19 years. It is also the Choir School of St Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral in Edinburgh. It attracts day and boarding pupils from across Scotland, England, Wales, Northern Ireland, Europe and internationally. ...Read more
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Other features
Music and dance scheme - government funding and grants available to help with fees at selected independent music and dance schools.
All-through school (for example 3-18 years). - An all-through school covers junior and senior education. It may start at 3 or 4, or later, and continue through to 16 or 18. Some all-through schools set exams at 11 or 13 that pupils must pass to move on.
Choir school - substantial scholarships and bursaries usually available for choristers.
Performing arts specialist school
What The Good Schools Guide says
Headteacher
Since 2013, Dr Kenneth Taylor BSc PhD PGCE PG Dip. Scholarship to Dulwich College, read chemistry at Edinburgh University and spent three years as a research chemist before moving into teaching. Came to St Mary’s from Biggar High where he was depute head, having progressed though a couple of schools in the local authority sector.
A keen sportsman (hill-running a passion), he also plays the piano, violin and viola although stresses his musical skills are pedestrian compared to his pupils’. Lives in Edinburgh with his family and regularly cycles to school (across Edinburgh). Delightful and outgoing, he enjoys encouraging the youngsters in all manner of disciplines and has a deprecating sense of humour. One parent told us, ‘He’s outstanding. He takes the children running and encourages them to get...
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Special Education Needs
St Mary’s Music School provides music and academic education for children aged 9–19 with special talent in music. Entry is by audition and pupils gain a place on the basis of musical ability and potential. The case of any musically talented child with learning difficulties would be considered individually and the school would aim to provide the level of support necessary to allow the child to develop to his/her full potential. The school would endeavour to make any necessary improvements to the physical environment of the school to enable St Mary’s Music School to support a musically talented child with physical problems. 10-09
| Condition | Provision for in school |
|---|---|
| ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder
Might cover/be referred to as;
ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder, Aspergers, Autism, High functioning autism, Neurodivergent, Neurodiversity, Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA), PDA , Social skills, Sensory processing disorder |
Y |
| HI - Hearing Impairment
Might cover/be referred to as;
Hearing Impairment, HI - Hearing Impairment |
|
| MLD - Moderate Learning Difficulty
Might cover/be referred to as;
Learning needs, MLD - Moderate Learning Difficulty |
|
| MSI - Multi-Sensory Impairment
Might cover/be referred to as;
MSI - Multi-Sensory Impairment, Sensory processing |
|
| OTH - Other Difficulty/Disability
Might cover/be referred to as;
Downs Syndrome, Epilepsy, Genetic , OTH - Other Difficulty/Disability, Tics, Tourettes |
|
| PD - Physical Disability
Might cover/be referred to as;
PD - Physical Disability |
|
| PMLD - Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulty
Might cover/be referred to as;
Complex needs, Global delay, Global developmental delay, PMLD - Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulty |
|
| SEMH - Social, Emotional and Mental Health
Might cover/be referred to as;
Anxiety , Complex needs, Emotionally based school avoidance (EBSA), Mental Health, SEMH - Social, Emotional and Mental Health, Trauma |
Y |
| SLCN - Speech, Language and Communication
Might cover/be referred to as;
DLD - Developmental Language Disorder, Selective mutism, SLCN - Speech, Language and Communication |
|
| SLD - Severe Learning Difficulty
Might cover/be referred to as;
Complex needs, SLD - Severe Learning Difficulty, Cerebral Palsy (CP) |
|
| SpLD - Specific Learning Difficulty
Might cover/be referred to as;
ADHD, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Auditory Processing, DCD, Developmental Co-ordination Difficulties (DCD), Dyscalculia, Dysgraphia, Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, Handwriting, Other specific learning difficulty, SpLD - Specific Learning Difficulty, Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) |
Y |
| VI - Visual Impairment
Might cover/be referred to as;
Special facilities for Visually Impaired, VI - Visual Impairment |
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