Loretto School

Scotland’s oldest co-ed day and boarding school on the ‘golf coast’.

Many thanks to Pete Richardson the school Head, Angelina Lombardo and the two students who showed me around the school. What a very unique setting, and it was wonderful to get a real insight into what the school is all about. Whilst Musselburgh may not ‘technically’ be within the city of Edinburgh, and I’m pretty sure the residents would dispute this, Loretto is very much part of the community of Independent schools that serve the wider area. Established in 1827, the school, based in a leafy 85 acres, has 2 senior campuses, connected by a tunnel for safety, and a Junior campus, integrated within Musselburgh itself. Only 6 miles from Edinburgh City centre, 30 mins by car, or 13 mins by train, the school has a super location right on the coast.

General info

From aged 3 – 18yrs, co-education all the way. Pre school, Junior School and then Senior School. Fees are calculated at varying rates (pre-school offers wrap around care) depending on stages of school and day/boarding options. Non selective admissions, GCSE, A Levels and a couple of B-Tech options. Saturday morning school.

Why Loretto

The emphasis is on the ‘whole person’, through mind, body and spirit. As a small school (400), the focus is on knowing each young person individually, encouraging growth through a broad academic curriculum and extra curricular activities. And then there is the Golf Academy.

Sport, social events, creative..

One of Loretto’s main USP is their Golf Academy. The only school to have a purpose built academy, with simulators, professional golf coaches, gym – and an actual indoor chipping range and bunker. It is well established and very popular for European children looking for a UK education with high end golf facilities and coaching. All other traditional sports feature as you would expect. There are music groups and theatre productions, Combined Cadet Force – Navy and Army – and Duke of Edinburgh Scheme.

Academic and post school..

A proud non-selective school, Loretto offers GCSEs, A Levels and B-Tech options in Sport and Enterprise & Entrepreneurship. A good cohort go onto Oxbridge and Russel Group universities in Scotland and England, and a fair few to American destinations. Launched in October 2025, Loretto have launched a new Golf Performance Programme in partnership with Edinburgh University.

Day and Boarding

Boarding – I was shown around by the head of Pinkie, one of the boys houses, and the head of Holm, one of the girls houses. The boarding house staff were welcoming and knowledgable, with a good report with the students. Each house had single or double rooms, day rooms for day pupils and common rooms for all. School house, for the younger boarding pupils is within the main School building, a wing for girls and one for boys, but common rooms in the middle. Boarding can be full, weekly or flexi.

Day – Day pupils and boarders use the same facilities, other than bedrooms. The school provides a good bus service for those that do not want to board from as far afield as the boarders, but also Edinburgh.

If you would like to know more about Loretto School, or arrange an accompanied visit, please do get in touch with us.

INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS