Amazing Montessori Pre-School for children aged 2-5 with walled in/secure garden on site plus…read moreaccess to a fenced in park a few 100 yards away.

The list of notable alumni from this school is rather impressive; Donald Dewar, J.M. Barrie, and…read moreperhaps most excitingly DARIUS!!!, this privately-run school in the west end was first established in the 1800's and boasts a huge array of facilities and features. Being a private school the uniform policy is pretty strict, but with rumors of the boys trousers soon changing to the purple tartan pattern this may soon change from a cause of nuisance, to one of sheer hilarity on epic proportions. Honestly, tartan trousers? Genius. With the recently added brand spanking new primary school building now perched precariously over the Kelvin and protruding it's sparkling glass faced walls onto Belmont Street, this contrasts interestingly with it's rather older and more traditional buildings to the rear and make the school fees well worth the money, even if your child has to endure various missiles and projectiles launched from neighbouring schools at his rather dubious tartan trousers.

Apart from being socially controversial, private schools have had a rather difficult time in the…read morepast ten years. The abolition of assisted places undermined the class mixture that rescued many of them from being too exclusive and the ability to pay became more critical than academic talent, at least as far as admission procedures went. Despite this, the Academy still has a reputation for strong intellectual achievement, and the pupils, seen in the West End most days in their uniforms, are smart and well mannered. It is a school for those with bright academic hopes, and the new buildings, mirrored in the development of rival schools, do not hide a school for the rich and dim. Tough selection procedures ensure that they continue to provide a generation of lawyers and doctors, although it is always worth noting that this sort of education is not really ideal for everyone.