Albyn School is an independent day school and nursery for boys and girls aged 2–18 located in the heart of Aberdeen's West End.
Vision. Albyn School is educating for life. Its progressive philosophy is centred on being stronger together, with a focus on building academic excellence, growing community spirit and engendering social conscience.
Acting Head, David Starbuck, said: ‘Albyn is a community. It's a community of pupils that want to learn. It is a happy, safe and vibrant community where pupils feel that they can be themselves, and be valued for who they are. It's a community of staff, parents and pupils who want to work together to nurture talent, and develop knowledge and skills. We focus everything we do on our core values of becoming more self-aware, ambitious and outward-looking.’
Nursery. Albyn School Nursery comprises two phases: Toddlers (ages 2–3 years) and Preschool (ages 3–5 years). The Nursery plays an important role in the School as it is the beginning of the Albyn journey, which will take the majority of the children through to their final year of school, S6.
With an emphasis on the importance of play, children learn language and literacy skills, develop their first steps towards numeracy and build a strong foundation for future learning. The School also instils habits of good health and wellbeing, while providing a calm, stimulating and secure environment in which children can grow in confidence, make friends and most importantly, have fun.
Lower School. The Lower School curriculum has at its core the School’s goal for every pupil to develop a love of learning and grow the skills, knowledge and understanding they need to be confident learners, ready to progress to the next level of education. Albyn School’s small class sizes mean that teachers can gain an in-depth understanding of all pupils in their class.
There are three different components to the Lower School curriculum which allow pupils to develop a strong foundation in the key areas of literacy and numeracy, while providing the opportunity to grow their understanding of the world around them.
Curriculum for Excellence. Albyn School’s core curriculum is informed by aspects of Scotland’s Curriculum for Excellence, especially in literacy and numeracy, but goes above and beyond it in many important areas.
International Primary Curriculum. Albyn’s curriculum is also influenced by the International Primary Curriculum which is a comprehensive, thematic, creative curriculum with a clear process of learning and specific learning goals for every subject. Every year group works on diverse, carefully selected units throughout the school year. Each unit begins with an exciting Entry Point and ends with an Exit Point to showcase a child’s learning journey.
Albyn Curriculum Enrichment Programme. Albyn School wants their pupils to have a healthy balance between a love for learning and curiosity beyond the classroom. With that in mind, they introduced the Albyn Curriculum Enrichment (ACE) Programme which is built into the day for P1–7 pupils. All children take part in a range of activities including sport, music, cooking and crafts during the school day.
Additional visits by specialist teachers in Art, Drama, French, Music and PE enhance the learning provided by Lower School classroom teachers.
Upper School. In the Upper School children continue to explore their own potential, discover the world around them and embrace the opportunities available to them. The Upper School curriculum allows pupils to discover their passion as they learn across a broad range of subjects initially which are refined as pupils progress.
Curriculum. Albyn School follows the Scottish system of education, with Upper School pupils being entered for National 5 examinations (equivalent to GCSEs), Highers and Advanced Highers (equivalent to A levels).
Co-curricular activities. Albyn School pupils have the opportunity to choose from 100+ co-curricular activities. They are encouraged to get involved in different activities to develop their interests beyond academic study. These activities may remain as a hobby or could inspire pupils to consider careers which they may not otherwise have thought of.
Some of the most popular co-curricular activities are The Duke of Edinburgh Award, Combined Cadet Force, and Formula 24. The co-curricular landscape at Albyn School extends beyond STEM activities, encompassing diverse interests such as music (choir, jazz, orchestra, sound engineering), sport (football, golf, hockey, netball, cricket, athletics, cross-country), languages (French, Spanish, German and Latin), and a myriad of other clubs including Model United Nations, debating, Young Enterprise and gardening, offering pupils a rich tapestry of opportunities for personal and collective enrichment.
Trips. In Upper School, Albyn’s annual Activities Week offers pupils a diverse range of experiential learning opportunities, as well as providing the chance for pupils to forge friendships across year groups and create lifelong memories.
Beyond Albyn School. Every year pupils choose a variety of different subjects and destinations as they continue their educational journey. Nearly all pupils exit to universities – mostly in Scotland but also around the UK and abroad.
Pastoral care. Albyn School provides an environment where pupils feel safe, secure and comfortable in an atmosphere of mutual respect and trust. Each pupil is assigned to one of four Clans (Douglas, Forbes, Gordon or Stuart) when they join Albyn School. The School believes that its strong Clan system helps foster relationships between pupils and staff and creates community spirit within the School. Regular Clan events such as sport, singing and debating allow for interaction between pupils of all ages.
Student numbers. 742 (Nursery, Lower School and Upper School), 646 (Lower School and Upper School).
Nursery fees per annum (2024-2025). Albyn Toddlers: Year-round full day £78; Year-round half day (session 1 or session 2) £44; Term-time full day £85; Term-time half day (session 1 or session 2) £48. Lunches and snacks are included in the above fees. Albyn Preschool: Year-round full day £78; Year-round half day (session 1 or session 2) £44; Term-time full day £85; Term-time half day (session 1 or session 2) £48. Lunches and snacks are included in the above fees.
Lower School fees per annum (2024-2025). P1–P2: £10,700*; P3–P5: £13,995*; P6–P7: £14,995*.
*School meals are an additional charge of £4.65 per day.
Upper School fees per annum (2024-2025). S1–S6: £16,995.*
*All fees are exclusive of VAT.
Admission. Albyn School’s main P5–7 and S1 assessments take place in January. Entry to all years is also possible throughout the year and the offer of a place is subject to satisfactory performance in an entrance test and interview (Upper School pupils). Albyn School hosts a number of Open Mornings throughout the year and also offers private tours available on request. Please email admissions@albynschool.org for more information and to arrange a visit.
Scholarships and bursaries. Albyn School aims to provide opportunities for all children who would benefit and thrive from the educational experience they offer. In order to do that, the School supports a range of Bursary Awards for children who might not otherwise be able to attend the School. Albyn School Bursary Awards are available for pupils entering P6 and above. Bursaries are awarded according to both academic ability and financial need. A financial assessment determines whether a full or partial award is made. As a general guide, these awards are made to families whose total gross annual household income does not exceed £80K.
Charitable status: Albyn School is a Registered Charity, number SCO 08392.
Governors & Staff:
Chair of Governors: Jennifer Young
Head of School: Mr David Starbuck
Teaching Leadership Team:
Deputy Head: Mr John Blunsdon, BSc Hons, PGCE
Deputy Head: Mrs Nichola Crawford, BA/BSc Hons, QTS
Head of Lower School and Nursery: Mr Nathan Davies, MA Hons, PGCE
Deputy Head Lower School (Nursery–P2): Miss Zibby Brown, BEd Hons
Deputy Head Lower School (P3–7): Mrs Ailey Smith, BEd Hons, MEd
Senior Teacher and Exams Officer: Miss Carly Blair, BSc PGDE
Administrative Leadership Team:
Bursar: Mr Chris Simpson, MA Hons, ACMA, CGMA
Director of Digital Strategy: Mr Dave MacDonald, BSc Hons, PGDE
Development Director: Ms Frances Loughrey, MA Hons
Director of Marketing and Admissions: Mrs Fleur Murdoch, MA Hons, PG Dip
Human Resources Manager: Mrs Susan Allan