User:LathallanSchool

Introduction Lathallan School is a Scottish independent co-educational day and boarding school offering an outstanding Nursery, Primary and Secondary education. Brotherton Castle, the home of Lathallan, offers accommodation to pupils who wish to be full, weekly or flexi boarders. Lathallan School inspires its pupils to achieve beyond their expectations, concentrating on its ethos that is based on three main principles - the importance of the individual, inspiration and challenge.

Location Lathallan School is located on the main coastal stretch between Aberdeen and Montrose in Scotland. The nearest village is Johnshaven, however towns such as Laurencekirk, Forfar and Stonehaven are all within an easy distance.

History of Lathallan School Lathallan School was established in 1930 with only five boys in its first term. Originally the school was based near the hamlet of Largoward in Fife. Lathallan School was a boys-only preparatory school, with all boys boarding full time. The first headmaster, Mr Harry Nock, also ran the Home Guard in East Fife during World War Two.

The school was well established by the end of the Second World War, and in 1946, three ex-servicemen joined the teaching staff, including Mr Raymond Burton, an ex-POW, who would go on to succeed Mr Nock as Headmaster. Disaster hit Lathallan School in early September 1949 when the school burned down just prior to the end of the summer holidays. Workmen had been stripping paint in the school, so either a rogue cigarette butt or the blowtorch that they had been using to strip the paint was blamed. The school building was completely gutted and unusable.

Mr Charles Alexander, a parent of one of the Lathallan boys, had recently acquired an estate in Johnshaven that he offered to the school. Brotherton Castle therefore became the new home of Lathallan School, and remarkably within a month the school of seventy-four boys was operating as normal in their new surroundings.

The school continued to flourish and scores of boys spent many happy years learning in the Castle, and enjoying the 60 acres of woodland and grounds.

The 1970s saw changes at Lathallan School. Mr Burton, Headmaster from 1962 to 1975, retired and was replaced by Mr Peter de Iongh. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s Lathallan School allowed girls and non-boarding day children to attend but the same ethos prevailed and many youngsters benefited from an all-round Lathallan education.

In 2006 Lathallan School took one of the boldest decisions in its long history by developing from a preparatory school into a full through school by the opening of the Senior School. Children now could stay for their whole education at Lathallan School. The Senior School has proved remarkably successful in such a short period of time as Lathallan School came 7th for students gaining 3 or more Highers; actually joint top when post appeal results were taken into consideration in only the second year of Higher courses being offered.

History of Brotherton Castle Having spent more than sixty years at Brotherton Castle, the history of Lathallan School has become intertwined with the Castle itself. But the history of Brotherton Castle starts long before that fateful fire in Largoward, Fife in 1949…

In 1570 James Scott of Logie, scion of an ancient family who could trace their routes back to the twelfth century, bought the Brotherton Estate. James divided his many estates between his sons; his son Hercules was given the Brotherton estate. Hercules therefore became the first Scott to live in the original Brotherton Castle. This original castle has been lost, but one sketch from 1764 remains so we have an idea of what the original castle would have been like.

The Scotts rose in prominence in the local area, founding churches and parts of local hospitals. Loyal to the Jacobite cause, there are unsubstantiated reports that the ‘Old Pretender’ spent some of his last time on Scottish soil with the Scotts at Brotherton Castle before his exile to France.

The last occupant of the old Castle was David Scott. His only son, Hercules, was responsible for the building of the present Brotherton Castle in the Victorian heyday of the 1860s. Hercules had spend some time abroad in the Bengal Civil Service, but returned to the UK in the 1850s and married Anna Moon, the daughter of a wealthy Liverpool cotton merchant.

Six children later, the Scotts were living in splendour in their new baronial Castle. There are still many original features at Brotherton Castle that can be seen today, such as the ornamental ceilings where the initials H.S and A.M are still visible. The pagoda shaped game larder is still in the grounds today.

However illness hit the Scott family and within a week in early 1869 four of their children died from diphtheria. This left two daughters, Anna and Margaret. Throughout his life Hercules gained a reputation for charitable giving, by helping found a soup kitchen for Johnshaven’s poor and was involved in the construction of the village lifeboat station in the 1890s.

Hercules Scott died in 1897 and his eldest daughter Anna inherited Brotherton Castle. She remained unmarried and became the last Scott to live at Brotherton Castle. Despite two world wars, Miss Scott continued to live at Brotherton in considerable style, keeping her maids, butler, gamekeepers and gardeners, footman, cooks, and chauffeurs. Miss Scott held magnificent country balls and allowed local Sunday school children to hold summer picnics in the gardens. Miss Scott, in keeping with the fashion of the time, often used to stay in London during the ‘Season’. During one visit to London during the Second World War she allowed Brotherton Castle to be used as a maternity hospital, and gifted a pram to the first baby to be born in the Castle.

Miss Scott died in 1948, and Brotherton Castle passed to her niece, Mrs Freda Gall. She sold the property to Mr Charles Alexander, who allowed Lathallan School to use the Castle following the Lathallan fire in Fife in 1949. He later sold the Castle and grounds to the school.

Motto and Coat of Arms The Lathallan School motto is vincit qui se vincit roughly translated as ‘he who conquers himself conquers all’.

The Lathallan Coat of Arms was presented to the school in 1973. It is a lion rampant gules surmounted of a bend sable charged with three lozenges argent on a chief of the second a rose of the fourth barbed and seeded vert between two open books of the fourth binding and fore edges of the first.

Headmasters Mr J. Nock OBE 1930-1962 Mr R. Burton 1962-1975 Mr P. de Iongh 1975-1992 Mr P. Fawkes 1992-1996 Mr N. Colquhoun 1996-1997 Mr P. Platts-Martin 1997-2002 Mr A. Giles 2002-2009 Mr R. Toley 2009-

Modern Lathallan School Lathallan School offers education from nursery to senior school. Following the Scottish curriculum of Intermediates, Highers and Advanced Highers in a wide range of academic subjects. Loyal to the original ethos of providing a first class education, as well as instilling lifelong qualities and values for their pupils, Lathallan School offers an unparalleled education.

In the Junior School children have specialist subject teachers as opposed to one main teacher for all subjects. Children are encouraged to learn and discover strengths and skills in a wide range of subjects and activities, ranging from sports to music and drama.

The theme of all round education continues to the Senior School. All pupils are encouraged to take part and try new activities, to develop their confidence and to gain valuable skills. Small class sizes of no more than 16 pupils allow children to develop at their own pace, and have excellent pupil-to-teacher relationships.

There has been a long history of sporting achievement at Lathallan School. The 62 acres available at Lathallan School to children inspires excellence in rugby, athletics, cricket, tennis, cross-country and much more. In recent years the Lathallan School Rugby Sevens have become an important event in the rugby year. Held every year in April, teams from far and wide attend, and enjoy a day of fast paced rugby.

A new Sports Pavilion is due to open in 2013.