Scotland's first Orthodox Christian primary school opens - with no homework, daily PE and zero screens allowed
The school is the first school to offer a ‘classical’ education to primary school pupils
Scotland’s first Orthodox Christian primary school has opened in Edinburgh.
St Andrew’s Orthodox Church School, based at Craigmillar Park Church in Newington, welcomed pupils for the first time in September after being approved by Scottish education officials at the start of the summer.
The school was set up by a group of Lothians parents, with support from St Andrew’s Orthodox Church in Edinburgh and the Orthodox Archdiocese of Thyateira and Great Britain.
The school claims to be the first in Scotland to offer a “classical” education to its pupils which, according to the school’s website, aims to address the “shortcomings” of modern education and favours an approach that originated in Ancient Greece.
Fotini Hamplova, Director of Academics and a mother-of-five from Penicuik, said they were inspired to set up the school to offer parents a more traditional education for their children in a “joyful environment”.
Originally from Cyprus, Dr Hamplova holds a PhD in Socratic Education from the University of Edinburgh and has a long-standing passion for classical learning.
She said: “Our little school started in our parish community. We noticed that many parents were sharing the same worries and hopes about providing the best possible education for their children, and we decided to jump in and make the first Orthodox Christian school in Scotland.
“It was really important to me personally to ensure that we have an excellent standard of academics. We are thrilled that this dream has now become a reality.”
The “content-heavy” curriculum emphasises fact learning, and traditional subjects such as maths, science, history and languages, including Latin. History lessons cover ancient and medieval civilisations to Scottish history.
The school says it does not follow the “ethos” of the Scottish Curriculum for Excellence (CfE), the framework used by all state schools in Scotland and some private schools, but has aligned its learning outcomes in each subject with the CfE so pupils achieve the same as those in local schools.
The school uses minimal technology in its classrooms, rejecting the use of apps to aid teaching, and computers are not used outside computer science lessons. Pupils are also banned from bringing smartphones to school.
The school does not give out homework to encourage children to spend more quality time with their families at home, and because of the intensity of learning during the school day.
The school is open to children of all backgrounds and faiths but has a “strong Christian ethos”, with pupils celebrating Christian traditions and cultures and taking part in daily prayers.
Unlike many schools across Scotland, PE classes are run every day. The emphasis on physical activity is part of its bid to make the school’s learning environment better suited to boys, who tend to underperforming at school compared to girls.
“Our aim is to offer a top-tier academic education with affordable fees,” said Dr Hamplova. “Our school is a joyful environment where we include a lot of free play to support children to develop friendships. All of this with a Christian ethos.
“There will also be a strong emphasis on learning through play, with movement and physical activity every day. With families from diverse backgrounds, we also want to celebrate and learn from our different cultures.”
Board member and parent Catherine Henderson, from Edinburgh, said: “We wanted a school that encourages our children to be curious, joyful, and inspired by the world around them, while reflecting our family’s values at home.
“We have high expectations for them, but we also want an environment that is designed to let them be children. As parents we don’t want to have to choose between excellent education and affordability.”
The Orthodox Community of St Andrew in Edinburgh is a parish of the Archdiocese of Thyateira and Great Britain, which is part of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.
Its history dates back to 1948 when Archpriest John Sotnikov, a Russian chaplain of the Polish Army, started holding services for Polish ex-servicemen who had settled in Edinburgh.
The community soon embraced other Orthodox Christians living in Edinburgh, including Greeks, Russians and Serbs.
Today, St Andrew’s Orthodox Church holds daily services, worshipping mainly in English, but also Greek, Slavonic and Romanian.
The school is holding its first open day on Saturday November 1.
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