Centres of Excellence
Scotland has six national Centres of Excellence for children who are gifted in music, sport or dance.
These schools select small numbers of pupils from throughout Scotland who show outstanding abilities in their specialism. Pupils gain advantages from receiving expert tuition while accessing the full secondary school curriculum in the host school. Five of the six Centres are residential.
Scotland's six national Centres of Excellence:
Music
- Douglas Academy, East Dunbartonshire
- Broughton High School, Edinburgh
- Dyce Academy, Aberdeen
- Plockton High School in the Highlands for Traditional Music
Sport
- Bellahouston Academy, Glasgow
Dance
- Knightswood High School, Glasgow
Parents who have a talented child interested in attending one of these centres should contact the school direct or the relevant local authority.
In addition, the following three projects will receive funding through the Centres of Excellence programme until March 2008.
- The Fife Music Project
- Partners in Excellence modern languages project (East Ayrshire, North Ayrshire and Argyll & Bute)
- International languages at Shawlands, Glasgow
A report was published in February 2005 which reviewed the costs and funding of the then nine Centres of Excellence. The report is available at: Report on the Costs and Funding of Scotland's Nine Centres of Excellence.
In addition to the above centres, St Mary's Music School in Edinburgh is an independent school that caters for children with a particular music ability. Places at St Mary's are available through the Aided Places Scheme. More information is available on the St Mary's Music School website.