Our School

From the Rector Request a Prospectus Academic
Success Getting to Hutchesons’

Ethos at Hutchesons'

Pupils, parents and staff identified very strongly with the school. They were proud to be associated with the school's history and traditions. The quality of relationships among pupils and staff was very good.

This observation by the inspecting team in 2006 is one that we hope holds true for every generation in the Hutchesons' family. It gets at the heart of what we mean by ethos - that recognisable sense of identity that is understood, shared and enacted by all in the Hutchesons' community. This identity has been shaped by an accumulated tradition upheld by successive generations. It is an identity respectful of the past but excited by the future.

Ethos is about who we are and how we represent ourselves to others. Our ethos is rooted in a set of core values to which we want all pupils to aspire. We expect pupils to be polite yet friendly, to have self-respect and show equal tolerance for others; we have high standards of behaviour. We are an academic school and expect pupils to work hard and to aim high. We value knowledge, learning, intellectual curiosity and independence of mind. We rightly celebrate academic successes, but equally we recognise achievements in the co-curricular life,  too.

Philanthrophy is at the core of the Hutchesons' ethos. The school was founded by the philanthrophy of the Hutcheson brothers in the mid-17th century and today we support talented children of all means through the school and give back to the community through year-round charitable giving programmes.

If a pupil has a talent we want to foster and develop it. The range of clubs and societies at Hutchesons' underscores that. We want our pupils to be outward looking and this is supported by our growing programme of international education and exchange visits, together with our extensive community and charity work. We have a flourishing EcoSchools committee and growing partnerships with local organisations. There is a spirit of "can-do" among the pupils; each year, we routinely have around six Young Enterprise companies competing for business. The first XV organised much of their own fund-raising for a Rugby tour of South Africa.

Wearing the jersey for the first XV taught me about the importance of teamwork and being part of something bigger than yourself.

We believe that ethos is forged by teamwork and personal challenge. It is a vital part of school life that we put out a great number of teams each weekend and that large numbers of pupils sign up for the Duke of Edinburgh's Award, Mark Scott Leadership and World Challenge. Pupils and staff are motivated to give up their holidays to get involved in expeditions or to attend additional training sessions. At Hutchesons', we believe that the more you put in, the more you get out of life.