‘Independent Schools of the Year’ Ceremony
Dunbar resident and Belhaven Hill School employee Christine Fairbairn has won the ‘Unsung Hero’ award in the ‘Independent School of the Year’ awards for 2023. The school in East Lothian was selected as a finalist in two categories of the awards: Belhaven joined seven other schools, UK-wide, in the ‘Independent Boarding School of the Year’ category, and Christine was chosen from four other highly valued ‘unsung heroes’.
Christine has worked in the catering team at Belhaven since April 23rd, 1980, longer than current Headmaster, Olly Langton, has been alive! She continues to keep the school for 5 to 13-year-olds ticking with her tireless enthusiasm, kindness towards the children, fantastic sense of humour and wealth of knowledge.
In 2023, the school’s Centenary Year, many Old Belhavians (OBs) have returned to hear about the school’s exciting and ambitious plans for the future, and, when recounting their favourite element of visiting their old school, invariably mention catching up with Christine as a highlight. The ambitious Centenary Campaign is funding new bursaries and new facilities and is already well on its way to hitting its £2 million target.
At the Independent School of the Year awards ceremony, Headmaster Olly Langton paid tribute to Christine’s extraordinary loyalty and length of service, telling guests that the trip down to London had been Christine’s first day off work in 33 years! The boarders eagerly anticipate her return – after all, she knows exactly what each of them will want for breakfast before they even ask for it – and they lined the drive of the school to cheer her success.
“It has been wonderful to have the opportunity to show Christine just how much we value her contribution to Belhaven,” says Olly Langton. “Her interest in, and knowledge of, the children and her natural generosity and warmth are such important parts of the creation of a home-from-home atmosphere - she represents all those that are so integral to the success of a happy and thriving boarding and day community at Belhaven.
“To also be shortlisted for the final of the boarding category is also a great honour,” adds Olly Langton. “This is a great testament to the professional and welcoming approach adopted by the boarding teams in the girls’ and boys’ houses.
“With wonderful, experienced house parents, dedicated live-in boarding assistants and a fantastic team of matrons and every member of the teaching staff supporting boarding, the choice to board at Belhaven is an increasingly popular one: indeed, it is bucking the national trend, where numbers are in decline. At Belhaven, approximately 60% of the Prep school (8- to 13-year-olds) opt for our fortnightly boarding model.
“The benefits of fortnightly boarding are manifold. Continuity and stability are key to a child’s happiness and progress. Knowing that you have eleven nights at school in a dorm with your friends who will be with you every step of the way, creates opportunities for adventures and friendships aplenty. The ‘weekend in’ between the fortnightly ‘weekend out’ (Friday 1pm to Monday 8am) is jam-packed with exciting activities that make the most of the school’s stunning beachside location.”
Belhaven’s Headmaster continues: “In quieter moments, the opportunities to develop co-curricular interests at Belhaven are endless – a newly-refurbished Sports development and rehabilitation room, heated swimming pool, dedicated Art room and eight practice rooms within a state-of-the-art Music school mean that progress and exploration are guaranteed. Every year, approximately half of the top group make their own decision to apply for scholarships to their senior schools as a result of the confidence gained from their time at Belhaven.
“Music is one of the best ways to encourage development in a child – the broad range of skills acquired as a result of learning to read music, to be encouraged to compose music (learned by every child at Belhaven), to dedicate yourself to a regular routine of practice and to brave the nervous anticipation of performance – these are elements of education that are proven to benefit not only the musical development of a child, but also their academic performance and natural sense of confidence. So, it is a tragedy that music and the performing arts are being lost by so many schools around the nation as the result of cuts.
“At Belhaven, we host a ’Try an Instrument Day’ every September in which all of the children can try every instrument that we teach – piano, violin, viola, cello, saxophone, oboe, clarinet, guitar, trumpet, trombone, tuba, drum kit, snare drum, tenor and bass drum, and, of course, the chanter. As a result of this and parental understanding of the vital importance of learning an instrument, over 90% of the children take lessons with our brilliant team of music teachers.
“We are investing in our music, drama and art, with plans to develop Belhaven’s existing performance space as a result of the success of our Centenary Campaign (learn more) – Phase Two will see new equipment for our ‘theatre’ in the Sports Hall, an exciting new development that will follow the current plans to develop a ‘Makerspace’ for our children and also the local community. The Makerspace is a double classroom created specifically for traditional design projects with a computational element.
“The Pipe Band, featuring almost a quarter of the school’s pupils at its peak each summer term, is one of Christine’s favourite elements. She is a regular dancer herself and loves the music that the children produce – she and the boarders are key to the DNA of this small and happy school, and it is wonderful that they have been acknowledged with these nominations in Belhaven’s Centenary year.”
Parents who want to learn more about Belhaven Hill School can take advantage of the Virtual Open Evening on Tuesday 14th November, 7.15-8.30pm. There will be an opportunity to speak to Headmaster Olly Langton, to enjoy a virtual tour of the school and to meet some key members of staff and ask them questions about boarding or day school life at Belhaven. To find out more, visit Belhaven’s website, RSVP via admissions@belhavenhill.com or call +44 (0)1368 862785.