George Heriot’s Senior School is delighted to have been awarded ‘Scottish Independent Secondary School of the Year for Academic Excellence (Highers)’ in the Sunday Times Parent Power 2026 survey, published Sunday 7 December 2025. The award was made in recognition of the large numbers of pupils achieving top results.
‘’Academic prowess does not exist in a vacuum,’’ said Alastair Anderson, Head of Senior School. ‘’The achievements of our pupils stem from the integrated nature of classroom teaching, pastoral support and co-curricular opportunity.’’
He continues: ‘’This award illustrates wonderfully the breadth and depth of the academic programme here at Heriot’s and the exceptional quality of the relationships between staff and pupils that is a core feature of our school.”
Principal Gareth Warren comments: ‘’Heriot’s is delighted to have won the Scottish Secondary School of the Year for Academic Performance accolade from The Sunday Times Parent Power. It reflects our strategic focus on inspiring learning through great teaching and confirms Heriot’s status as Scotland’s leading independent school.
‘’Looking to 2030, we are strengthening the curriculum by focussing on the development of the individual through Pupil Agency, Skills and Digital Capabilities, shaping young people who can drive their own learning and are equipped to flourish in an unpredictable landscape’’.
The school will be sharing its Strategic Ambition in the New Year, unveiling the academic pillar as one of four focus areas.
Heriot’s curriculum development is a process of thoughtful evolution, ensuring the school critiques and adapts new educational thinking while staying true to its core values. The rise of artificial intelligence, changes in the skills and aptitudes that employers value, and the shifting economic landscape mean that incremental change is no longer enough: an education step change is needed.
Heriot’s ambitious, whole-school curriculum review builds on its commitment to knowledge rich, subject specialist teaching and the high attainment that follows, to ensure Heriot’s pupils are prepared for a dynamic future.
Pictured above, the Senior School Leadership Team 2025