Overview
Bombay Scottish School (BSS) popularly known as Scottish is a private, co-educational day school located at Mahim in Mumbai, India. The institution was established in 1847 by Scottish Christian missionaries. The school caters to pupils from kindergarten up to class XII and the medium of instruction is English. The school is affiliated to the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations, New Delhi, which conducts the ICSE examinations at the close of class X and the ISC examinations at the close of class XII.
Built in colonial style, it was initially a single storeyed structure in black granite now declared a Heritage site. All the kindergarten classes are located here, as is the chapel, the library and the principal’s Residence. The chapel renamed the Mackay Hall in loving memory of the last Scottish principal, Adam Mackay, now serves as a singing room, multimedia theatre and a meeting hall.
Campus
The campus has an area of approximately 2 acres. The school buildings are divided into the heritage block (formerly middle block), north block, east block and south block. The school campus has a playground, two basketball courts, two separate play-areas for younger students and three halls. Sports are given an equal importance with the academics and facilities to promote sports like swimming, gymnastics, athletics , football, basketball , table tennis , cricket, tennis , badminton , squash , roller-skating , karate, pistol shooting, rifle shooting, archery, etc are available.
The school has a spacious library, housed in the heritage wing, with over 20,000 books accessible to children throughout the day. The Get-Well Room (MI Room) with two experienced nurses attends to the immediate medical needs of children. The school has well equipped science laboratories and two air-conditioned computer laboratories equipped with the latest computers where children from class V up to class X are made proficient in computer skills.
Wholesome and reasonably priced meals and snacks are available in the school canteen run by the Interact Club
Academics
The school follows the Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE) syllabus prescribed by the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations, New Delhi. English is the medium of instruction. Hindi and French are taught as second languages. English and Hindi are taught from class I. Marathi, the regional language is taught as a third language and is compulsory from class I up to class VII.
Extracurricular
Equal emphasis is placed on extracurricular activities and academics. There are student-led clubs on campus, including the Nature Club, Interact Club, Science Club, Scouts and Guides, and Scottish Junior Rifle Club. Inter-house debates, dramatics and sporting competitions are also a part of the cultural lives of the older students. Sports activities at Bombay Scottish School include football, cricket, basketball, swimming, throwball, roller skating etc.
Admission
The admission notice for junior kindergarten is put up in January. For senior kindergarten to class VIII, the notice is put up in April. During the admission procedure, preference is given to siblings of former students, Protestant Christians and relatives of teachers. An interview of each candidate is conducted as a part of the admission process.
The academic year which commences in June and concludes in April consists of two terms- the first term is from June till November and the second term is from November till April. Tests are conducted periodically and examinations are held at the end of every term.
The age requirement for admission in the junior kindergarten is 4 years.
Achievements
The school is affiliated to the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations, New Delhi, which conducts the ICSE examinations at the close of class X and the ISC examinations at the close of class XII.