Looking for a school open day near you? Whether you’re considering your local secondary school, looking at a placing request or exploring Scotland’s independent schools, an open day or evening is one of the best ways to get a feel for a school before making your decision.
We’ve rounded up Scottish school open days and open evenings for 2026, arranged by region and chronologically within each area.
We’ll keep adding state and independent school dates as they’re announced.
Last updated: 12 August 2026
Please check before you go: School open-day dates, times and booking arrangements can change. Always confirm the latest details directly with the school before travelling.
Edinburgh & the Lothians
September 2026
Erskine Stewart Melville (ESM), Edinburgh
Saturday 19 September 2026
Tours: 9am, 10am and 11am
Erskine Stewart Melville’s Open Day gives families the chance to discover the newly formed, fully co-educational school.
From August 2026, ESM brings together the former ESMS schools as one co-educational school for children and young people aged 3–18.
Families can visit the Junior School at Ravelston and Senior School at Queensferry Road, with tours at 9am, 10am and 11am at both campuses.
If you’d like to visit both, the school recommends booking a 9am tour at one campus and an 11am tour at the other.
Advance booking required.
George Heriot’s School, Edinburgh
Saturday 26 September 2026
9.45am–1pm
Prospective families can explore George Heriot’s, meet staff and pupils and discover more about school life.
The Open Morning includes a presentation in the School Hall as well as activities, experiments and displays around the school.
Advance booking required.
October 2026
Edinburgh Montessori Arts School (EMAS), Edinburgh
Saturday 3 October 2026
10am–3pm
Edinburgh Montessori Arts School provides Montessori education for children and young people from ages 1 to 18.
Its Open Day gives families the opportunity to tour the school, meet teachers and learn more about its approach to Montessori education.
Check directly with the school for the arrangements for the age group you’re interested in.
St George’s School, Edinburgh
Saturday 3 October 2026
Whole School Open Morning
Explore St George’s from Nursery through to Sixth Form and Boarding, with pupil-led campus tours, classroom activities and opportunities to meet pupils, staff and parents.
Planning to visit EMAS too? Both schools have events on 3 October, so check timings before making your plans.
St George’s School, Edinburgh
Tuesday 6 October 2026
School in Action Morning
This weekday event gives prospective families the chance to see St George’s during an ordinary school morning, including lessons and day-to-day school life.
Edinburgh state secondary school open evenings
We’re also adding City of Edinburgh Council secondary schools to this guide as their 2026 open-evening dates are confirmed.
Schools to watch include:
- Boroughmuir High School
- Broughton High School
- Castlebrae Community Campus
- Craigmount High School
- Currie Community High School
- Drummond Community High School
- Firrhill High School
- Forrester High School
- Gracemount High School
- Holy Rood RC High School
- James Gillespie’s High School
- Leith Academy
- Liberton High School
- Portobello High School
- Queensferry High School
- St Augustine’s RC High School
- The Royal High School
- Trinity Academy
- Tynecastle High School
- Wester Hailes High School
2026 dates: awaiting confirmation / being added as announced.
Glasgow & the West
September 2026
Kelvinside Academy, Glasgow
Saturday 19 September 2026
Junior & Senior School Open Day
Kelvinside Academy’s annual Open Day gives prospective families the opportunity to explore the Junior and Senior Schools.
Departments, subjects and co-curricular clubs showcase school life, and visitors can meet teachers and pupils, tour the school and talk to the admissions team.
Glasgow state secondary school open evenings
We’ll also be adding confirmed 2026 open-evening dates for Glasgow’s council secondary schools.
These events are particularly useful for families preparing for the move from P7 to S1, as well as anyone considering a placing request.
2026 dates: more to be announced.
Perthshire & Central Scotland
September 2026
Glenalmond College, Perthshire
Saturday 12 September 2026
Families can tour Glenalmond’s campus, meet staff and pupils and find out more about school life.
Can’t make September? Glenalmond has also announced future Open Days for:
- Saturday 20 March 2027
- Saturday 22 May 2027
Perth & Kinross state schools
We’ll add confirmed open-evening dates for Perth and Kinross secondary schools here as they’re announced.
2026 dates: more to come.
Fife
Looking at secondary schools in Dunfermline, Kirkcaldy, Glenrothes, St Andrews or elsewhere in Fife?
We’ll add Fife Council secondary school open evenings and transition events here as schools publish their 2026 dates.
2026 dates: awaiting confirmation.
Dundee & Angus
We’ll add open evenings for state secondary schools in Dundee and Angus, alongside independent-school open days, as 2026 dates are announced.
2026 dates: more to come.
Aberdeen & Aberdeenshire
Families in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire will find confirmed state and independent school open days here as they’re announced.
We’ll be looking out for events at schools across Aberdeen City as well as Stonehaven, Banchory, Inverurie, Ellon, Westhill and the wider Aberdeenshire area.
2026 dates: more to come.
Stirling, Falkirk & Clackmannanshire
We’ll add 2026 open evenings and transition events for local secondary schools across Stirling, Falkirk and Clackmannanshire here.
2026 dates: more to come.
Highlands & Islands
From Inverness and the Black Isle to Moray, Skye, Orkney and the Western Isles, we’ll add confirmed school open days and evenings as they’re announced.
2026 dates: more to come.
Scottish Borders
Considering secondary schools in the Borders? We’ll add confirmed 2026 open evenings for schools across areas including Peebles, Galashiels, Melrose, Hawick, Kelso and Jedburgh.
2026 dates: more to come.
Ayrshire
We’ll add state and independent school dates across North, South and East Ayrshire as 2026 open evenings are announced.
2026 dates: more to come.
Lanarkshire
We’ll add confirmed 2026 open evenings for schools across North and South Lanarkshire, including the Hamilton, East Kilbride, Motherwell, Cumbernauld and surrounding areas.
2026 dates: more to come.
Dumfries & Galloway
We’ll add confirmed secondary-school open evenings and other prospective-family events from across Dumfries & Galloway here.
2026 dates: more to come.
How to find your local school open day
Not every Scottish state school advertises its open evening far in advance, so don’t worry if you can’t see your school listed yet.
Try:
- checking the school’s website and social media pages
- checking your local council’s education pages
- looking at newsletters from your child’s primary school
- asking your P7 teacher about secondary transition events
- contacting the secondary school directly.
Associated primary schools will often receive information about transition events from their local secondary school.
If you’re thinking about making a placing request for a school outside your catchment area, contact that school to ask whether prospective families can attend its open evening too.
What’s the difference between an open evening and a transition event?
They’re not necessarily the same thing.
An open evening or open day is generally designed to introduce prospective pupils and parents to the school. You may tour the building, meet teachers, visit departments and hear from the headteacher.
A transition programme is usually aimed at pupils who are actually moving to the school. It may involve visits from secondary teachers, activities with associated primary schools and dedicated transition days for P7 pupils.
Some schools also offer additional visits for children who need more support with the move to secondary school.
Choosing between your catchment school and another school
Visiting more than one school can be useful if you’re considering a placing request.
Don’t focus solely on exam results or reputation. Look at how the school actually feels.
How do staff and pupils interact? What support is available? What clubs and activities could your child join? How long would the journey be every morning? And, perhaps most importantly, can your child imagine themselves being happy there?
Remember that visiting a school does not guarantee a place. Admissions and placing requests for council schools are handled separately, so check the current procedure and deadlines with your local authority.
Questions to ask at a secondary school open evening
A busy open evening can fly past, so it helps to have a few questions ready:
- How do you help P7 pupils make the move to S1?
- What does a typical S1 timetable look like?
- How are classes organised?
- How does pastoral care work?
- What additional support is available?
- How do you communicate with parents?
- What sports, music, drama and other clubs are available?
- What trips and outdoor-learning opportunities are offered?
- What is the school’s homework policy?
- What is the mobile-phone policy?
- What are the uniform requirements?
- What subjects can pupils choose later in secondary school?
- What support is available when pupils choose National Qualifications?
- What careers, college and work-experience opportunities are available?
And don’t forget to ask your child what they want to know. Their priorities might be very different from yours.
Are we missing your school’s open day?
Help us make this the most useful Scottish school open-day guide for parents.
If you’re a school with a 2026 open day, open morning, open evening or prospective-parent event, we’d love to hear from you.
Send Scotland4Kids the:
School name • Town/city • Date • Time • Age/year groups • Booking link
We’ll add confirmed dates to our regional listings.
Open-day dates, times and admissions arrangements can change. Always confirm details directly with the school or relevant local authority before attending.
