The cradle of women's lacrosse

St Leonards is proud of its sporting heritage, no more so than in the historic role it has played in the development of lacrosse. In fact, St Leonards lays claim to be the first place in the world at which girls’ lacrosse was played.


The game was brought to St Leonards by Dame Louisa Lumsden and Dame Frances Dove, the first and second Headmistresses of the School, who had watched a match between men during a visit to Canada in 1884. Miss Lumsden later wrote, "It is a wonderful game, beautiful and graceful. (I was so charmed with it that I introduced it at St Leonards).” And so in 1890, the girls at St Leonards began playing lacrosse.


The School’s influence over women’s lacrosse didn’t end there though. Rosabelle Sinclair, who introduced lacrosse for girls to the US, attended St Leonards between 1906 and 1910. St Leonards staff and girls also played an important part in the development of the Scottish Lacrosse Association. It is estimated that the School has provided well over 100 players for the Scottish national team since international matches began in 1913.

Although firmly established as a co-educational school, St Leonards is proud of its heritage. Girls still therefore play lacrosse as part of their timetabled Physical Education lessons and in competitive regional and national fixtures.

Former Deputy Head Jane Claydon has written and published, ‘St Leonards: Cradle of Lacrosse’, detailing the crucial role played by the School in the development of the game.

Visit St Leonards

To arrange a visit to St Leonards, please contact our Admissions Team at registrar@stleonards-fife.org More

Day Bus Service

St Leonards is pleased to offer a home to school day bus service for our families, with routes covering Fife, Tayside and Perthshire. More

Summer Schools

St Leonards offers Summer School Programmes specialising in English language tuition and multi-activities. Booking is now open for Summer 2023. More

Golf at St Leonards

St Leonards offers a leading six-tier Golf Programme, giving pupils every opportunity to grow their game in the home of golf, using top-of-the-range facilities and technology. More

Location

Situated in the heart of St Andrews, St Leonards offers outstanding boarding education for 5-18 year old boys and girls, combining exceptional academic achievement with a friendly atmosphere. St Leonards students have the chance to learn, work and play in a unique seaside setting and to feed off the inspirational buzz that comes from being right in the heart of a renowned and cosmopolitan university town.

The School is a private company limited by guarantee and is registered in Edinburgh with registration number SC016693. The company's registered office address is St Leonards School, St Andrews, Fife KY16 9QJ. The School is also registered as a charity with OSCR. The charity registration number is SC010904.

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