DOLLAR ACADEMY has been named as Scotland’s top private school as part of a national yearly survey.

The Clacks school was awarded Scottish Independent School of the Year 2024 in the annual Parent Power survey, hosted by the Times.

This survey acts as the definitive guide to schools in the UK, allowing users to search for more than 1,600 schools by name, local authority, town and postcode.

This gives parents the chance to identify the highest achieving schools in the country, using post-pandemic rankings of both state and private schools.

Dollar has taken top spot this year for its innovative approaches to supporting schools wellbeing, including bringing in alpacas to help reduce exam stress.

The school has also installed a pedal-powered smoothie maker to give students food for thought in the dining room, which was refurbished last year.

Ian Munro, rector of Dollar Academy, said: “Dollar is special in so many ways.

“We offer the widest range of academic subjects in the country, which are complemented by a full and varied co-curricular programme, and our spacious and very green campus is a calming and inspiring place to be.

“For me, however, the best thing about Dollar is the people who make up our community.

“Our pupils are talented, kind, and wonderfully grounded; and my colleagues are incredibly hard working and committed to ensuring the best possible outcomes for our young people.

“We are a successful school, filled with happy and very active children.”