12th Nov 2025
As we approach our centenary year at Belmont House School, we wanted to look back, and reconnect with former pupils, near and far. Here we have a list of thoughtful questions that we ask our alumni focusing on their lives, successes, and the school’s influence.
Name: Eòghann MacLeòid
Time period as a pupil at Belmont House School: 2001 – 2008
Current Occupation: Teacher
In what ways did your experience at Belmont House School help to shape your personal and professional development?
When I started at Belmont in 2001 I was a shy and not particularly socially confident child. I wasn’t especially sure of myself—my abilities, my interests, my values—but I quickly realised that there was so much I could learn from my teachers and my classmates. I was initially enthusiastic about science but when I was around fourth year my performances across the sciences went into free fall—I’m sure that Mr Shanks can remember the frustration of trying to get me through Intermediate 2 Physics—the cause of which remains something of a mystery. My Highers were something of a disaster and I can see now that that was a real hinge point in my life; things could have continued on a downward spiral very easily. I despaired (not as much as my parents, I think) at the idea that I may not get into university. What helped me immensely was the strong support network that only a school like Belmont would have been able to offer. My teachers knew me better than I knew myself and they were able to help me to choose subjects in my sixth year that set me on a path that has taken me to teaching Media Studies and English at an international school in China.
As a teacher, I can look back and see the ways in which my own teachers instilled in me values that have shaped my life considerably. My disappointing exam results at the end of my Higher year were certainly not the last time I’d ‘eat bitterness’ as we say in China, but it was one of my great life lessons in building resilience, picking myself up from feeling crushed and helpless and building something greater out of it. I didn’t always see it at the time but I was treated fairly and equitably, something I have sought to extend to others at all times. Many of my teachers had a quiet humour and to my immense surprise I’ve even found myself repeating some jokes that Mr Doak told my Chemistry class over twenty years ago. Most of all, I knew at the time and have been able to appreciate even more in the years after the ways in which my teachers would have walked through brick walls for me. Not once did I feel that a teacher at Belmont had written me off or given up on me even when I had given up on myself. I try with every lesson and every student I teach to do the same.
Could you tell us about the path you have taken since leaving Belmont, and how your time at the school prepared you for those next steps?
After leaving Belmont in 2008 I studied English and Philosophy at the University of Aberdeen. I then went on to study Law at the University of Edinburgh and although I enjoyed studying the law greatly, I elected not to pursue a legal career. After some reflection I realised that the people who had had the greatest impact on me other than my parents were my teachers and that I wanted, if I was able, to do something similar. I took my PGDE at the University of Strathclyde in 2016 and qualified as a teacher in 2017. I spent a few years working in Fife, Edinburgh and Argyll and Bute before moving to the People’s Republic of China in 2020 where I have been living and teaching since. There are few days in my working life where I don’t draw on something I learned at Belmont or an observation I made of my teachers as a student—good and bad!
Are there particular teachers, subjects, or experiences at Belmont that you feel made a lasting impact on you?
I have no doubt that every teacher I had during my time at Belmont left some lasting impression on me—and I can remember each and every one of them—but without a doubt there were four teachers who had a most profound impact on me as a young man.
Mr Paul McClemont was my tutor for the duration of my time at Belmont. Having this consistency benefited me greatly—Mr McClemont was a wonderful guide and a calming influence as I navigated my teenage years. He showed genuine interest in my wellbeing and supported me at countless difficult points in my school career. I take lessons I learned from him and apply them regularly as a pastoral tutor of some years myself.
Mr Fred Orr instilled in me a love of history and put up with a great many of my questions (relevant and not so relevant) on whatever topic we happened to be studying, although I often felt like the only topic I’d ever studied was the Weimar Republic! Mr Orr’s lessons were a pleasure and through him I learned about a number of historical films and filmmakers that have been of great use in teaching Media Studies. From him I learned to take a considered, sober view of situations, to remain critical and analytical and to be meticulous in my studies (although I have to admit that I have faltered on this often!).
Ms Karen McDonald demonstrated superhuman patience in allowing me to take Art and Design as a crash Higher during my sixth year of school. I cannot say with honesty that my folio had much artistic merit but Ms McDonald never once gave me anything but encouragement and frequently went well above and beyond her teaching duties to help me. I do often look back at the young man I was then with some embarrassment but Ms McDonald treated me as an adult—she took my opinions and suggestions seriously, made what I now see were some tough choices that did me the world of good in the long run and put me onto artists that I have appreciated much in the years since. Her art room was a haven for me that year and I could not have wished for a more welcoming, calm, kind and patient guide. I doubt I’ll ever make it as a painter but during that year I began to play around with cameras and photography which has become a lifelong passion for me and something that has brought me endless enjoyment. From Ms McDonald I learned to be open to others, to welcome a variety of different opinions and viewpoints and to get to know people and encourage their passions and interests to allow them to discover themselves.
The most impactful teacher during my time at Belmont was Mr Mervyn Robinson. I had studied English under a number of engaging teachers of English which had firmly established it as my favourite subject, but studying under Mr Robinson in my sixth year was a revelation for me. As with Ms McDonald, I tested Mr Robinson’s patience at times with my questionable work ethic and there were some difficult conversations at the sharp end of the year, but during that year I uncovered a world of not only literature but film, music, games and other media that have shaped and influenced me in the almost twenty years since. In particular, Mr Robinson introduced me to the work of Alasdair Gray, James Joyce and Samuel Beckett, writers from whom I’ve drawn so much pleasure over the years and will continue to for the rest of my life. Mr Robinson was endlessly patient with a deep, genuine love of his subject. His obvious enthusiasm for the things we studied was infectious and I try to bring that into my own teaching every day. More than any other teacher, Mr Robinson was the person I thought of when I made the decision to become a teacher myself and the teacher whom I seek to emulate in the classroom. I owe him a lifelong debt.
What guidance would you offer to current Belmont pupils as they look ahead to their future studies and careers?
When I left Belmont I was seventeen years old and while I knew what subjects I liked, I had very little idea of what I actually wanted to do with my life. My advice would be to try things out, don’t be afraid to fail or to realise further down the line that something you’ve put time and effort into isn’t actually where you want to be—it is never too late to change tack. What is important above all is to know yourself.
What does being part of the Belmont House School alumni community mean to you today?
It was with great pleasure that I saw that Belmont House School had a thriving alumni community; to maintain my connection with the school from so far away is something I am very grateful for. It has also been a very pleasant surprise to see that many of my teachers still work at the school!
Our thanks to Eòghann for sharing their experiences – would you like to feature as part of our Alumni of Belmont House School?
Please feel free to get in touch with Richard Doak via email: RDoak@belmontschool.co.uk
