"Numbers have remained around 31,000 for many years, despite some closures, falling demographics and the ending of the assisted places scheme. "When people look at numbers," Sischy continues, "they tend to want expansion, like league tables, where improvement is often expected. However, some of our schools are already large and may, large, medium and small, are full. Doing well doesn't mean increasing numbers, that is important for people to realise."

For the independent sector, consolidation, security, stability and consistency are the hallmarks of success. Encompassed in all these, is demand for places, the retention of pupils, and the goodwill of the community. The latter, in practice, means offering value for money, and consistent high quality achievement, something Sischy believes the independent secotr "does well, despite different years having a diversity of capabilities in pupils.

"The schools not only continually produce good results, but high quality, well-rounded children capable of going out into the world and fending for themselves, I think that's everyone's aim."

Waiting lists at some schools, she reckons also indicates health in the sector; but what about the fees?

"The cost only goes up, it would be lovely if t could go down. About 70% of fee income goes on teachers' salaries."

The move towards schools explaining how fees are spent, has been welcomed. "The Scottish Executive's average school costs for the state sector appear much less than ours," says Sischy, "but they don't count any of that investment in the figures. Capital building costs now come from elsewhere in the state sector with PPP."

The independent secotr, she assures, is committed to teacher recruitment and recognises that it's crucial to make the profession attractive to young people.

"The challenges of teaching in a community with high expectations may be different to those in a multi-deprived area but we do have many children requiring special care so the challenges are equally there. However, independent school communities are largely supportive, that's a privilege we're lucky to have."

What parents want from independent schools doesn't change: individual attention for their children, and high quality, rounded education. Together with a huge range of extra-curricular activities on offer, it could be said that they are signing up to a way of life.

Merchiston Castle School in Edinburgh is bucking the trend away from boarding, continuing its traditional 80% boarding, 20% day split, with 415 pupils at the all-boys school (the highest in its history) for the second year running.

Andrew Hunter, who became headmaster five years ago, says: "Our day pupils have a challenging longer day. We offer them prep in school until eight or even nine o'clock, so there's a dual existence going on here.

"We still do five or six lessons on Saturdays, and we still have Sunday chapel services, some involving the whole school. Merchiston is very much run in its all-embracing philosophy and variety of life."

The £1m spent on various projects at Merchiston this summer, is the brand new Pringle Centre, a three-classroom junior teaching centre for eight, nine and ten year-olds.

A former Merchistonian paid for the refurbishment of two chemistry laboratories, and the next major capital project will be the building of a new sixth form boarding house.

The ethos of the school believes Hunter, "is as simple as making the most of your talents, encouraging the real care which is within each person: how he's performing, academically in the classroom, as a games player, a musician, but also really caring about how he's behaving.

"Being boys-only is part of that ethos, it allows them just to be boys, which I think they really enjoy. I believe the loss of innocence is to a certain extent halted, particularly between the ages of 13-16.

"We've made an important symbolic move in allowing sixth formers to wear suits instead of blazers and we're working on developing this group's leadership skills in many directions."