The Scotsman, September 18, 2002
If your child is a boy, and it is a single sex school you have in mind, Merchiston Castle School in Edinburgh offers an excellent location, with stunning views from its hillside location, only a few miles, or a 20-minute bus ride away from the facilities of the city centre. According to the headteacher Andrew Hunter, the single-sex format "allows boys to relax and develop at their own pace with a gentle environment". Three-quarters of Merchiston Castle School's 415 pupils, aged 8 to 18 years old, are boarders-the rest are day pupils. They can all enjoy an interesting format of school day. The winter timetable, which runs from October, takes every advantage of what daylight hours the Scottish climate can provide by breaking off after lunch to do outdoor activities in the afternoons, then restarting academic work between 4.00-6.00 p.m.-a boon for professional parents who send their children to Merchiston on a day basis. These day pupils join boarders in their Satrudya morning classes-but, in turn, enjoy two afternoons off through the week, which they can spend in school, on prep and extra-curricular activities.
The school-which runs a predominantly English A-level curriculum-has facilities it is rightly proud of. In just the last three years it has built a new music and technology block, a library and dining hall servery, refurbished science laboratories-and £500,000-worth of junior school.
