Welcome to the Senior School
Our Senior School educate boys from the age of 13. Over these years, the boys mature rapidly and our focus on an all-boys education allows us to nurture and develop them so that their talents can emerge. At Merchiston we call the first three years of Senior School, from 13 through to 16 and GCSEs, the 'Middle Years'. They then enter the Sixth Form.
New boys start in Fourth Form, when they join Chalmers West House. They meet up with those boys who have moved up from our Juniors and form a year group of around 60 boys. In the following year, which we call 'Shell', the boys are starting to focus on their GCSEs and some important academic decisions are being made. The next year, Fifth Form, is then the crucial GCSE year, and this is when all the preparation and hard work pays dividends.
Our unique House system, where boys advance in a cohort of their year group, allows friendships and strong bonds to develop. My role as Head of these years, is to ensure these three years are not only a time of strong academic advancement, but also a time of fun, exploration and cultural and sporting expression. Boys mature rapidly between 13 and 16, and our specialist knowledge of teaching boys in an all-boys environment gives the Merchiston boy, in my view, the best possible platform for moving onwards into the Sixth Form.
Come and visit us and see for yourself the spirit, ethos and demeanour of our boys. I'm sure this will do more to convince you of the 'Merchiston way' than anything I can say.
Philip Rossiter, Head of Middle Years.
