As I reflect on the weekend just passed, I am struck by the quiet determination and collective spirit that so often defines life at Merchiston. Despite challenging winter weather, our Sports Department worked with flexibility, creativity, and no small amount of resilience to ensure that pupils continued to exercise, train, and spend time together. That commitment mattered. The opportunity to move, to share effort, and to build camaraderie is never incidental here; it sits at the heart of who we are. I am grateful to the team for going above and beyond to make that possible.
On Saturday morning, my two sons and I stood for a moment watching boys running up and down the drive, breath visible in the cold air, laughter carrying despite the conditions. It was a small, fleeting scene – but one that filled me with pride. In that moment, I saw energy, togetherness, and a shared sense of purpose. These are the everyday experiences that quietly shape a community.
Last weekend also saw the welcome return of a long-standing and much-loved tradition: the annual Jesters Fives tour of Edinburgh. The Jesters Club, founded in England in 1929, is an international sporting society built around the camaraderie and social spirit of wall-and-ball games such as Rugby Fives, Eton Fives, Squash, Rackets, Real Tennis, and Padel. This year, sixty six Jesters descended on Edinburgh, taking part in a full programme of fixtures against Merchiston and other local schools.
Friday evening began with the Select VI Tournament, where the top six schoolboy players in Edinburgh are paired with a Jester in a round-robin competition. It was a wonderful showcase of skill, sportsmanship, and partnership. One pairing finished just short of the title, while another went on to win all their matches and lift the Cup – a tremendous achievement. Across the remainder of the weekend, boys from III Form through to Upper VI took part in fixtures, relishing the chance to play alongside – and learn from – highly experienced players. The tour concluded on Sunday morning with a fixture that saw a group of Merchistonians return to face the Jesters once more, securing a memorable and emphatic victory.
Weekends like this remind us that sport at Merchiston is about far more than results. It is about shared experience, learning across generations, respect for tradition, and the joy that comes from playing – and competing – together.
Sunday morning’s Whole School Service offered a calm and meaningful start to the term, bringing pupils, parents, staff, and friends together around the theme Always there. Always belonging. Always renewing.
In my introduction, I invited the community to reflect on the constants in our own lives – the people, places, or routines that have quietly but reliably shaped us. I shared a simple memory from my own school days: Saturday mornings spent talking with my father over breakfast before heading off to sport. At the time it felt unremarkable; with hindsight, it was deeply formative. Those small, consistent moments communicated care, trust, and presence.
Rev Blair then widened this reflection, drawing on the theme of Epiphany and the timeless human instinct to search for meaning. From ancient monuments to modern lives, he spoke of how this search has always been part of what it means to be human. Through the story of the Wise Men – outsiders who journeyed, searched, and ultimately found belonging through what they were able to give – he reminded us that inclusion and contribution sit at the heart of renewal.
A powerful message ran through the service: that belonging is fundamental to wellbeing, hope, and growth. To know that you matter, that you have a place, and that you are valued is often the beginning of renewal – in young lives and in all of us. The service closed by reminding us that while belonging can be found, it is also something we actively create for others, through presence, care, and the willingness simply to be there.
The Prefect application process began in earnest this week, and I would like to encourage all Lower VI pupils considering this role to engage thoughtfully with the process. A significant part of the application draws on experiences gained through the LVI Help Scheme, which provides invaluable exposure to supporting younger pupils both pastorally and academically across the Houses. Reflecting honestly and specifically on this work – whether through academic support, social integration, behaviour management, or everyday presence – will be central to a strong application. The role of a Prefect is rooted in service, responsibility, and contribution, and the application invites pupils to reflect on what they believe the role represents, why they wish to serve, the skills they have developed, and how they would use these effectively. Applications close at 6pm on Monday 26 January.
In this week’s Whole School Assembly, we continued our series on the inner voice. We began with a simple memory task. Pupils were shown a six-digit number for just a few seconds and asked to recall it. Most were successful – not because of photographic memory, but because they
repeated the number silently in their heads. This illustrated something powerful: our inner voice is a core part of our working memory – a system that helps us focus, plan, rehearse, and learn. But our inner voice can also turn against us.
We explored a common experience familiar to many adults and increasingly to teenagers: chatter at night – the internal monologue that ramps up just when we most need rest. Pupils were asked whether they had ever woken in the night overwhelmed by thoughts or worries that suddenly feel enormous. Almost every hand went up. Neuroscience helps explain why. At night, the prefrontal
cortex – responsible for perspective and emotional regulation – is less active, while emotional and memory centres remain alert. The result is an inner voice that becomes louder, less filtered, and more pessimistic.
Pupils were introduced to two evidence-based tools:
Temporal distancing encourages us to ask, “How will I feel about this tomorrow? Next week? In a year?” – helping to reduce emotional intensity and restore perspective.
Distanced self-talk, using one’s own name rather than “I”, creates psychological distance and allows the brain to reason more like a supportive coach than an overwhelmed critic.
I reminded pupils that how we speak to ourselves quietly shapes how we treat others. Learning to manage that relationship – with compassion and skill – is not just good psychology; it is essential preparation for a life of connection, contribution, and leadership.
Mr Thompson also spoke about the purpose and ambition of our Arts Programme – a programme designed to ensure that every boy at Merchiston has the opportunity to experience the extraordinary range of artistic life on offer in and around Edinburgh. While everyone at Merchiston attends lessons and takes part in sport, not everyone naturally steps into the world of the arts. The Arts Programme exists to open that door.
We are uniquely placed to do this. Our semi-rural campus sits just twenty minutes from the heart of one of Europe’s most vibrant cultural capitals, allowing regular access to world-class theatre, music, and dance – an opportunity few schools can offer so consistently.
This term’s programme reflects that ambition, with opportunities ranging from ballet and musical theatre to orchestral and chamber music. Pupils were encouraged not simply to attend what feels familiar, but to try something new and broaden their horizons.
To illustrate this, Mr Thompson introduced pupils to Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony, sharing something of the composer’s struggles with anxiety and fate. The symphony begins in darkness, with a recurring theme reflecting those fears, but by the final movement that same music is
transformed into a statement of triumph. It was a reminder that great art is not simply something to be consumed; it takes us on a journey, offering perspective, hope, and transformation.
This week also saw the launch of a new whole-school initiative, MerchiMerits, introduced by our Clan Captains. MerchiMerits are designed to recognise, celebrate, and reinforce the everyday behaviours that quietly shape the culture of our community. They can be awarded anywhere across the School – not just in classrooms – and each MerchiMerit also contributes points to a pupil’s Clan, reinforcing the idea that individual actions strengthen the whole.
At Merchiston, we place as much emphasis on character, conduct, and how we treat one another as we do on academic achievement or sporting success. MerchiMerits are intended to support exactly this – drawing attention to the small, often unseen choices that make a real difference to how it feels to belong here. The themes will change throughout the year, reflecting the values and behaviours we want to see lived out daily across lessons, Houses, sport, and activities.
The first MerchiMerit theme is Including Others – a value that sits firmly at the heart of a healthy school community. Inclusion is about awareness and kindness: noticing who is around us, who might need encouragement, and who could be brought in rather than left out. In this sense, MerchiMerits are very much part of the undertow of Merchiston life. They are not about grand gestures, but about recognising the accumulation of small, positive actions over time – actions that help every pupil feel seen, valued, and included.
The Equal Consideration deadline for UCAS applications passed on Wednesday, and it has been a real pleasure to see all Upper VI applications submitted ahead of time. This marks an exciting moment for our oldest pupils, as offers for further study begin to arrive and future pathways come into clearer focus. There has been a genuine sense of pride and anticipation as pupils have shared their news, and it has been heartening to see how this milestone has reinvigorated engagement and motivation in their current studies. I would like to pay particular tribute to our Upper VI Tutor Teams, who have worked tirelessly to support pupils through this process with care, expertise, and encouragement.
Alongside this, our Professional Learning sessions this week have built directly on the work begun during InSeT. Departments and Faculties continue to collaborate closely, focusing on ensuring that curricula at all stages provide rich opportunities for pupils to consolidate core knowledge while also extending and deepening their skills and understanding. This work represents an exciting and important strand of our ongoing school improvement journey, and one that we look forward to sharing more about as it develops over the coming months.
For Upper VI pupils, the next academic milestone is the forthcoming mock examination period, which begins on Monday. For those in V Form, their exam programme is now drawing to a close. Across both year groups, it has been encouraging to see the seriousness, maturity, and resilience
with which pupils have approached these demanding but valuable experiences. As grades and, more importantly, detailed feedback are shared next week, the emphasis will firmly be on learning and development. These formative conversations – in class and across staff teams – are crucial in helping pupils understand where they are, what is working well, and how they can continue to progress. We will be discussing pupil progress collectively and ensuring that, as always, we work together to provide the best possible support for every learner as they move forward.
A significant part of our focus since August has been on the pupil experience – what we often describe as the undertow of life at Merchiston. By this, we mean the learning ecosystem in which pupils are immersed each day: one shaped by caring relationships, high expectations, and meaningful opportunities to contribute and participate.
Alongside this, it is crucial that we intentionally develop the internal competencies that enable pupils to engage fully with that environment – a personal toolbox that allows them to extract meaning from the undertow and ultimately thrive in a world that is evolving at an exponential rate. Preparing young people for life, not just school, sits at the heart of our shared purpose as educators and parents.
When grappling with questions like this, I often turn to our Triumvirate. Their perspective – grounded in lived experience of the school and an emerging sense of responsibility for the future – is always thoughtful and instructive. I asked them what skills they believe younger pupils most need in order to thrive, and their responses were strikingly consistent.
They identified the following as essential:
• The ability to trust themselves and others
• Confidence to be themselves, take risks, and seize opportunities
• Strong communication skills – recognising that ideas matter only if they are well expressed
• The capacity to manage and reframe stress and anxiety
• Organisation, preparation, and a willingness to do the work early
• Leadership – the ability to inspire, support, and motivate others
• Control of attention and concentration in a world full of distraction
• Opportunities to learn from, and be inspired by, the contribution and success of others
I found their reflections both reassuring and motivating. They serve as a powerful reminder that while the undertow we create as a school matters deeply, so too does equipping young people with the inner tools to navigate it well – and that our pupils themselves often articulate with great clarity what it truly means to flourish.
The return of milder weather meant that midweek sports fixtures were back up and running, with Wednesday afternoon delivering a real feast of hockey. Across fixtures against St Mary’s and Ardvreck, four teams played six matches, ensuring that every pupil from P3 through to III Form gained valuable match experience. The Pringle 1XI led the way with an exciting, end-to-end 4–3 victory against St Mary’s, while wins were also recorded by the U13B and U9 teams. Our Middle Years Colts team also enjoyed their first win of the season, securing a confident 3–1 victory against George Watson’s College.
I want to acknowledge some exceptional recent success within our Tennis Academy. While we rightly focus on each young person’s journey rather than outcomes alone, it is important to pause and recognise outstanding performances – and the preparation, discipline, and resilience that always sit beneath them. Over recent weeks, three Merchiston players have been crowned Scottish National Champions at U12, U16, and U18 level. To achieve a national title is a significant accomplishment at any age; for one school to be home to three national champions simultaneously is truly remarkable. We are immensely proud of what has been achieved.
Sticking with sport, I would like to extend my very best wishes, and warm congratulations, to our U16 Rugby team as they prepare to face Stewart’s Melville College in the Scottish Schools’ Cup Final at Murrayfield tomorrow afternoon. Reaching a national final is a tremendous achievement and reflects the commitment, resilience, and teamwork shown throughout the season. We have
also been delighted to receive a message of support from Scottish Rugby, recognising just how well the boys have done to reach this stage. Whatever the outcome, the team can take great pride in representing Merchiston with such character and ambition.
I finish this week by returning to something I have spoken about many times since joining the community: the importance of experiencing awe – moments that lift us out of ourselves and gently shift our perspective, often bringing with them a renewed sense of gratitude. Earlier this week, I watched pupils in The Forest learning the concept of circumference by measuring the broad trunk of one of the many majestic trees within our grounds – trees that have quietly witnessed centuries pass. This morning, as I finish this update, that sense of awe has returned. From my window I can see frost settling across the ground, a wide sky holding the Pentlands, and a small group of deer running lightly across the drive. These are ordinary moments, perhaps – and yet profoundly not.
Wishing you an enjoyable weekend.
Huw
