Founded in 1888 by a committee of distinguished women who were inspired by the new ideals for women's education. It has an attractive 11-acre urban site with excellent facilities, including a drama centre, sixth form reading room, excellent library, a Confucius classroom, purpose-built art block, music centre, an all-weather pitch and a sports hall. The primary school is on the same campus. The school has a Christian foundation and is non-denominational. Academically a distinguished school, it has high standards of teaching and results are consistently very good. Both the Scottish Higher and 2-year A-level courses are offered. An emphasis on languages, international education and the provision of trips and exchanges recently resulted in the British Council International School Award. It is very strong indeed in music, drama and art, with many successes in these fields. An excellent record in games and sports and a large number of county representatives each season, particularly in lacrosse and skiing. It has recently opened a Tennis Academy (in partnership with Tennis Scotland and Merchiston Castle) for gifted pupils, supporting and fitting academic needs around training. It also has an outstanding record in the Duke of Edinburgh's Award Scheme.
Pupils: Total age range 2-18; 857 pupils. Senior department 11-18, 500 girls (450 day, 50 boarding). Entrance: Main entry ages 2, 3, 5, 9-11, 13 and 16. Own entrance exam used; for sixth-form entry, 5 good S-grades or GCSEs plus school reference and enthusiasm. School looks for academic potential to cope with the courses; no religious requirements. State school entry, 20% of new intake to senior department, plus 54% to sixth form.
A limited number of means-tested bursaries. Parents not expected to buy textbooks; extra charges include lunch for day girls and music tuition.
Headmistress: Miss Helen Mackie, appointed 2009. Educated at universities of Birmingham (French and German) and Marburg. Previously Deputy Head at the school among other posts, and taught at large Birmingham comprehensive. Teaching staff: 76 full time, 39 part time. Annual turnover 1%-5%. Average age 41.
GCSE/S-Grade: 80 pupils in upper fifth: 98% pass 5+ subjects at grades 1-3; 78% pass in 8+ subjects. A-levels/Advanced highers: 60 in upper sixth: average final point score 421.
S-grade, Intermediate (1 and 2), some GCSEs, Highers, Advanced Highers, AS and A-levels. 31 subjects offered (including Chinese). Pupils in the sixth form choose either the English curriculum (AS-level or a mixture of AS and Highers followed by 3 A-levels or Advanced Highers in upper sixth) or the Scottish system (5 Highers in L6, followed by a year in U6 taking Advanced Highers, extra Highers, converting Highers to A-levels or taking other qualifications such as SQA national units). Vocational: All lower sixth have one week's work experience. IT core skills courses; French and German OCR business qualification. Languages: French, German, Spanish and Mandarin offered to S-grade, Higher and A-level (French from age 5, Mandarin and Spanish from 8 and German from 13); sixth form can take beginner's Spanish, business French, German and Mandarin. Regular exchanges. ICT: Taught both as a discrete subject and across the curriculum. All pupils take SQA core skills. 350 computers for pupil use (10 hours a day), all networked and with email and internet access.
Music: Over 50% of pupils learn a musical instrument or take singing lessons; instrumental exams can be taken. Some 15 musical groups including 3 orchestras, concert band, jazz band, choirs, choral group, brass consort, wind band, recorder groups, chamber ensembles. Girls in National Youth Orchestra of Scotland, Edinburgh Youth Orchestra; regular entrants to specialist music colleges and university music departments. Drama: Drama offered at S-grade, Higher and Advanced Higher. Many students are involved in school productions and all in house productions. Recent co-productions with local boys' schools include The Beggar's Opera, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie and Canterbury Tales. Drama clubs every week. Art and design: On average, 40 take GCSE, 20 Higher, 9 A-level. Design, pottery, textiles and photography also offered. Several girls go on to study art and design at colleges and university each year.
Sport: Hockey, lacrosse, gymnastics, dance, swimming, volleyball, athletics, basketball, tennis (Tennis Academy in partnership with Tennis Scotland), athletics, badminton compulsory. Optional: squash, orienteering, table-tennis, football, golf, rugby, aerobics, skating, rock climbing, lifesaving, windsurfing, judo, fencing, netball. Standard Grade PE, Higher, Advanced Higher, SQA modules, RLSS, RYA, CSLA and planning personal fitness exams may be taken. Pupils form more than half of Scottish Schools' lacrosse team; regional and national hockey teams; Scottish athletics champions; fencing champions; runners-up national tennis championship and regional squash competitions; British skiing champions. Activities: Pupils take bronze, silver and gold Duke of Edinburgh's Award. One of largest D of E Award centres in Scotland. Up to 30 clubs, eg European, history, debating (2), Amnesty International, chess, drama, art, maths, Scrabble, computing, photography, Young Enterprise, archaeology, law, school newspaper.
Uniform: School uniform worn except in sixth form. Houses and prefects: Competitive houses. Prefects, head girl, heads of houses - elected by the sixth form and staff. Religion: Christian community assembly each week (not compulsory, but no one asks to withdraw). Social: Balls, Scottish reel evenings, Burns suppers, discos, musical and dramatic productions with other local independent schools. All expected to participate in community projects. Trips overseas include skiing trips, visits to eg France, Italy, Germany, Spain, Australia and Russia, recent excursion to Antarctica; exchanges include Germantown Friends' School (Philadelphia), Durban Girls' College (South Africa), St Mildred's, Lightbourn School (Ontario). Sixth form pupils allowed to bring own car/bike to school.
School has extensive documents on rights and responsibilities, compiled by staff and pupils. Pupils failing to produce homework would be asked to do it in a focus session; misuse of drugs and their illegal supply are not tolerated.
25% have own study bedroom, 20% share with another, 55% are in rooms of 3-5. Accommodation, divided by age. Weekends home by arrangement with Housemistress. Visits to Edinburgh allowed. Flexible boarding and after school care offered.
Well supported and run by the President, c/o the school.
Candia McWilliam (author and Booker prize judge)
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