Merchiston Castle School

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Merchiston Castle School
Motto Ready Ay Ready[1]
Established 1833
Type Independent day and boarding
Headmaster Andrew R Hunter
Deputy Headmaster Peter Hall
Chairman of Governors Malcolm Gourlay
Founder Charles Chalmers
Location Colinton Road
Edinburgh
EH13 0PU
Scotland Coordinates: 55°54′42″N 3°15′13″W / 55.911729°N 3.253568°W / 55.911729; -3.253568
Local authority Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Education
Edinburgh City
DfE number 558/1036
Staff 49 full time - 9 part time
Students 470 (approx)
Gender Boys
Ages 8–18
Houses Pringle House
Chalmers West
Chalmers East
Rogerson
Evans
Laidlaw
Colours Navy, red & white             
Publication The Merchiston Messenger
The Merchistonian
The Pringle Communicator
HMIE Reports Report
Former pupils Merchistonians
Website www.merchiston.co.uk
For other uses, see Merchiston (disambiguation).

Merchiston Castle School is an independent school for boys in the village of Colinton in Edinburgh, Scotland. It has about 480 pupils and is open to boys between the ages of 8 and 18 as either boarders or day pupils; day pupils make up 35% of the school. Like the nearby Fettes College, it was modeled after English public schools. It comprises a Junior School (ages 8-13), Senior School (ages 13-16) and a Sixth Form.

History

In May 1833, Charles Chalmers took a lease of Merchiston Castle (the former home of John Napier, the inventor of logarithms) — which at that time stood in rural surroundings — and opened his academy, starting with thirty boys.

Like his brother, Dr Thomas Chalmers, mathematician, physicist and theologian, Charles was also interested in Mathematics and Science so he included these subjects in the curriculum at a time when secondary education in Scotland was focussed more on the study of the classics.

Merchiston Castle School at Colinton

Over time, the number of pupils grew to over 200 and the Merchiston Castle became too small to accommodate the school. In 1930, the governors decided to move the school to Colinton House and the ruins of Colinton Castle, four miles south-west of Edinburgh in Colinton. The school opened its doors in Colinton later that year.

Three years later, in 1933, Merchiston celebrated its centenary, attended by the Duke and Duchess of York. Fifty years on, in 1983, at a time of further expansion and with 350 boys on the roll, their daughter, now Queen Elizabeth II, visited the school for its 150th anniversary.

Academic performance

Between 2006-2010, Merchiston obtained an almost 100% A-level pass rate, with 79% at A and B grades in 2010. The GCSE pass rate was 97% in 2010.[2] In 2008 87% of pupils achieved entry to their first choice university through UCAS.

Sports and games

A range of sports and activities is available at the school; particularly in rugby union, which over 60 Merchistonians have played at international level. The now defunct Merchistonian Football Club for former pupils of the School was a founder member of the Scottish Rugby Union and was involved in the very first rugby international,[3] supplying three players.[4] The former 1st XV coach, Frank Hadden, who was at the school from 1983-2000, was the head coach of the Scottish national team from 2005-2009. The school has won the Scottish Schools U18 Rugby Cup five times; 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002 and 2008.[5] Merchiston also participates, with the Edinburgh Academy, in the oldest continuous rugby union fixture in the world, the first being on December 11, 1858.[6] In addition to rugby, Merchiston pupils have received international recognition in the past few years in the following sports: cricket, track and field, fencing, skiing, cycling, shooting, tennis, basketball and squash.

Facilities

Over the past twenty years structural additions have been made to the school, including a music school, technology block and library.

In January 2009 Merchiston introduced a new Sixth Form Boarding House, with 126 en-suite bedrooms, with storage, shelving, trouser presses, desks and study areas with views of the grounds. There are kitchens and open plan social areas on each floor, with floor-to-ceiling glass walls. On the top floor of the House there is a café area where boys may come together to relax, socialise and watch television. There are also a multi-gym in the basement, seminar and study rooms, with internet and network access in each bedroom.

Houses

The horizontal house system used by Merchiston keeps a year group together throughout their time at school. The names of the houses are:

  • Pringle House
  • Pringle Centre
  • Chalmers West
  • Chalmers East
  • Rogerson
  • Evans
  • Laidlaw

Links to other schools

Although Merchiston is an all-boys school, there is a wide range of curricular, co-curricular and social links with girls’ schools, in particular St George’s School for Girls, in Edinburgh, and Kilgraston School, in Perthshire. Links are being developed with Queen Margaret's School, York.

These links include inter-departmental initiatives, such as Modern Language events, careers conventions and fun days for the Junior School. Joint drama and music productions are undertaken and there are many social functions, from Burns Suppers and Scottish Country Dancing to discos.

Notable former pupils and staff

Alumni

Former pupils are known as Merchistonians.

International rugby union footballers

Merchiston has produced 62 international rugby union footballers – 56 for Scotland, 4 for Ireland and 2 for England. These include Roger Baird, Ronnie Eriksson, Iain Fullarton, Phil Godman, Duncan Hodge, John Jeffrey, Craig Joiner, Jamie Mayer, William Neilson, Thomas Anderson, Peter Walton The defunct rugby club Merchistonians FC used to cater for former pupils of the school.

Former staff

Notes and references

  1. ↑ Merchiston Castle School. "Why Merchiston? History, Traditions & Ethos. Educating boys for over 175 years". Retrieved 8 June 2011. 
  2. ↑ Merchiston Castle School. "Overview of the School's academic results". Retrieved 8 June 2011. 
  3. ↑ Alex Gordon. "The first international rugby match". Retrieved 8 August 2011. 
  4. ↑ Rugby Football History. "Historical Rugby Milestones 1870s". Retrieved 8 August 2011. 
  5. ↑ Schools Rugby. "Scottish Schools Competitions". Retrieved 8 June 2011. 
  6. ↑ Chris Thau. "The oldest running rugby fixture in the world". Retrieved 8 August 2011. 

External links

Founding Clubs of the SRU
Founding Clubs
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