Merchiston Castle School, Edinburgh

Many schools can boast about their exceptional academic results, leading university success rates including Oxbridge and Ivy League, extensive sporting and co-curricular programmes, welcoming atmospheres and stunning grounds and facilities. Indeed, we can do that as well. What makes us different, however, is a combination of things: our size, a genuine focus on the needs of the individual, and the fact that we really understand our boys and how to get the very best out of them. It is a potent trio. It is what enables us to know our boys really well and to understand what makes them tick. It is why we can support them in a way that is material and motivating to them. It is the reason our pupils strive for personal excellence and want to be the best version of themself. It is the secret of their, and our, success. Our mission is to provide a caring community for every boy, which treats him as an individual, unearths and tends his talents, encourages him to pursue excellence in all he does, and enables him to flourish. Our community's wellbeing is central; without it, no one will ever achieve their best. That is why wellbeing underpins everything we do. Our boys thrive because they are known, understood, valued, and supported in everything they do. Merchiston is a remarkable school where boys make lifelong friends and community connections whilst gaining a world-class, global, outward-looking education. Merchiston's young men leave us as rounded individuals, not only having achieved the highest level of personal academic success but with a sense of who they are and with respect for others, having learnt what it means to have true integrity and character. Our success proves that what we do works.