What to look for in a guardian?
Boarding School Life, FAQs & Resources, Guardianship
How do you choose the best guardian for your child at UK boarding school? UK boarding schools require international students under the age of 18
Academic Families works with more than 450 schools throughout the UK, and we have become experts at matching children to the right boarding school for them in order to ensure each student thrives.
We're delighted to present one of our partner schools:
Merchiston Castle School in Edinburgh, Scotland.
“To provide a caring community for your son, which treats him as an individual, unearths and nurtures his talents, encourages him to pursue excellence in all he does and enables him to flourish.”
The average class size at Merchiston Castle School is 15 students with a 1:7 teacher to pupil ratio. Although based in Scotland, the school follows the English GCSE and A Level system. However, there are options to take Scottish qualifications in certain subjects if it suits your son better.
The boarding school holds a 99% pass rate at A Level and 93% of leavers enter the university of their choice. Recent university destinations for Merchiston students have included Oxford, Cambridge and a number of Russell Group universities. In addition, their students also pursue higher education in other countries such as China and the USA.
Merchiston is an active school and they encourage pupils to join in as much as possible with new activities. They believe in trying new things, finding each boy's passions and interests, and then nurturing these through high-quality tuition and exciting opportunities. There are around 20 sports on offer to Merchiston pupils, and the school has successful Tennis and Golf Academies. In fact, Merchiston Castle was voted the second best school for tennis in the UK in 2022 by the Lawn Tennis Association. It is also ranked as the fifth best school for golf in the UK.
Merchiston Castle School also has an impressive arts programme which allows boys to nurture their creativity through theatre trips and music performances at many of Edinburgh’s fantastic venues. With yearly stage productions and extra-curricular activities including jazz band, choral society, pipe band and string group, there are plenty of chances for students to get involved with music and performing too.
Students from abroad make up around 20% of the boarding community at Merchiston Castle School. The campus is home to students from over 20 different countries. For non-native English speakers, Merchiston provides individualised language programmes for students who would benefit from extra language support.
About 65% of pupils at Merchiston Castle School board and the proportion of boarders is generally higher in the older age groups. The school keeps their boarders busy with a full programme of trips each weekend. Bowling, watersports, go-karting and cinema visits are some of the most popular weekend activities with Merchiston boarders.
You'll probably have many questions about the exciting times that lie ahead. We are here to reassure you and support your decision to educate your child in the UK.
Message us via Live Chat or request a callback and one of our team members will contact you whenever you prefer.
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