Done to death, sorry, Edinburgh private schools.

[4PawsGood]

For about P6/7 and up. Specifically, I’m trying to get some comparisons. Does anyone have experience of more than one and can comment on the differences?

We have one at a school already but need to plan the others. Eldest is at ME and I don’t think the boys will benefit from a boys’ school especially so we are starting from scratch.

I am a bit stuck. They all seem very similar, except for single sex or mixed and location.

We always wanted a more rounded, gentler education, so are also considering Clifton Hall, so any thoughts on it would be really welcome.

Where do you live? I wouldn't consider Clifton Hall if I were on the wrong side of town for it.

We’re to the west, so a walk to the school bus. For that reason we’re not considering Loretto!

You're right most of the Edinburgh private schools are pretty similar. The headmaster at Clifton Hall is not out the same stable as the other heads and he very much drives the character of the school.
I don't have personal experience but our neighbour's son went there and was very happy and successful. Although it's small he was able to take the subjects he wanted. His social circle was quite small though and his friends all seemed to live in West Lothian. But if your daughters at MES I guess you're used to friends being very spread out!

From their experience it can be difficult to get in at primary as there's only one class in each year group. They applied in P5 and had to wait 2 years for a place. They don't create a second class until S1

Interesting that you think the others are all pretty similar too. Maybe I’m not missing any info really, it’s just that there is little to choose between them.

Yes, I think we might be waiting till S1 for Clifton Hall. Which is fine.

Yes Edinburgh private schools are all quite similar on the face of it, but children can have very different experiences from one school to the next. I would recommend arranging for your child to visit for an entire school day and see which one he (and you) likes the feel of best. I would always recommend a larger school over a smaller because they serve a wider variety of pupils and your child is more likely to find his place there. Smaller ones can feel like either you're in or you're out.

That’s a really interesting post about size. I’d never seen it that way.

They aren’t doing tours at the moment, let alone day visits. It’s so hard to know what they are really like.

I meant ‘point’ about size, but post kind of works too!

We considered it but had to discount it as due to much smaller numbers they were unable to offer certain subjects at examination level. It would be worthwhile looking at curriculum offered at this stage to see if it fits in with child's interests.

Interested in responses. We have one at St G’s but not sure about our son. I would say that all the co-Ed independents in Edinburgh are similar, Edinburgh Academy or Clifton Hall may be a fit from what you have said.

Thanks for your reply Samdeniel that’s what I’m thinking.

Oh interesting @guessmyusername
I think we’re just interested in the bog standard choices - was it fairly mainstream subjects they didn’t offer, or those that are a bit more unusual?

@4PawsGood not particularly unusual, Health and Food technology (new style cookery!), Human Biology, and very interested in music (although they did offer that). Subjects do change from time to time so it is worth checking. We visited several schools on our journey and just knew that one would fit better than others, although academically there is not much to choose between the majority of Edinburgh private schools.

Ah, hm, it’s hard to tell what they’ll be interested in when they get to that point. Thanks for sharing which ones they were.