High schools in Edinburgh

[Sagevie]

Hello. My family and I are planning to move back to Edinburgh in the upcoming months and looking for a place near the city centre. I have a thirteen year old son who would be starting in year S3. I know there are some great high schools. Many of which are telling me they have waiting lists. I’m hoping to get some input on which high schools are best to avoid. We’ve been advised that there is space at Leith Academy but saw on another feed to avoid this school. Drummond looks like it might be a good fit.. Thank you kindly!

There are some good Edinburgh state schools and some truly dire ones. I’d take a look at the rankings and which areas are affordable according to your budget and go from there.

Most pupils entering S3 have already chosen their options so as well as finding out which schools have space, you may also want to check that they actually have space in the subjects he would want to do.

Take the rankings with a pinch of salt. Everyone knows it’s not reflective of the teaching and ethos of the school but of the socio- economic background of the catchment. Go to each school and get a feel for them for yourselves.

We are the catchment for Leith Academy and I honestly have no issues with the school. The HT is very present, active and seems to be an effective leader. All the teachers that I’ve met are enthusiastic and supportive. Some have been there for years (I don’t think teachers would stay if it was a crappy work environment). There are great sports pitches (connections to Leith rugby and Hibs FC), a swimming pool if your son is that way inclined. Many after school sports clubs on offer. They offer a lot of supported study and are very active in ensuring learners have appropriate post school pathways. There’s an active parent council. They also took in lots of Ukrainian pupils and they seemed to integrate very well.

Leith is a diverse area with extremes of wealth and poverty so the pupils come from varied backgrounds. I personally think that’s enriching and will set a child up for life.

There is lots of info out there - league tables, exam results and the like. Moving to any city you have to do extensive research.

Edinburgh is pricey- work back from where you can afford the kind of house you want and look at those catchment schools.

If only 1 dc and in s3 I'd be investigating private options. Loads of choice in Edinburgh and not too many years to pay for.

Bear in mind that most of the “good” schools eg Boroughmuir, James Gillespie’s, Royal High & Craigmount will be at full capacity with waiting lists at that entry point.

I’d do some phoning round before committing to an area.

A lot might come down to your budget for housing. You can search on espc website for properties by school catchment. Also factor in your commute if you're going to have one - traffic in Edinburgh is slow at rush hour.

it depends on what you can afford and what is important for your child. My kids are at a so-called ‘lower’ school in terms of league tables and catchment areas but we are really happy with both their schools and they have had a wonderful education. At this point it’s likely to come down to other aspects anyway

My son had been in a private school all his life (because I worked in one) and then went to Leith Academy mid-Secondary and he really liked it. No issues at all. He also got all A1s in his Highers so did as well as he could academically.

My three are at Leith. I really rate it.

My DS had a life-changing medical diagnosis in S4 and the school could not have been more helpful in supporting him.

My DD is on track for six A1s this year. Lots of excellent teaching, especially the Science dept.

My youngest has some ND traits and has needed some pastoral support. Again, excellent care all round.

I think the care and support is outstanding.

I don’t think Leith is very high on rankings. Some of Leith catchment takes in St Thomas’s if you’re a Catholic or if there’s space. It’s 3rd in the latest times secondary league tables.

Remember the S3 courses will start in a couple of weeks.

I don’t know if the system is the same in England but remember that the league tables are nonsense. Its based on how many children get various grades in s5/6 so a school that has a lot of children leaving in s3/4 (often for apprenticeships or college) will show up badly as they use the figures at the start of the cycle.

the school we have has around half or more children leaving before s5. So could never achieve more than 50% ‘success’. The children who do stay and who are aiming for university do really well as the classes are small and the children are all trying. But we will never do well on the tables.

League tables are the percentage of children leaving s6 with 5 or more highers at A-C. I suppose a benefit of a low achieving school is you may get a contextual admission to university on lower grades.

Yes but they use the number of students in s4 to calculate the proportion of students leaving in s5/6 with various combinations of results.

for a school with a lot of leavers in s4 (usually related heavily to socioeconomic factors), they can never do well on league tables as the students aren’t there. If they start with 200 kids in s4, but have 50 kids in s6, even if all 50 kids in s6 get the best scores possible it will never be a high ranking because it’s calculated out of 200 children.

https://www.heraldscotland.com/business_hq/23603235.interactive-scottish-school-league-tables-show-performance/

I had no idea they took from S4 onwards. Interesting thanks

Yes, I teach at an Edinburgh school that is lower in the 'rankings'. Like a PP said, the stats are based on the S4 roll so they're massively skewed.

We regularly see kids with 5 As and have kids who go off to Oxford and Cambridge, but stats will never be in our favour.

Also, some schools are very open about teaching N5 content from S3 to help that data. Not what I'd want for my own children.

I hate league tables.

And as a parent with an S6 son about to leave Boroughmuir, I wish he hadn't gone there. It's great if your child is very academic but any issues and they try and encourage not taking subjects so as not to affect their school results and ranking. Pastoral care has not been great either. Just our experience and a lot of the teachers and the facilities are great but ...

Having a pupil not taking a subject would have no effects on ranking or results

@TheTrees1 it would if they were predicted to get a low grade

@TheTrees1 of course it does, they only want the pupils who are likely to get good grades in their subjects!

Results are based on S4 cohort for that school. If pupil A doesn't sit an exam, or fails the exam, makes zero difference to that schools % pass rate.