Educating the individual

What makes your child an individual? Unique talents, unique needs, unique ambitions. Your child needs a school that not only recognises this uniqueness but is equipped to tailor its teaching to suit the individual child. Large schools lack this flexibility.

Personally tailored teaching, not one size fits all

That's where The Edinburgh Academy comes in. The Edinburgh Academy is a small school with small class sizes. Your child is an individual here. Like a large family, The Edinburgh Academy recognises and values every individual member.

Fully co-educational from 2008

Amongst Edinburgh boys schools, Edinburgh Academy has always offered something special. Girls over 16 have been admitted for forty years. Now this superlative education will be offered to girls of all ages, from 2007 in The Edinburgh Academy Junior School and from 2008 in The Edinburgh Academy Senior School. Demand has been strong and girls have joined every year group of The Junior School this year, with 35 girls in total so far enrolled. Meanwhile enquiries to start in The Edinburgh Academy Senior School in 2008 are even running at 3 to 2 in favour of girls.

What is a good nursery school?

A child's nursery years represent the first break with the routines of home, the first anxieties for parents. It is important that this crucial phase of life is entrusted to a good nursery school with qualified professional staff. A good nursery school makes a child feel secure. A good nursery school provides a gentle introduction to learning. A good nursery school offers flexible timings to suit the needs of parents. Amongst Edinburgh nurseries, The Edinburgh Academy Nursery stands out as able to offer all of these.

Part time and full time nursery education

Edinburgh Academy little nursery (2 year olds)

The Edinburgh Academy Little Nursery is the first step out of the family at home into the family of education. It’s a small specialist nursery designed for that problem age of two, where children are too old for a crèche and too young for an ordinary Edinburgh nursery. In and around Edinburgh nurseries of this kind are hard to find. The Edinburgh Academy Little Nursery is open from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. every weekday.

Edinburgh Academy part-time nursery (3-5 year olds)

The Edinburgh Academy Part-Time Nursery offers morning only places from 8.45 a.m. until 12 noon. This nursery's main task in the early months is to make sure, for you, that your child feels secure. That is why The Edinburgh Academy Part-Time Nursery offers this flexible timing. The Edinburgh Academy Part-Time Nursery lunch club is also available each day, enabling a small group of children to enjoy a packed lunch together and then be cared for until 1.00 p.m. In a city like Edinburgh nurseries need to provide flexibility for busy parents; this is what The Edinburgh Academy Part-Time Nursery does.

Edinburgh Academy full time nursery (3-5 year olds)

A child can attend The Edinburgh Academy Nursery as a full day pupil. Through a careful programme of selected activities and through friendly interaction between children, The Edinburgh Academy Nursery's qualified staff work to develop in each individual child the confidence and the curiosity which are the key elements for later learning. This is the beginning of The Edinburgh Academy's famous "personally tailored teaching." If you are looking for an Edinburgh nursery, remember that not all Edinburgh nurseries are nursery schools.

Balanced and progressive

The Edinburgh Academy Junior School provides a balanced, progressive curriculum, based on the best practice in the national 5-14 Guidelines for children from Primary 1 to Primary 6.

We provide a secure and happy environment that enables each child to fulfil his or her potential and achieve high standards in personal and social development as well as academic subjects. Within a structured and stimulating curriculum children have opportunities to increase their skills and knowledge in a number of contexts.

Curriculum Development

The curriculum is not static, however. The Director of Studies oversees the quality of learning opportunities delivered and arranges a programme of curriculum development to ensure that we keep improving our provision. All members of the teaching staff are involved in this work of introducing necessary changes, whilst guarding the valuable traditions that make the Edinburgh Academy distinctive.

As you refer to the specific sections you will see that this balance between exciting innovation and traditional excellence permeates each of the different subject areas. Our balanced curriculum helps the children move onto secondary education well equipped with new experiences, knowledge and skills, alongside greater confidence and creativity.

The best of Scottish & English

We offer a unique combination of Scottish and English curriculum, and the maximum flexibility to students to develop their talents to the full. Another benefit of this flexible approach is that students arriving in Edinburgh from either a Scottish or an English background can find a programme to suit their needs.

A typical path through our system

Age 5 to 8 ( P1 - P4) We follow the Scottish 5-14 Guidelines. Children work principally with their classteacher. The five main curriculum areas are language, mathematics, environmental studies, performing arts, and religious and moral education.

Age 9 to 13 (P5, P6, Geits, 2nds) We use the same 5-14 programme modified a little by the increasing use of subject specialist teachers. In P5/P6 a start is made with French; Latin starts in the Geits and German in the 2nds. Environmental Studies starts to branch out into some of its constituent parts of History, Geography, Technology and Science. Games, P.E. and Music all receive a greater emphasis than the minimum guidelines.

Age 14 to 16 (3rds, 4ths, 5th) Programmes of study in the 3rds start from the end of the 5-14 programme and progress towards GCSE in the 5ths as the assessment of Key Stage 4 of the National Curriculum. The curriculum in the 3rds embraces the same subjects as in the first two years in the Senior School. The final course in the 4ths and 5ths covers eight subjects only. Balance is recommended but some degree of specialisation is inevitable. Children must study English, Maths, a foreign language, and two Sciences. We recommend that children complete the balance by adding a “social” subject; and either Art, Drama, Music, P.E. or a technical subject (Business Studies with Economics can be started here); plus one other subject.

Age 17 & 18 (6ths, 7ths) Highers and A-Levels. The needs and aspirations of the individual and the choice between breadth (Highers) and depth (A-Levels) are best satisfied by offering both Scottish and English exams post-16. In the majority of subjects pupils study for the Higher exams in the 6ths and move on to A-Level in the 7ths; the direct two-year A-Level course is offered as an alternative in Maths and the three Sciences. In Art, D.T. and Music, the 6ths take AS-Level rather than Higher, since the nature of the Higher courses makes them less well suited to the needs of our pupils.

Educating the whole person

In academic terms the principles by which we design our curriculum echo the same themes of breadth, balance and opportunity. The academic curriculum seeks to develop within the pupils knowledge and understanding, a range of learning and interpersonal skills, social competence and preparation for life. However a school curriculum embraces the whole of the planned experience of the pupils. There is a sense in which the term "extra-curricular" is outmoded. Thus music, sport, and hobby activities all form part of the planned menu on offer to the youngsters. The Academy is committed to a richness and variety of opportunity in this area. We have sports teams for all abilities. Musicals, dramas, expeditions and activities in and out of school embrace all talents and many varieties of taste. The talented and the less skilled are all encouraged to try things and to succeed.