Merchiston Castle School, Edinburgh

On Saturday, we were proud to celebrate the achievements, talents, and dedication of our pupils at our annual Prizegiving Ceremony.

It was a special moment for pupils, families, and staff as we recognised excellence, commitment, and the many contributions our pupils make to our school community.

Following the ceremony, everyone came together for a BBQ, enjoying musical performances from our talented pupils and the Pipe Band, bringing a wonderful day of celebration to a close.

As we celebrate these achievements, we now look ahead to our Forest Prizegiving and Graduation, where we will continue to recognise the milestones and contributions of our pupils.

Congratulations to all on a year filled with achievement, dedication, and success.

Join us for our inaugural Technologies and Creative Arts End of Year Exhibition, a celebration of the creativity, innovation and dedication of our talented pupils.

As the first exhibition of its kind at Merchiston, the event will showcase an exceptional collection of work from Art & Design, Computing, Design Technology, Electronics and Music. From initial concepts to final creations, each piece reflects the imagination, resilience, perseverance and technical skill developed throughout the creative process.

📅 Monday 22 June
⏰ 3.30pm–5.30pm
📍 Robertson Building

Explore the outstanding achievements of our young creatives and discover the inspiring work produced across our Technologies and Creative Arts departments.

The Scottish U15 Schools Cup Finals took place at Merchiston on Friday last week, bringing together Edinburgh Academy, Strathallan and Hutchesons Grammar School for the competition.

In the semi-final against Strathallan we set 163 to chase, and with a rain affected morning, the opposition conceded the game after a strong start to the second innings from the U15 Merchiston players.

In the final against Edinburgh Academy, the match was also affected by the weather but not for Will G who had a dominating performance with the bat scoring 106* of just over 50 balls. Merchiston went on to win by 62 runs.

Congratulations to our U15A team on being crowned Scottish U15 Schools Cup champions, capping off an excellent campaign. The cup and medals were presented by President Omar Henry following the final.

We are delighted to celebrate an outstanding achievement in this year’s Anthea Bell Prize for Young Translators, with four of our pupils receiving recognition in this prestigious national competition.

Commended
Calum R (Mandarin)
Javier MG (German)

Highly Commended
Flynn M (French)

Area Winner (Scotland)
Tommy M (French)

This year, more than 25,000 students participated in the competition and over 5,400 entries were judged. The organisers highlighted the exceptionally high standard of submissions, making these awards a particularly impressive achievement.

Congratulations to Calum, Javier, Flynn and Tommy on their outstanding success.

This Pride Month, we celebrate the LGBTQ+ community and reflect on the importance of respect, inclusion, and kindness in everyday life.

At Merchiston, we remain committed to fostering a supportive environment where every member of our community feels valued, respected, and able to be their authentic self. Pride Month is a reminder that empathy and understanding are central to building a culture where everyone belongs.

This month, and every month, we stand in support of those working towards equality and acceptance.🏳️‍🌈

Merchistonians Max and Nathan are well underway on their incredible journey from John O’Groats to Land’s End, cycling over 1,000 miles in just 10 days.

They are raising funds for the Maxillofacial Surgery Department at St John’s Hospital, in support of a cause close to Max.

As they continue towards Land’s End, we wish them the very best of luck and congratulate them on this remarkable effort. 🚴‍♂️

Click here to find out more about their journey and to donate- https://loom.ly/_AxGYS4

History made 👏🎾

Last week our boys captured the Tennis Scotland U18 Scottish Schools Championships. This concludes an incredible year for that has seen us capture:

🎾U15 Scottish/North of England Championship
🎾U17 Scottish/North of England Championships
🎾U18 Scottish 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Championship

We had not held all three titles at once.

This also means that we now have two teams that have qualified for the LTA competitions Glanville Cup - again something that has not been done before.

To have two teams in the main draw of the premier schools event in Great Britain is an outstanding achievement for a school of our size.

Well done to our players for managing a very heavy academic and tennis timetable over the past three terms 👏👏👏

A fantastic day of athletics for Merchiston at the SSAA Secondary Relay Championships yesterday, held at Hutchesons’ Grammar School in Glasgow. Our runners demonstrated outstanding commitment, teamwork and determination throughout the competition.

Congratulations to our young 3 x 800m relay team, who delivered an excellent performance to secure bronze medals, and to our U18 4 x 100m relay team, who sprinted to gold medal success and claimed the RB Forman Trophy. With the U18 squad eligible to compete in this age group again next year, this achievement makes for an exciting future.

Well done to all our athletes for representing Merchiston with pride.

Voting is now open for the Tatler Schools Guide 2026 Awards, and we would be very grateful for your support in helping Merchiston secure a place on the shortlist.

A nomination would bring fantastic national exposure and would be a wonderful recognition of the people, opportunities and spirit that make Merchiston so special.

If you can, please take a moment to vote using the link below:

https://forms.gle/GXPBqkCzA3yZCREd9

Voting closes on 29 August 2026.

Could we have picked a better day for a round of golf? We think not! ☀️⛳🏌️

On Monday during the Half Term break, a group of eight students and eight staff headed to Dalmahoy Golf Course for our annual UVI vs Staff golf match.

During what must have been the hottest afternoon of the year so far 🌡️, everyone enjoyed a fantastic day out on the course together - and Mr Da Costa even managed a hole-in-one!

It was a hotly contested (pun intended!) match on the East Course at Dalmahoy, and the staff team managed to return home victorious.

A huge thank you to Dalmahoy Hotel & Country Club for hosting us, and to Mr Hutchison for organising such a brilliant event!