Schools and other educational programs and facilities in Edinburgh, Scotland, at any level, are the focal point of this portion of our web guide.
Edinburgh has three universities: University of Edinburgh, Heriot-Watt University, and Edinburgh Napier University.
The University of Edinburgh is a public research university founded by town council under the authority of a Royal Charter of King James VI in 1582 and officially opened the following year. The university is one of Scotland's four ancient universities, the sixth-oldest university in continuous operation in the English-speaking world, and the seventh-largest in the United Kingdom by enrollment.
Its alumni include Alexander Graham Bell, Charles Darwin, David Hume, James Clerk Maxwell, Arthur Conan Doyle, J.K. Rowling, Walter Scott, and Robert Louis Stevenson.
Established as the School of Arts of Edinburgh in 1821, Heriot-Watt University is a public research university. Granted university status by Royal Charter in 1966, it is the eighth-oldest institute of higher learning in the United Kingdom. With its main campus in Riccarton in South West Edinburgh, Heriot-Watt University has five campuses, and operates distance learning programmes through approved learning partners around the world.
Founded as Napier Technical College in 1964, Edinburgh Napier University was elevated to university status by Lord Douglas-Hamilton in 1992, becoming Napier University, taking its current name in 2009. It. has three campuses in or around Edinburgh: Merchiston, Craiglockhart, and Sighthill, and offers transnational programmes abroad.
Queen Margaret University was formerly located in Edinburgh, but it moved to a new campus just outside of Edinburgh in 2008.
Scotland's Rural College has a campus in south Edinburgh. Other institutions include the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, and the Edinburgh College of Art.
The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh is a professional organization of surgeons with six facilities, encompassing surgical, dental, and other medical practices. Its main campus is within the Surgeon's Hall on Nicolson Street. Established in 1505, its roots go back to the time when the Barber Surgeons of Edinburgh were incorporated as a craft. The college offers continuing education, assessment, and advancement programs for surgeons, including distance-learning classes through its department of e-learning.
Established by Royal Charter in 1681, the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh is one of three organisations that sets the specialty training standards for physicians in the United Kingdom.
The Edinburgh College of Art is one of eleven schools in the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences at the University of Edinburgh. Founded in 1760, it offers higher education programs in art and design, architecture, the history of art, and music disciplines. It was previously associated with Heriot-Watt University, but its degrees have been issued by the University of Scotland since 2004, and it merged with the U of S in 2011.
Scotland's Rural College is a land-based public research institution that has a focus on agriculture and life sciences. It is the result of a 1990 merger of the West of Scotland Agricultural College, the Edinburgh and East of Scotland College of Agriculture, and the Aberdeen and North of Scotland College of Agriculture. Headquartered in Aberdeen, it has a campus in Edinburgh.
The City of Edinburgh Council administers several nursery and secondary schools within the city
Among these is the Royal High School of Edinburgh. Founded in 1128, it is one of the oldest schools in the country, the United Kingdom, and the world. In 1505, the school was described as a high school, which was the first known use of the term in either Scotland or England. Originally, a church school, it was transferred to the Town Council of Edinburgh in 1566, following the Reformation.
In 2013, the Edinburgh Council opened its first stand-alone Gaelic primary school, known as Bun-sgoil Taobh na Pàirce, which would be Parkside Primary School in English. The school is open to any children in the city whose parents want their children to learn and be educated through Scottish Gaelic.
Edinburgh also has several independent tuition schools, including Edinburgh Academy, Fettes College, George Heriot's School, George Watson's College, Merchiston Castle School, Stewart Melville College, and the Mary Erskine School.
These and any other schools, academies, colleges, universities, institutions, or programmes, including childcare and tutoring programmes, in Edinburgh are appropriate for this category, along with other topics related to education or learning in the city.
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Founded in 1929, Basil Paterson College enrolls students from the local community as well as those who come to Edinburgh, Scotland from Europe and beyond. The school includes the Middle School for National 4's and 5's, the Tutorial College for Higher and Advanced Highers, the Edinburgh School of English for English language courses, and the Test/Exam Centre for those who need to sit the IELTS test or Cambridge Assessment English exams. Contacts and an overview of the school are provided.
https://www.basilpaterson.co.uk/
Edinburgh, Scotland's dedicated Gaelic Primary School would be known as Parkside Primary School in English. On its site, which includes an English translation for most of its content, is open to any children of parents residing within the city who desire their children learn and be educated in Gaelic. The school feeds into James Gillespie's High School, which has a Gaelic language unit for 120 students. Registration instructions and an introduction to the teachers and staff are provided.
https://www.taobhnapairce.edin.sch.uk/
Situated on a non-working farm, away from traffic, fumes, or houses, Claylands is situated in secure paddocks and gardens. The nursery school provides 1,140 free hours of preschool education for children in Edinburgh and West Lothian. A description of the facilities is provided, including photographs, its philosophy on child care, and a school calendar. Its location, contacts, and opening hours are posted, along with fees, an informational blog, and a downloadable care inspection report.
http://www.claylandsnursery.co.uk/
The private day school in Edinburgh, Scotland opened in 1824. Originally a day and boarding school for boys, it ceased boarding and transitioned into a co-educational day school in 2008, and includes a nursery for children from age two to five. Its nursery, Junior School, and Senior School are defined, and a school prospectus, information about admissions and fees, term dates, a school calendar, news, and announcements are set forth, along with contacts and a history of the school.
https://www.edinburghacademy.org.uk/
Founded in 1760, ECA's five subject areas include its School of Art, Reid School of Music, School of Design, School of History of Art, and Edinburgh School of Architecture & Landscape Architecture. Its main campus is in the Old Town district, while its Lauriston Place campus is located in the Central Area Campus of the University of Edinburgh. Its study programmes, research activities, schools, and events are featured, and contacts are included. Other resources are available with a login.
https://www.eca.ed.ac.uk/
Named for John Napier, who was born in the tower house of Merchiston Castle in 1550, the university includes five specialist schools: School of Applied Sciences, School of Arts & Creative Industries, Business School, School of Computing, Engineering & the Built Environment, and School of Health & Social Care. Enrollment information is provided, along with its courses, term dates, research facilities, global education programmes, and alumni services are provided.
https://www.napier.ac.uk/
ESMS is a family of independent schools in Edinburgh, Scotland, that includes ESMS Nursery, ESMS Junior School, the Mary Erskine School, Stewart's Melville College, and ESMS Sixth Form, each of which is featured here, including locations, schedules, contacts, and a form for general enquiries. Its academic and sports centers and programmes, venue hire policies, admissions policies, school life programmes, holiday camps, boarding options, announcements, and news.
https://www.esms.org.uk/
The co-educational private boarding and day school is in the Craigleith area of Edinburgh, Scotland. More than two-thirds of its student population are in residence on campus. Founded as a boys' school in 1870, the school began admitting girls in 1970. It is an International Baccalaureate school that follows the English rather than the Scottish education system. Its admissions and registration process is detailed, and an online enquiry form is available. A visit to the campus may be arranged.
https://www.fettes.com/
Situated in the Lauriston area of Edinburgh, Scotland, George Heriot's School is a private primary and secondary day school established in 1628 as George Heriot's Hospital, and currently enrolls co-educational students from three to eighteen years of age. As a charitable goal, the School provides free tuition to children who are bereaved of a parent. A prospectus may be requested through the site, and applications may be made online. An online shopping area is included.
https://www.george-heriots.com/
Established as a hospital school in 1741, George Watson's became a day school in 1871, merged with George Watson's Ladies College in 1974, and has been co-educational since that time, although it now serves day pupils only. The College also incorporates John Watson's School, previously a separate institution, which houses the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art. Its preschool, junior school, and senior school are featured, and contacts are posted.
https://www.gwc.org.uk/
Established as the School of Arts of Edinburgh in 1821, HWU was the first mechanics' institute in the world, receiving a Royal Charter in 1986. Its main campus is on 380 acres in South West Edinburgh. Its location and contacts are published on the site, which includes an overview of its courses, application process, funding, fees, and maps and descriptions of its campuses. Its research areas, governance, and history are provided, and employment opportunities are posted on the site.
https://www.hw.ac.uk/
Also known as Merchiston Castle School, the independent boarding school for boys is located in the Colinton suburb of Edinburgh, Scotland. Modeled after English public schools, Merchiston enrolls boys between the ages of seven and eighteen as either boarding or day pupils. The school began as a small school in Park Place, at the current location of McEwan Hall, in 1828, moving to the castle in 1833. Admissions policies and its academic, sports, cocurricular, and boarding programmes are featured.
https://www.merchiston.co.uk/
Founded by the town council in 1582, the University of Edinburgh is a public research university in Edinburgh, Scotland, and a member of several associations of research universities. Its structure, organisation, governance, strategy, history, and culture are outlined, along with its schools, departments, affiliations campus maps, language plans, facts and figures, semester schedules, event schedules, community activities, a staff directory, and contacts. A private student portal is available.
https://www.ed.ac.uk/
