Edinburgh private schools Mary Erskine and Stewart's Melville to merge and scrap single sex rule
Two Edinburgh private schools have announced that they will merge into one and scrap their single sex rule.
Stewart's Melville College for boys and The Mary Erskine School for girls will become one school at the beginning of the 2026/27 academic year, and be renamed as Erskine Stewart Melville, providing private education for pupils aged three to 18.
The new joint school will be based at Stewart’s Melville site at Queensferry Road, while Erskine Stewart Melville Nursery and Junior School will be based in Ravelston at the Mary Erskine site, with higher education pupils no longer separated by sex. The junior schools are already mixed sex.
In a joint statement, the two schools said: “This decision is driven by three objectives: to enhance the educational opportunities we offer our students, to establish a more inclusive community that reflects the modern world and to create a more financially efficient structure that is fit for the future.”
Anthony Simpson, principal of Erskine Stewart Melville, said: “This is an exciting new chapter for the school. As we look to the future, this new simplified structure will enable us to broaden the curriculum and create a more inclusive environment that reflects the modern world.
“Our current schools are fantastic, inspiring excellent exam results every year and offering an extensive range of co-curricular activities.
“As we move to a fully co-educational model, our primary focus will remain unchanged – to provide a world class education that will give our students the skills and mindset they need to thrive.”
The new School name, Erskine Stewart Melville, honours the original founders of the schools and its new logo borrows heraldry from each of the schools.