Stewart's Melville College
Private school in Scotland From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Stewart's Melville College (SMC) is a private day and boarding school in Edinburgh, Scotland. Classes are all boys in the 1st to 5th years and co-educational in Sixth (final) year. It has a roll of about 750 pupils.[2][4]
| Stewart's Melville College | |
|---|---|
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| Address | |
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Queensferry Road , EH4 3EZ Scotland | |
| Coordinates | 55°57′13.58″N 3°13′35.5″W |
| Information | |
| Type | Private day and boarding school |
| Motto | Never unprepared[1] |
| Established | 1832 (Melville College) 1855 (Daniel Stewart's College) 1972 (merger) |
| Principal | Anthony Simpson |
| Gender | Male |
| Age | 11 to 18 |
| Enrolment | 756[2] (2015) |
| Colour(s) | Red, black, and gold |
| School fees | |
| Junior school | 1254 students (2015)[2] |
| Website | www |
Daniel Stewart's College was designed by the architect David Rhind and opened as Daniel Stewart's Hospital in 1848, renamed to Daniel Stewart's College in 1870, and placed under the perpetual management of the Royal Company of Merchants of the City of Edinburgh.[5] Melville College was known as the Edinburgh Institution for Languages and Mathematics from 1832 to 1936. In 1972, the two colleges merged to become Stewart's Melville College.
The school is twinned with the Mary Erskine School (MES), an all-girls independent school approximately one mile (1.6 km) from Stewart's Melville College. Together the combined Erskine Stewart's Melville Schools (ESMS) have a co-educational Sixth Year and Junior School, the latter of which is split between the two campuses and caters for pupils from 3 to 12 years old. The two schools share a Principal, and most extra-curricular activities, such as performing arts, are run jointly. Both SMC and MES are managed by the Merchant Company of Edinburgh, which is also responsible for the co-educational George Watson's College.
Stewart's Melville College originated from the merger of two schools — Daniel Stewart's College and Melville College — in 1972 to become Daniel Stewart's and Melville College. After the merger Melville's bright red trim replaced the dark red trim on the black Daniel Stewart's blazer for general use and the red blazer of Melville College was adopted for those awarded colours (for sporting and other achievements);[6] recently use of the red blazer was limited to the head boy and his deputies, with colours being signified with a particular tie.
Melville College was founded in 1832 by the Rev. Robert Cunningham[7][8] in George Street but soon moved to Hill Street in the centre of Edinburgh[9] with a teaching emphasis on modern subjects, such as science, rather than classical subjects – unusual at that time.[10] The school moved a short distance to 8 Queen Street which was purchased in 1853[9] and then to Melville Street in the city's West End in 1920.[11] Originally named "The Edinburgh Institution for Languages and Mathematics", its name changed to Melville College in 1936[10] about the same time as the caps and blazers of the boys were changed to bright red.[6]
Daniel Stewart's Hospital was opened in 1855 by the Merchant Company of Edinburgh. Daniel Stewart (whose wealth came from India and was Macer to the Court of the Exchequer), upon his death in 1814, left a sum of money and instructions that, once it had reached £40,000 it should be used to create a hospital for needy boys within the city.[12] The hospital was located on the current Queensferry Road campus (designed by David Rhind).[12] The hospital was transformed into "Daniel Stewart's College" in 1870. The school uniform from 1924 onwards was a cap with red and black stripes and a black blazer with red trim.[6]
In 1974, the link with another nearby Merchant Company school, the all-girls Mary Erskine School, was formalised and The Mary Erskine and Stewart's Melville Junior School was formed. Nursery to Primary 3 are housed on the Mary Erskine campus, with Primary 4 to 7 on the Stewart's Melville campus. The sixth (final) form of both senior schools is coeducational.[13]
In 2013, Stewart's Melville was voted the Scottish Independent School of the year by the Sunday Times newspaper[14][15] and Mary Erskine School was voted the Scottish Independent School of the year in 2012.[16] In 2014 the combined Erskine Stewarts Melville school, with over 2,700 pupils,[17] claimed to be the largest independent school in Europe.[18]
In 2014, a programme of improvement work on buildings of the junior school was announced,[19] and as of 2018, work has begun.
In February 2023, it was announced by principal Anthony Simpson that the boarding house would close by July 2025, citing costs and the facility not being compatible with the school's vision for the future. The allocation of resources towards the boarding house was not sustainable, as at the time of the announcement, there were only 19 boarders, accounting for less than 3% of all pupils at the school.
It was announced in October 2024 that Stewarts Melville will undergo a merger with its sister school, Mary Erskine, in the beginning of the 2026/2027 academic year.[20] The school stated that it would create a more inclusive community and it would also be more financially efficient.
Stewart's Melville College has won the Scottish Rugby Schools Under 18 Cup five times: in 1999 (in their first year of entering), 2006, 2011, 2016 and 2019.[21] Stewart's Melville RFC, the successor to the Former Pupils Rugby club, play in the Scottish League Championship.[22]
"Ravelston Sports Club", a large on-site sports centre opened in 2000. The sports centre is mainly used by pupils for physical education lessons and sports training (such as swimming, basketball, badminton, short tennis and table tennis) but is also open to members of the public for a monthly membership fee.[23] There is also a school shooting range located at the Ravelston campus.[24] Extensive rugby, cricket, hockey pitches and athletics facilities are also located at the school's sports grounds in Inverleith, two miles north of the school. The main stadium at Inverleith dates back to the 1890s and was the main ground of the Scotland national rugby union team until 1925.[25][26]
In 2019 Stewart's Melville College won the Mitsubishi U18 cup – played at Murrayfield Stadium – against local rivals George Watson's College.[27]
The school's main Victorian assembly hall was converted to the "Performing Arts Centre" between 2005 and 2007. This £3.5 million project,[28] was paid for in part by donations from the parents of the schools current pupils and former pupils (some of the chairs have names in gold of people who have donated). The centre has 800 seats that fold back into the wall, providing a variety of possible configurations and was officially opened in 2007. It is also available for use by the public and is used as a venue for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.[29]
In 2011, actor John Cairney unveiled the new name for the centre, "Tom Fleming Centre for Performing Arts", named after former pupil Tom Fleming, one of Scotland's leading broadcasters.[30]
Since 1965, the school organised an outdoor education programme for the boys of SMC and the girls from MES in the third year. It took place in the north of Scotland, based for over forty years at Carbisdale Castle Youth Hostel, Easter Ross, until its closure in 2011 required accommodation to relocate to Aviemore.[31] The camp was also abandoned in 2020 and 2021, due to coronavirus restrictions. It returned in 2022; however later in 2022, Carbisdale Castle was sold and is now a private residence.
Pupils at Stewart's Melville mainly sit Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) examinations, including (as of 2013) National 4, National 5, Higher Grade and Advanced Higher Grade levels. The English GCE Advanced Level, examinations can also be sat in art and music. Almost all pupils go on to higher education.[32]
The school maintains a Former Pupils Club, which organises social events throughout the year. There are branches throughout the UK and abroad.
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